South Africa Books

If you need to know Nelson Mandela, this is the book to read. This book's weaknesses are evident: It is written from a British viewpoint, and basically takes for granted a knowledge of South African history and geography most Americans do not possess (though they should). It also soft pedals the problems in Mandela's relationship with Winnie, though that is understandable. I have a feeling that not too many people could understand it. But it does a great job of making us see how the man was shaped and became what he is, and how he stands as a fearless, remarkable leader.

If you believe there are no modern heroes - that fortitude and unselfish judgement in the face of adversity are out-of-date virtues, you need to read this book. That Sampson shows the whole man so well (with admittedly a few frailities) adds depth to the tremendous courage, excellent judgement, and magnanimity Mandela demonstrated his entire life, even when the cause of the ANC he led seemed hopeless. Along the way the book gives an excellent view of South African history during Mandela's adulthood. If you are not very familiar with Mandela or South Africa you might do better to start with Mandela's own book, "Long Walk to Freedom" which doesn't cover quite so much ground and is more on a human scale. Both books are inspiring.

What an amazing life this man had. He was born on the rural plains in South Africa.. His father was absent due to forced circumstances. Mandela later received an education in law and began the practice of law. Political causes led to his imprisonment for nearly thirty years in Robbins Prison. The book tells the wrenching tale of his separation of his family during his imprisonment, yet the family (the second marriage, to Winnie) remained intact during his long imprisonment and only dissolved after the release from prison. The book is very heavy on the political activity in whch Mandela was involved. This is an interesting book of personal triumph over overwhelming odds.

I knew very little of Nelson Mandela before reading this book, but now I am confident that I have an excellent feel for what makes this man tick. This is an excellent book and one that should be read by anyone who wants to be inspired!

The author obviously knows a great deal about Mandela and South Africa. However, there is so much detail that I found the book just deadening over time. The writing style was not engaging enough to sustain me through all the blow-by-blow accounts that one has to plod through . -I was surprised and disappointed that the book was not more enjoyable.

how you can feel with a little boy's hardship in a boarding school and how you hope for his stamina and how you love his intense friendships that bring him on his way.

You really live with that life and that is best a book can do.

I have read the Power of One, the unedited version and it is brilliant, inspiring, and brutal - one of the best books I've read. However, this edition that is being sold here, is the Young Reader's edition, which isn't immediately obvious from Amazon's description or the picture. It does say so on the cover, but it's very small unless you enlarge the picture. So, my review gives it a 2 as it may be an unpleasant surprise for those who want to read the actual novel.

If Bryce Courtenay's The Power Of One sounds familiar, it's because this represents a young reader's condensed edition of a prior hard-hitter which became both an adult classic and an acclaimed movie of the same name. It's great to see such a powerful novel condensed with youth in mind: grades 8-12 will find compelling the story of 1930s South Africa and a boy who faces apartheid and prejudice in a country where his childhood is marked by loneliness and dreams of changing lives. A powerful story of courage and change evolves.

I read this book before the crap movie was ever released, and it's a good thing, too. Whoever says the novel is dead needs to take a look at this. Courtenay has written a brilliant bildungsroman that you literally can't put down. You might even end up re-reading certain passages over and over, such as the boxing match between the protagonist and a Goliath-like opponent. If you have a bright pre-teen, give him this, and I bet he'll enjoy it.

There are two versions of Bryce Courtney's "The Power of One"; the original version and this, the junior novelisation. The two are quite different so make sure that you double-check what publication you're getting before you order. I would suggest the older version for most readers, since this basically tells the same story in simplified form. However, in Australia and New Zealand, "The Power of One" has reached almost cult-status in terms of popularity, and some younger readers will leap at the chance to familiarise themselves with the story before they are ready to tackle the more complex and violent subject matter of the original. Furthermore, it is a perfect choice for school libraries and/or compulsory reading in classrooms.

Like the adult version, the junior novelisation is concerned with the life of Peekay, a young boy living in 1930's South Africa, coping with racism, tension between the various social groups of the time (the Boers, the English and the Africans) and the growing threat of World War II. This younger version begins in the same place as the adult one, with Peekay being sent to a boarding school in which he is urinated on by his fellow students - a clear sign that Courtney is not prepared to soften the harshness and cruelty of the original book for the benefit of a younger audience. In comparison this story ends after the famous concert at the prison, the moment in which the adult novel really begins.

The junior novel follows Peekay's journey from childhood into earlier adolescence and the beginnings of the adult world, told in significantly less detail and in more simplified language than the first "Power of One". On the way, he makes friends from every race and class, learning the most important truth of his life: to think with his head and then with his heart. In particular, he finds work in a jail, inventing an ingenious way to help the convicts communicate with their families on the outside, and discovers the sport of boxing along with the remarkable idea that you do not have to be the biggest in order to be the best.

Courtney's gift comes from finding the grey areas in each situation, showing us clearly that one race, one country, one ideology is never wholly righteous; goodness can only come from an individual. Near the beginning of the book Peekay is persecuted by Nazi-supporters; later a dear friend of his unfairly is jailed for being a German. Humanity's overwhelming desire to classify and then judge people based on these classifications is never more frustrating than it is here, and it is a lesson well worth learning.

