Modern Africa by Basil Davidson looks at African history since 1900.Blaine Garden's Africa: Dispatches From a Fragile Continent examines why African political leadership has failed its people.Africa since 1800 by Roland Oliver and Anthony Atmore describes the colonial period right through to various African countries' roads to independence, as well as the postindependence era to the early 1980s.Central African Republic in Pictures, by Thomas O'Toole, introduces the geography, history, society, economy and government of the CAR.The Washington Post described Congolese Henri Lopes' book The Laughing Cry as 'satirical, tender, bawdy, savage and filled with love and hope'.Chris Stapleton and Chris May's book African Rock is a great introduction to African music of all kinds.African Music, A People's Art, by Cameroonian Francis Bebey, is an excellent work on the music of French-speaking Africa.