Being Black In Asia by Miguel S. Flemming

It is mostly devoid of Fleming’s best attributes as the opening paragraphs soon give way to what is essentially a transcription of a series of interviews Ian Fleming did with ‘John Blaize’ (an alias for John Collard of the International Diamond Security Organisation) in South Africa. But all too soon I remembered why I had read this book only once before.

The opening paragraphs of typically atmospheric Fleming scene setting and character description suggest a fascinating non-fiction tale to follow. Originally published in 1957, my paperback comes from 1964 and has about it that pleasantly musty smell that reflects the passing years, and aids the trip back through the years. I settled into my comfy easy chair in the little dark corner of my living room next to the lamp on a rainy evening with a glass of Bailey’s, all prepared for a cosy trip back in time. Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland, Jamaica, Jersey, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Republic of Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (U.S.It had been many years since I’d read this book, and as I could remember nothing about it I was looking forward to re-reading it as part of my Ian Fleming marathon.

Being Black In Asia by Miguel S. Flemming