Although this is a more-than-adequate introductory book for younger readers eager to tackle "The Power of One", I would recommend to anyone else over the age of twelve (or any confident reader under that age) that they simply pick up the first (and best) adult version.

Smith Hempstone tells us about his fight to encourage (if not impose) multipartism in Kenya. His book takes a brand new resonance now that, ten years later, his efforts were brought to fruition with the fall of the once unique Kanu party and the election of Mwai Kibaki as president.

This result alone deserves respect. However, about the book, a couple of things can be said. Lots of paragraphs are of doubtful utility, like the ones about "operation bullship", an operation that didn't happen anyway, so why bother indeed ? The most interesting topic in the book is how democracy made a leap forward in Kenya, and the whole book might have been better had it been organized more around this main subject.

The tone of the book lacks humility in my view, and since I was reading Leakey's Wildlife Wars at a similar time, I can tell that the latter conveys a much more humane feeling about what it takes to fight for improvment in a country. Maybe this is because Leakey is Kenyan. When Hempstone braggs about democracy being so fundamental in the USA, one can reply that achieving democracy is easier once you've wiped out the native people in a territory, and that you're left with European immigrants sharing the same lifestyle and language...

But apart from style, this book is a most valuable read, and all the more interesting since the recent political changes in Kenya.

A good book.Tells of the aspirations of a people burried in tyranny-and their struggle to overcome it.The author tried his part and Kenyan people are grateful to him.The book is a must for anybody who would like to know the temperament for Kenya in the search for evasive political reforms.

This is an important work that gives a frank perspective and historical account of Kenya, and the forces tugging at it. Mr Hempstone is a gifted writer, and this book reflects that. His reference to Mau Mau freedom fighters as terrorists leaves much to be desired. This is fact is a misrepresentation of Mau Mau. Mau Mau helped Kenya achieve independence from Britain (its means may not have been diplomatic, nevertheless, kenyans were liberated from the yoke of colonialism.) Apart from this fact, I would recommend it to anyone seeking a detailed account of the events of those years, but to caution you that this is infact written with lots of baggage that is the character of this man (he seems to relish the days of colonialism, yet he (and the US)did have an impact (positive or negative to Kenyans we do not know yet). Compelling and insightful.

This is a great book -- loads of fun to read while providing an insightful perspective of an important country.

The book offers another dimension in this brutal killing that shocked the world. It sheds light on the power play that exists in Moi's evil government machinery that is willing to do anything to perpetuate the evil empire. This unbiased account is one that every Kenyan and friends of Kenya should read as we prepare for the inevitable homecoming of all children of the Kenyan Diaspora. Though a foregone conclusion, the fact that we need a government that respects its citizens and understands its mandate remains a recurring theme. "Building the New Kenya" is and should be our motto !

I bought this as a gag gift for a friend because her neighbors are Swedish and when they invite her for dinner they serve only meat prepared with salt and pepper, no other spices. There are no sides served whatsoever, no vegetables, no starch. I thought there would be more recipes in this book. There were some pretty photos of food, but I would have liked more extensive photos of life in Sweden at Christmas time. The people, the culture, the traditions. I would have liked to see more of what the houses looked like decorated at Christmas, and more photos of people engaged in holiday pastimes.

I really enjoyed this book. My husband's family emigrated from Sweden, and I want my children and grandchildren to appreciate their Swedish heritage. I used this book for our "Swedish Christmas" this year. The grandchildren had a great time with the girls playing St. Lucia and serving their parents hot chocolate and Lucia buns for breakfast in bread.

Having made plans this year to have a Swedish Christmas, this book has proven to be invaluable. While the author presents the traditional way the Swedes celebrate Christmas, i.e., beginning with Advent and continuing until well after Christmas Day, my wife and I have decided we will take the best of the traditions and fold them all into one big day of celebration. Of course, the feature of our celebration will be the Smorgasbord. Many, many recipes are presented that sound both tasty and easy to prepare. Our Swedish Christmas will begin early Christmas Eve Day and will include a visit from the Saint Lucia girl, as played by our granddaughter, with her assortment of special rolls. We even have found a St. Lucia crown for her to wear. Our Smorgasbord table will follow many of the suggestions presented in the book.

For anyone interested in having a Swedish Christmas, this book is highly recommended.

Not only was the text in this book accurate and helpful, the photography is top notch. I ordered this book for all of my children, so that they can share the content with their families. When they were growing up we observed many of the Swedish Christmas customs. St. Lucia Day, Christmas Eve Dinner. the making of Lefse and Potato Sausage. Each of our children now lives scattered across the United States, only two of them in cities (Minneapolis and Ballard, Washington) where there is a large Swedish population. I love knowing that they will use this book, A Swedish Christmas in America, to pass these customs unto their children, several of them are also teachers, I know that this book will find it's way into their class rooms.

