For East Africa you can't beat anything by Richard Reid. He also has a wonderful book on Africa from 1800 to the present you may enjoy: https://smile.amazon.co

For East Africa you can't beat anything by Richard Reid. He also has a wonderful book on Africa from 1800 to the present you may enjoy: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1405132655/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2QIG0EDPSDL11&coliid=I3SWL60MZVNWJH https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1405132655/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_... I tend to only focus on E Africa when reading (since I live in Uganda), but Richard Reid's writings are the best for understanding the region's history.