The Zambezi Trilogy: Book One

A deeply personal account of being born into what was first Southern Rhodesia, then Rhodesia. Jill Baker grew up as a white child whose best playmates, until she went to school, were three black children. The paths each of their lives took could not have been more divergent.
The Horns is founded on careful historical research into the valuable, but scarce, generational Matebele and Mashona oral histories; the vastly differing and biased accounts from early missionaries, pioneers, hunters, miners and traders; and records from the British South Africa Company, as well as government and parliamentary archives.
The historical skeleton holds this story firmly in place. What is fictional is for the author to know—and for you, the reader, to guess.

Reviews

Dabengwa launches Jill Baker's book, The Horns
News 24 : September 14th, 2018 Mthulisi Ncube

ZAPU President Dumiso Dabengwa over the weekend launched Jill Baker's Book titled The HORNS through his Foundation at the Bulawayo Theatre.

The book chronicles the history of Matebeleland dating back from the time when king Mzilikazi left South Africa, it touches on all the historical background of King Mzilikazi as the king of Matebeleland and later His son King Lobhengula.
I feel this is a must-read book for the peoples of Mthwakazi as we pursue our fight for our self-determination. Let's spread this message about this book. Jill Baker also highlighted the distortion of Matebeleland history by the historians.

Lifestyle section - SUNDAY TIMES
Johannesburg, 9th September 2018

KNYSNA HERALD

“Jill Baker’s novel presents an excellent combination of personal/fictional narrative and historical events and situations. She has merged the immediate experiences of her four central characters with the significant events surrounding them and has related each one with meaningful episodes in history. The way she has traced the evolution of political attitudes along with personal ones is insightful and makes the entire account come alive.
In fact, Baker’s text – in its entirety of three volumes – has the potential to become the kind of quintessential and representative work of the nation, the portrait of an age, which is the ultimate objective of a novel of this scale.”
– Aaron Murphy at PaperTrue

“Jill Baker has a gift of writing and telling the story. I have learned a lot after reading her book and in my view she has captured what I believe is a reflection of the whole history. More importantly, she uses Shona and Ndebele words appropriately. ”
– Kennedy Mavunganidze

Purchased the Kindle version yesterday and am totally engrossed, enthralled and envious of your skills. Your dialogue is very real, which isn't always easy as I am sure you are more than aware of and the clever 'jump cuts' in your narrative flow puts The Horns up there with one of the best books of Africa I have read in many years. Eat your heart out Wilbur and you, Mr Ruark, look to your bushlore laurels.
– Martin McGhee:

I am now halfway through The Horns... and just want to tell you how much I am enjoying this book.. the way you have told an African history through these characters is brilliance itself. I can't wait to pick up the book to find out the next chapter in this interwoven story. And I know... when I come to the end... that I will be hungry for the next book... so come now... chop chop! Can't keep your audience waiting.
– Bridgette Hadar Hi jill.

What an awesome job you did with No 1 of your Trilogy … I LOVED it. Only problem is … when are the next two coming out?
– Antoinette Dick

About the Author

Jill Baker spent her childhood years in Matabeleland before moving to Mashonaland at the age of 14. From school she studied music at the Guildhall School of Music in London, while doing a business administration course. Marriage to a tobacco farmer meant their lives on the farm ended shortly after UDI and Jill and the family moved to Salisbury to work for the next 15 years as a journalist, news and documentary presenter and producer in radio and television.

On moving to Australia in 1983, Jill managed a radio station before opening her own business in consultancy to the tourism industry. Her first book, Beloved African told the story of her father’s life as a headmaster in African Education from 1936 to 1966 and went to three editions. Sadly very few reached Zimbabwe. To correct that wrong, Jill is producing an ebook and audiobook of Beloved African, which will be published at the same time as The Horns.

Jill was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2005 for her help to Zimbabweans in Australia.