Since both authors are professional photographers, it is to be expected that the photographs in this book are all excellent and many are artistic. I was in a dilemma as to how many stars I should give to rate this book. As a Christmas album it deserves at least five stars. However, as a book about Christmas customs I would only give it three (therefore on average I give it four).
Firstly, I would like to say that the content of the book is often written in a very warm and readable way and it is full of childhood reminiscences and vivid description. For other readers I must admit, this style might well be preferable. Personally, I had hoped that the book would have had a much greater folklore content (something analogous with Kathleen Stokker's "Keeping Christmas: Yuletide Traditions in Norway and the New Land", 2000). There is a minimal amount of interesting allusions to folk customs. However, they are not described in detail. Moreover, another problem comes from the actual translation into English. A translator should never translate certain words. For instance, on p. 32 there is a reference to the St.Lucia day (Dec. 13th) custom of boys "wearing tall, funnel-shaped hats (like dunce caps)". It would have been nice to have included the actual Swedish name for this cap (some Swedish friends of mine call it a 'strut' or 'cone' but I am not sure if there is a 'proper' name as well?). Swedish is one of the languages I speak and I believe that more Swedish terms would have improved the work and given more local flavour. Similarly, on p.12 there is a reference to the "Advent candelabra" with four candles (one for each week of Advent). Here it should have been explained that this is called an 'adventjusstarka'. Again the ubiquitous "Christmas goat" should also have been given its proper name (julbock). Such a detail is important since the word 'julbock' is very different from the related cognate terms of the Finnish 'joulupukki' (who is Santa himself) and the Norwegian 'julebukking' (which refers to Christmas mumming). Likewise, "Santa's rice pudding" on p. 69 in which there is a hidden almond is called 'risgryngrot' (with an umlaut on the 'o'). This reminds me of the lucky coin hidden in the Greek 'vasilopita' or St. Basil's new year pie). Moreover, the "sheaf of straw" mentioned on p. 44 which is a bundle of oats left outside for the birds is called a 'julkarve'( with an accent on the 'a' and which corresponds to the Norwegian 'julenek'). There are indeed some fascinating references to traditions such as the fortune-telling with lead (molybdomancy) on New Year's day. I also enjoyed the superstitions mentioned in connection with the early church service on Christmas day (on p.121). This service is actually called the 'julottan' - again a word that the authors had neglected to share. There are also several basic details and customs which have not been included. For instance, no mention is made of the lucia buns being called 'lussekatter'(i.e. Lucy cats) and neither is there any mention of the custom of 'kasta julskomme' or throwing a type of braided straw figure (the 'julbock' is just one such type). This custom was performed as a joke on a neighbour's door or as a courting ritual. Another weakness is that the photographs (though beautifully taken) are not labelled. Captions would have been most useful. For instance, I wanted to know the significance (and word for) the oranges that are studded with cloves in photographs on pages 57 and 132. I have met this custom in the Ionian islands where it was called a 'prokado portokali' and it was given to solicit gifts on New Year's day. It is also reminiscent of the Welsh 'calennig'. It should also be mentioned that the book provide many enjoyable recipes (even if the names for these recipes are not supplied) as well as some practical tips about making Christmas crackers and a gingerbread house. The authors have done a great deal of work and, despite my comments (coloured by my own personal taste and preferences), I am sure that this would be the ideal Christmas book for many readers. If you are looking for a beautiful Christmas souvenir from Sweden then it is the perfect gift. For this reason I would actually buy another copy of it for certain friends - however, I could not buy it for any of my colleagues. Dr. M. Sfaellou.

The author of the one-starred review appears to have not actually read the book, but felt the need to write a review anyhow.
Zulu Victory is a great introduction to Isandlwana for those who previously knew little or nothing about the battle. I include myself amongst this group: I had to read it for a college course. It is history more in the "popular" vein than academic, but it is incredibly well written, and the authors have done their research. Well worth your time whether you're a newcomer to the Zulu wars or not.

As usual, books like this are only interested in a spot of Brit bashing. They ignore the fact that the whole Zulu war was initiated against the expressed wishes of the British government as shown in cabinet minutes and from cables sent to Bartle Frere by Hicks Beach. It was Bartle Frere's war acting on his own. At Isandlwhana British troops were a minority in the force also composed of colonials and Natal Bantus who volunteered to help bring down the Zulus. Yes, fellow Africans wanted the Zulus defeated. As for being outgeneralled and out thought, the same Zulu impies under the same commanders weren't able to repeat the trick at Kambula or the Ineyazane river, where Chelmsfords approach was vindicated. As for a Zulu victory, Cetshwayo didn't seem to think it was, on hearing the Zulu casualty figures ("An assegai has been thrust into the belly of the nation. There are not enough tears to mourn for the dead"). But we can't ruin a good story with too many facts, can we. File it under fiction. It'd be right at home there.

