Under the Camelthorn Tree

A mother's gritty yet often humorous account of bringing up her five children in a lion research camp; a 21st-century My Family and Other Animals with a dark side

'An astonishing story ... Nicholls carries us through her experiences with a searing honesty that for me was hugely educational and deeply moving' – Jeremy Irons

'An unflinchingly brave, generous book filled with the wisdom of one who has seen both the beauty and the darkness the world has to give' – Sophie Dahl

'Read the whole beautiful book to the end. You'll never see another memoir like this' – Richard Dawkins

'A wonderfully rich and honest memoir of an extraordinary life by an extraordinary person . . . a special book' – Tim Butcher

'UNDER THE CAMELTHORN TREE is remarkable, wild as a pride of lions - heartbreaking, relentlessly truthful, funny. Kate Nicholls steps into life's beauties and hardships with a rare and extraordinary courage' – Erica Wagner, Harper's Bazaar

'A breathtaking memoir written with an abundance of wit, honesty and love.' – Harry Michell

Kate Nicholls left England to raise her five children in Botswana: an experience that would change each of their lives. Living on a shoestring in a lion conservation camp, Kate home-schools her family while they also learn at first hand about the individual lives of wild lions. Their deep attachment to these magnificent animals is palpable.

The setting is exotic but it is also precarious. When the author is subjected to a brutal attack by three men, it threatens to destroy her and her family: post-traumatic stress turns a good mother into a woman who is fragmented and out of control.

In this powerfully written, raw and often warmly funny memoir, we witness the devastation of living with a mother whose resilience is almost broken, and how familial structures shift as the children mature and roles change. Under the CamelthornTree addresses head-on the many issues surrounding motherhood, education, independence, and the natural world; and highlights the long-lasting effect of gender violence on secondary victims. Above all, it is an inspiring account of family love, and a powerful beacon of hope for life after trauma.