This informative book: The Dark Child by Camara Laye, is the Autobiography of an African Boy who was born in Kouroussa, in French Guinea, a country with an old civilization in which the ancient ritualistic society of the Malinke has remained alive. "The supernatural was a significant part of Camara Laye's life. Not only did his mother possess the powers od a witch, but his father's hut was often visited by a small black snake, te guiding spirit of his race."