I have been very interested in African history ever since I took a course on West African colonial history in college, and in the Zulu wars specifically when I read "Washing of the Spears" many years ago. These intrepid warriors faced the British imperialists in defense of their homeland, and occasionally prevailed in battle. This book details the Zulu victory over the British at Isandlwana, a very black day for the Empire of Queen Victoria. The reader receives all of the reasons why the Zulus prevailed, among other reasons the astute planning of their leaders, and the almost casual dismissal of the ability of the natives on the part of the English leaders. Once the tragedy took place, there was a concerted effort by the authorities to transfer blame from the actual commander, Lord Chelmsford, to one of the "colonial" officers. The authors categorically refute the baseless allegations, and show us exactly how Chelmsford was derelict in his duty to his troops, while not taking anything away from the brilliance of the Zulu planning. This is an interesting book, and well worth reading for those whose interest, as mine, centers on the cololnal conquest of the indigenous peoples of Africa.

Zulu Victory is a valuable synthesis of research on the battle of Isandlwana, where a British Army under Lord Chelmsford was outmaneuvered and defeated in detail by King Cetshwayo's Zulu Army. The strength of this book lies in its clarity. Every important personality and event in the campaign is thoroughly weighed and explained, without ever losing sight of the overall context. The result is a fluid, balanced account of a very confused set of circumstances.

This book is equally valuable as an all-in-one historiography of the battle. Serious history readers will appreciate this facet from the Forward, written by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, right through the appendices. The quality of the writing keeps the history from becoming dry. The narrative remains vivid, even after multiple readings. As with Morris' "The Washing of the Spears," the storytelling is flat out exciting.

Try not to be put off by the subtitle: "The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-Up." The twin themes of the book are clear. 1) The Zulus did not simply stumble on and overwhelm a British encampment. They made use of their advantages, which included better mobility and communications as well as a superior understanding of the local terrain, to outmaneuver and defeat an overconfident enemy. 2) Chelmsford and his supporters attempted to shift responsibility for the defeat to a colonial cavalry leader, Colonel Anthony Durnford, (Royal Engineers) who was killed in the fray. (You may know him as Burt Lancaster in the movie "Zulu Dawn.")

Perhaps the 2nd point is more marketable, to scholars, but what most amateur historians will find instructive is the campaign narrative. While much has been made in the past of how courageous individual Zulu warriors were, and of their famed "head and horns" battlefield tactics, this is a depiction of how the Zulu lured Chelmsford into splitting his force. It explains the thinking from 'both sides of the hill' without attributing an artificial superiority to European tactics, or shortchanging the sophistication of the native leadership.

The book makes it clear that although Chelmsford was both arrogant and defeated, he was not necessarily the fool played by Peter O'Toole. He operated with tremendous logistical challenges that severely constrained his freedom of action. Moreover, while Chelmsford was overconfident, the British still might have withstood the Zulu Impis had they recognized the danger sooner and employed different tactics...as later battles were to prove.

All the usual debates are covered, including a detailed appendix (C) devoted to the infamous British Ammunition boxes and their (potential) impact on the battle. The book has 11 very clear maps and 75 illustrations, many of which are in color and really capture the battlefield from the perspective of contemporary eyes.

If you have an interest in 19th century imperialism, military history, or even what happens when indigenous peoples and colonials collide, read this book. It's excellent history and a ripping good yarn to boot.

When the British marched to disaster against the Zulu at Isandlwana this volume claims they were `outgunned and outfought and outmanuevered' but the reality is slightly different. This book intends to expose the `cover-up' of the British disasters in the Zulu war and the author tries to prove that their was indeed some massive cover up. Of course the cover up couldn't have been very thorough since everyone with any knowledge of British colonial history knows the the defeat by the Zulus. This book claims the british were crushed despite their superior weaponry but this is a misnomer. The British were defeated due to their lesser then brilliant officers who strong the better trained and better armed british contingent out in a long line, allowing the british regulars to be butchered by the vastly more numerous Zulus. The author claims that it was a failure of British arms. But Isandlwana is no more a failure of British arms then the defeat the British suffered in Afghanistan or at Yorktown. Rather, the reality is that the gigantic Zulu army went on to lay siege to Rorkes Drift where a handful of similar British soldiers held off thousands of Zulu for more then a day. Isandlwana was a freak accident and this book labors too hard to show that the British covered up a defeat.

Ghost History: the intricate details lost to time. This book captures the Ghost History of the 32 Battalion. Additionally, in the finest traditions of all great Regimental Sergeant Major's, the author, an ex- RSM of the unit, captures the unit history, essence, spirit and legacy of the 32 Battalion.

This is a well researched, first hand account of the infamous 32 Battalion. There are also a number of maps that show the area of operation and there are a few tactical maps that futher clarify some of the actual missions. For those that serve in the profession of arms this is a great book that offers lessons on operations, techniques, tactics and procedures in insurgency and counterinsurgency; especially valuable were the lessons on how the 32 Battalion and SADF leadership dealt with the clans, tribes and in some cases an illiterate force. This book is literally a text book case on how to organize and train an elite indigenous counterinsurgency force.

Terry Tucker, PhD
Battle Staff Trainer Afghanistan

this book is a detailed history of the 32 batt. and helped me to understand a little about the controversy about them, and their oporations. it however is writen a bit like a text book, and a little research as you read it is needed. i do recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about what happened from the source, in stead of some slanted news report.

This is really slow and not what you would expect. The minute detailing of every mundane aspect of building this unit is excruciating.

By the author's own admission a subjective report.The story of forgotten hero's, shunned by the political survivors of the old South Africa and hated by the new order.Too little was told about the Citizen Force officers and NCO's who served with this unit.However it is well written and worthwile reading to all who is interested in the history of South Africa.

One of the 32 Battalion's longest-serving members presents the unadorned true story of his unit in 32 Battalion: The Inside Story Of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. Nicknamed "The Buffalo Soldiers", South Africa's 32nd Battalion was undefeated in twelve years of front-line battle, feared by enemies ranging from Cuban armies to Nambian guerrilla fighters. Called "Os Terriveis", or the Terrible Ones by their enemies, the unit met its most unlikely demise when peace came to southern Africa and politics chose to dissolve the unit's fraternity in 1993. 32 Battalion makes no embellishments or apologies, but rather presents the true story of the unit in clear terms, illustrated by a handful of black-and-white maps and diagrams and an inset section of color plates. A thrilling expose of modern military history.

I've been reading Abiyoyo to preschool children for years. They always love the power that comes from overcoming the giant. But they always ask what happened to Abiyoyo. I usually tell them he went to get a manicure, pedicure and a haircut - and for a trip to the dentist! Now, with Abiyoyo Returns we have a wonderful new story to tell. And the children are quick to notice that the father in the new book is the boy all grown up! They especially like the page where the little girl is washing the giant's stinking feet.

I just got this book in addition to the original Abiyoyo and wasn't sure about it at first. The new story and graphics are just as good as the first. Another great addition to any book collection.

I LOVED Abiyoyo and read it a lot to the kids I babysit. The new one is cute, but it loses a lot of the fun, magic, and moral of the first one. I was very disapointed.

Pete Seeger's famous song "Abiyoyo" is a family favorite of ours, so I was intrigued to happen upon his "Abiyoyo Returns." For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Abiyoyo is a fearsome giant who eats people when he's hungry and is generally destructive and scary.

In this tale, warmly illustrated by Michael Hays, Abiyoyo is summoned up to help move a boulder so that the local townsfolk can build a dam. But the magic wand used to call Abiyoyo up breaks, and there is no way to get Abiyoyo to disappear again. There is a Pandora's Box element to the tale, and the wisdom of elders is deftly interwoven with bright ideas contributed by the children in the village.

Kids will get a special kick out of the idea that the young heroine--who looks to be maybe eight or ten years old--comes up with the idea that will allow the townspeople to peacefully co-exist with Abiyoyo, while still getting their dam built and the boulder removed.

Continue your favorite childhood book with your children. My children love Abiyoyo Returns. A wonderful story about differences, acceptance and love. It will be a favorite in your family's library. Great holiday gift.

...........for this book for 8 years. I read it 8 years ago, but I borrowed it at someone's house. Since then, I have been searching for my own copy that I can read over and over. This is by far, one of the best books that I have EVER read. I alsmost felt the characters as they jumped from the pages at you.

this book is awsome. i actually felt what the women were feeling. growing up in america, this book allowed me to count my blessings!

Mark Mathabane writes that the oppression of women is widespread in South Africa. This is largely because apartheid over the years emasculated and degraded black men and stripped them of their manhood by depriving them of the means to provide for their families and loved ones. Many of these men found convenient targets for their rage, frustrations, and bitterness in those under their immediate and absolute control, their wives and children. This abuse of women and children was made easy because apartheid, for its own devious ends, encouraged and rewarded tribalism among blacks. Husbands and fathers continued to cling to customs and traditions that had long outlived their usefulness, mainly out of a sense of desperation. Under tribalism men have power, authority, and respect, while in the modern world ruled by the white man they were powerless, got no respect, were called "boys," and were treated as less than dirt. African Women is a harrowing, poignant, heroic, and inspiring saga of three women who, in their individual ways, refused to buckle under to tradition, custom, and oppression. They fought against daunting odds to preserve their individuality and independence, their dignity and pride, their hearts and souls. They worked and raised children in a culture and society where black women had hardly any rights, were daily discriminated against by apartheid, and were regarded as the property of their husbands or fathers by custom. Any attempts to liberate themselves were condemned and harshly dealt with.

Couldn't put this book down! It read like an African Waiting to Exhale only the characters were real. This really showed how over 3 generations more things remained the same than not. These women were very, very strong women who overcame a great deal

This book is terrible.

Every character sounds exactly the same: men, women, 90-year-olds, ten-year-olds. They all speak with exactly the same voice, same personality, same attitudes, same vocabulary same maturity. And since it's written in first-person, but the narration jumps between three women (grandmother, mother, daughter) I constantly had to flip to the beginning of the chapters to remind myself who was speaking (the chapter's are named after the person currently narrating). This is not only because Mathabane lacks the ability to write with any depth, but because each woman's story is virtually identical. Chapter after chapter after excruciating chapter you will find yourself reading the same story over and over and over again with almost no variation whatsoever.

The characters are all two-dimensional and comically absurd and unrealistic. The only two characters with their own personalities, though these two were also identical twins of eachother, were Aunt Matinana and Elizabeth. These two were hilariously evil. They were like diabolical villians out of a James Bond movie. They were supposed to be serious characters, but I couldn't help but expect one of them at any moment to put her pinky to her mouth and demand, "ONE MILLION DOLLARS." Comedy gold.

Mathabane's prose is lazy and immature, constantly using American slang and goofy clichés not only in dialog, but throughout the narration. As if this wasn't out-of-place as it was in a novel about South African women, these clichés were also often used incorectly such as:

"There was no possibility of reconciliation between my parents. Too much water had already flowed under the bridge." (page 194)

Of course, if it's water under the bridge reconciliation has already taken place. That's the whole point of the "water under the bridge" idiom. It refers to things that no longer matter because they happened and are now in the past and insignificant -- like water under the bridge.

And speaking of dialog, I can only describe it as something like frozen dialog concentrate. I kept wondering if I could just add water and stir to get an entire realistic conversation.

To add insult to injury, the editing is atrocious. The book is filled with absurd mistakes such as the following story about white oppression:

"And recently, in one factory in Natal, black female employees had to submit to monthly injections of Depo Provera -- a crude form of birth control with dangerous side effects -- every three months or lose their jobs" (page 11)

When I began reading this the first thought that went through my mind was, "Monthly? Depo Provera is only given on a tri-monthly basis..." Then I reached the end of the paragraph and realized that they were apparently being given the shot monthly every three months, whatever that's supposed to mean. This kind of sloppy writing and non-existent editing is pervasive throughout.

It's really a shame that this book is so bad as it's incredibly important for these peoples' stories to be heard. People around the world should understand what apartheid was and, particularly, how bad women had it and continue to suffer in South Africa. But this is not the book to accomplish this task.

Possibly recommended for junior-high school level reading as it reads like it was written with a pre-teen audience in mind (though this was not deliberate). In fact, much of the dialog sounds like it was plaigerized directly from little girls playing house or having tea parties with dolls.

Ronnie Kasrils is a great man. For a white person in South Africa to empathize with the struggle against apartheid in the 1950s is admirable, but for that person to dedicate his life to fighting against apartheid is truly remarkable and worthy of all praise. This extraordinary man was ready to go to any lengths, giving up his personal pleasures and risking his life and that of his family for a principled fight against one of the 20th Century's most horrid evils.

The book is a seriously entertaining and informative book, a close look at the world of the ANC from someone who was there in the thick of the action. Read this book if you want a more personalized account to compliment the history books and documentaries that give you the big picture. Follow Kasrils as he hides in the jungles running from training camp to training camp, traveling internationally undercover and crossing into South Africa in disguise.

Another great fact about Kasrils' life is that taking up a post in the government has not disconnected him from the struggles for which he fought all his life. He remains a defender of the week and a fighter of injustice wherever it may prevail. Palestinians will always attest to his courage in speaking up against Israeli oppression and his support for Palestinians' human rights.

Despite Alan Rockwell's dismissive review below, Kasril's autobiography is an excellent contribution to the growing collection of memoirs of leaders in the struggle to defeat apartheid. Among the memoirs of the likes of Nelson Mandela, Walter and Albertina Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Albie Sachs, Gillian Slovo (about her parents Joe Slovo and Ruth First), Ronnie Kasril's story is particularly noteworthy for the insight it lends to the armed struggle and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC. The earlier reviews cover much of the merits and benefit of the book and so I will not repeat. Suffice to say that as a South African old enough to remember the violence, trauma and pain inflicted by the likes of PW Botha and his predecessors in pursuit of a white supremacist vision, and then privileged enough to witness that conflict find a political solution rather than a military one, I find the drivel submitted by Alan Rockwell under the guise of a book review laughably absurd. Or I would, if I didn't find his prejudice and paranoia (albeit concealed by a smug self-righteousness) so frightening familiar. I doubt that he has read the book; indeed, given that all his other reviews deal with American history and he almost always dishes out 5 stars, one wonders how he managed to find himself in this part of the world in the first instance.

In case any other readers are as confused as Alan or somewhat wavering in their confidence about who were the good guys and who were the bad guys in recent South African history, an easy way to tell the wood from the trees is to remember that apartheid was declared a crime against humanity under international law and all four South African winners of the Nobel Peace Prize earned the honour through their work to end apartheid. As for the suggestion that the ANC are no more than a bunch of terrorists, well Alan, two of those Nobel laureates were ANC presidents. I suspect that Alan feels harassed by the critical focus so much of his previously unchecked prejudices have been receiving of late, thanks to the collective and individual efforts of people like Ronnie Kasrils and the national liberation struggles they organise and drive forward. But please Alan, if you going to offer a useful review, leave your stupidity and ignorance at the door.

This is one of the best books about the anti-apartheid struggle I've read - by someone who was in the thick of it who is obviously both brave and politically astute. Ronnie Kasrils, the author, was a leader in the armed struggle and is now a leader in the South African government - Minister of Water and Forestry. His transition is documented in an updated version of this book published by a different publisher.

I am frankly amused by the two reviewers who gave Ronnie Kasrils' "Armed and Dangerous" five star reviews. Of course, they seem to be the lot who would eagerly fly to Ramallah and place flowers on the grave of the monster and babykiller who wrecked his own "peace process".

Kasrils chose, unlike fellow Leftie Hirsh Goodman, to abandon his people and adopt the creed of the Stalinist Jew-haters of Soviet Communism. Goodman, for all of his faults, chose Zionism, and must be respected for that. Kasrils chose a new kind of Hitlerism even if he suggests it was for admirable purposes. To study terrorism under these people, and to take up arms alongside the PLO, Baader Meinhof, and other terrorist groups brings back that old John Lennon quote: "but if you're gonna carry passages from Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow".

The ANC was a terrorist organization. Period. If Kasrils really had guts and brains he would have joined Chief Buthelezi and the Zulus in their principled opposition to reckless Apartheid policies.

Ironically Kasrils is now the director of South Africa's equivalent of the CIA. Or in his case, KGB or Gestapo. He now favors tweed suits and the golf clubs over the khaki and kalashnikov. But deep down inside Kasrils is still a Fascist, as per his remarks supporting Palestinian genocidal bombing against Israel women and children. Furthermore, South Africa's Intelligence agencies have been cited as having possible links to Al Qaeda.

Don't bother with this dribble from a KAPO.

I have just spent two days absorbing his book. Some highlights:

1) The big fights, the important fights, take 25 years or more. The transformative fights, the nation-wide or trans-regional transformations, take 25-50 years.

2) When any government seeks to repress discontent by suspending the due process of law, stand by for a revolution.

3) Fighting this revolution, without a friendly country adjacent to South Africa, and with South African mercenaries and forces all too able to strike at will across Africa, was very very hard. Bomb-making, communications, all hard.

4) Camaraderie should not be allowed to undermine operational security and counterintelligence. From day one, misplaced faith and lax checking of backgrounds was very costly, and the ANC was riddled with informers, many of them passed through the US and UK.

5) The Russians, East Germans, and Cubans all provided aid with no strings attached--indeed, the West's excessive propaganda against communism actually inspired interest in communism. This book is one of the best references I have found, as a US intelligence professional, with respect to the good done by the so-called "main enemy" in the specific case of South Africa.

6) I believe the author when he recounts discussions with Russians focusing on the defense nature of their military investments, and their longer-term strategic focus on beating US capitalism in a straight-up economic competition with socialism. I had to think as I worked through this section: if Ronnie Kasrils could have these discussions, how could CIA get it so wrong all those years?

7) Across the entire book is a full range of clandestine technique. These guys knew how to use newspaper ads, codes, changes in times and dates, pre-arranged blind meetings, brush passes, dead drops, the whole nine yards. They lived it--and unlike US spies, who get sent home, if they failed at undercover operations they paid with their lives or spent years--sometimes decades--in prison.

8) The United Kingdom gets high marks for its balanced reception of ANC officers, and Scotland Yard gets the best marks of all.

9) Key elements of the ANC victory, apart for the grotesque self-destructive nature of apartheid, were persistence, propaganda, infrastructure, and training. Their leadership was clever, strategic, and focused. The ANC also understood that politics was as important as tactical and technical training--the moral is to the material as 10:1 and all that good stuff.

10) Training as well as solidarity were well balanced with sports, music, and art.

11) The East Germans taught them how to do Vietnamese tunnels (see my review of the "Tunnels of Cu Chi.") My first thought was Colombia and drugs--I suspect the Americans have no idea what's under the ground in the Andes.

12) They were not ready for air attacks, especially air attacks streaking in on them from South Africa within other nominally sovereign countries.

13) A major contributor to their eventual success was the over-all trend in the region, with victories in Angola and Zimbabwe chief among the contributing factors.

14) The revolution went through a mutinous and discouraging phase. I was reminded of Bill Moyer's "Doing Democracy" where he quotes Tom Atlee in saying that Stage 5 in any long-term movement toward democracy is inevitably the stage where there is a perception of failure.

15) In the final stages before victory, one of their biggest problems was quality control over incoming recruits and over captured informants and traitors.

16) Chapter 16 is a lovely discussion of their use of open sources of intelligence. He says: "The greatest proportion of intelligence comes from published material. Since South Africa is a modern, industrial country, we were able to acquire information covering almost its entire infrastructure. This included everything from road, rail and power networks to national key points and strategic objectives. Pretoria's predilection for propaganda provided rich pickings from a range of military and police literature."

17) These guys ran a marvelous early warning system that got citizen conscripts, when called up, to call in to telephone answering machines.

18) They pioneered the integration of maps, telephone books, index cards, and brain power in charting all the unoccupied farms across the country, ultimately plotting routes from the border all the way to Pretoria.

19) When De Klerk legalized the ANC, they were initially taken in and got sloppy with security. The author does a fine job of showing that De Klerk, while bowing to the inevitable in the end, was much more duplicitous and hostile to the ANC after starting the reconciliation process, than most in the West realize.

20) The author (who is now the Minister for Intelligence Services after having been the Deputy Minister of Defense) appears to be skilled at understanding the value of the media, and the importance of detecting and fighting disinformation early on.

21) His chapter on his tenure at the Ministry of Defence could teach us something about transformation and how to accelerate it.

In the end, and over-all, I am left with four impressions:

a) Morality really does matter, as does mass. A mass of people with morality is more powerful than an elite with guns.

b) Torture and murder by minions can be forgiven and understood--it is their political masters who must be held accountable.

c) Women are the best. the most steadfast revolutionaries--and their men could not survive decades of hardship without the steadfast commitment of their companions.

d) South Africa is ready (he quotes Thabo Mbeki) to make its own history.

For myself, I am quite certain that Ronnie Kasrils is going to lead South Africa's intelligence community in a way that no other national intelligence leader could possibly understand: in the service of the people, harnessing and inspiring their collective intelligence, placing intelligence in the service of the people.

This is an exceptional person...the real deal.

This book is not a correct account of what happened in Rhodesia, but a correct account of what some people in power thought was happening. In some areas Mr. Smith was incredibly wrong, but in others he was very right. The western countries rubber stamp system of de-colonization allowed some very bad rulers to come to power, much worse than Botha or Smith could ever be. In principle I understand what Smith was doing, but he should have agreed to the UK's demands earlier. The only result of this positively is that South Africa learned alot from his mistakes.

As long as you don't believe every single word, this is a great insightful book. I agree with Smith on his take that Rhodesia made a terrible mistake by not joining the Union of South Africa, thereby allowing the 1948 election to happen there.

Regardless what has happened to Zimbabwe/Rhodesia is sad, and the west and later Africa should of never let it happen.

I highly suggest reading "Tomorrow is another country," by Martin Meredith for what I think is the best account of Rhodesia's story.

You've got to hand it to Ian Smith, he doesn't give up. Unfortunately, with Robert Mugabe massacring people left, right and centre people sometimes start to give Smith's arguments and rewriting of history credit they do not deserve.

In the world of Ian Smith as he would have you look at it, hearty Rhodesian farmers held the land in trust for grateful, happy blacks, while putting in place a slow and gentle programme of steady reform which would gradually empower a black population who were clearly not in any position to responsibly govern a great country. Meanwhile, he was brutally sold down the river by the mother country (Britain) who got foolhardy liberal ideas about self-determination and black empoerment.

The reality is somewhat different. Smith's regime has the dubious honour of outdoing Apartheid South Africa in the unpleasantness stakes. Smith's [associates] lived the high life while disenfranchised blacks were used for ... labour and segregated from white society. The failure of post-colonial governments such as Robert Mugabe's has aroused a new debate about the merits of a "benevolent colonialism." Whatever the merits of this argument, it's pretty academic because Smith's government was in no way "benevolent" and could never be held up as one of the better examples of colonial management. In fact, it could be a case study in ... abuse of power. What reforms the Smith regime implemented were hollow and deliberately rigged to make no real difference. Herculean efforts were made to stall the emergence of a well educated, politically aware black middle class which might ultimately challenge white rule. And if any of the "kaffirs" got too uppity they could always be dragged off to a cell to have electrodes attached to their privates until they changed their minds. Of course, this all came back to bite the Smith government in the backside because when it came to a shooting war, even moderate blacks had no real stake in preserving the status quo and little incentive to fall in behind the government.

During the run-up to the negotiations which resulted in the handover to black rule, Smith (who was acknowledged by everyone who dealt with him as a foul mouthed thug) toured London lecturing parties of the hard right faithful on the importance of teching the blacks to "know their place". Willie Whitelaw, not an ungenerous judge of character, described him as possibly the most unpleasant man he'd ever met. Don't be lured by the revisionist nonsense about a paternalistic, essentially benevolent regime. It was nothing of the sort.

Truely the greatest betrayal of a nation by the Western Democratic countries under the influence of the Organisation of African Unity. This book besides being a great read, depicts the struggle of a nation coming to grips with a change in British foreign policy. This change strikes the beginning of the end of a democratic and economically prosperous country. The sad reality of this book is that all of the Rhodesian peoples worst fears have today come true. Ian Smith lays the facts straight. A true leader, and a hard to find honest politician struggling against innumerable odds to keep Rhodesia alive. Unfortunately in the end it was not to be and the now Zimbabwe is a single party dictatorship with horrendous human rights violations, collapsed economy, and a starving people.

If you have any interest in the politics of Southern Africa during the end of British colonialism, this book is for you.

Few books detail the truth about Mugabe's Zimbabwe and the virtual ethnic cleansing of minority communities. Smith, the last minority president of Zimbabwe(then rhodesia) tells the story behind the UDA and his fight for moderation. This excellent book is an insider look at Smith's own understanding of his country and the fate of his nation. Zimbabwe, once a net exporter of grain, is now on the brink of starvation. Smith's book is readable and sheds light on what has been proven by history, the terrible suffering of Zimbabwe's people under the near-fascist dictatorship of Mugabe.

Seth J. Frantzman

Ian Smith was a man ahead of his times. His view of the inept leadership that Africans have offered their continent is correct.

It's too bad that inevitably down the road the so called "rich countries" will have to bail that country, with or without Magabe.

We shouldn't help. Let them lie in the bed they have made.