South Africa Books

I often peruse the sport fishing and hydrographic table offerings of large, so-called "brick and mortar" stores, in search of rare environmental biology books centered on our merry friends, the crustaceans, but more often than not (I won't lie, I've never found ONE) I come away empty-handed. Thanks to the broadcast net (no pun intended) of Amazon, I have found this ode to the metabiological analysis of the dreaded and oft-maligned rock lobster of 1978-81. For it was in these years that the general populace was being bombarded with messages that aquatic fauna are to be feared: witness such pabulum as "Jaws," "Jaws 2," and "Pirrhana."[sic] Now, the specie'Jasus Lalandii, as I discovered by thumbing the briney pages of this tome, is more a danger to sea urchins and plankton than it is to the average beach-goer and pleasure boater. This is one tough lobster, and the book makes me want to almost be a rock lobster. My interest in rock lobsters is sometimes jested at by the simple-minded, who can't believe it to be more than a twisted fascination with some pop ditty by the B42's, but I assure you, one read of this book and you'll have a new appreciation for our salty friend, as well. Highly recommended.

As anyone who has ever read of Rorke's Drift or seen The Great Movie, the events of January 1879 in Natal bear regular retelling, and for the purists no detail is without significance. This short summary of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift is expertly handled and contains some details of the battles and their brave participants which are to be treasured.

No writer of fiction could evoke more drama, tragedy, heroism or humanity than that surrounding the fearless Zulu Impis and the 24th Regiment of Foot. Readers will find that Michael Glover has put it all in a nutshell.

Any scholar of this inspiring battle will welcome Bancroft's meticulous account of events. Accurate descriptions rendered in a moment-by-moment narrative style transport the imaginative reader to the very scene of this chaotic fight.

I realize that this description may appear somewhat breathless but it's rare for any credentialed historian to inform as well as excite.

All of the movements of key defenders are carefully tracked and described in detail. This volume also contains many rare photos. The final chapter provides a detailed biography and photo portrait of many of the surviving British soldiers involved with interesting descriptions of their later lives.

Simply fascinating and likely to be the most satisfying account you will ever read of this amazing epic.

When you listen to this music you can not help but being uplifted to higher regions. All worries will disappear and a higher reality will appear- yes even if you do not believe in higher realties.

A highly practical guide, informative and entertaining to read, sadly out-of-date now because of Zimbabwe's changed situation. But despite the current petrol crisis tour companies are still operating and well managaged, hotels still giving the renowned Zimbabwe welcome despite food shortages -- e.g. sustaining English breakfasts and local wines for dinner. It was an invaluable companion to an archeological trip to the stunning eastern higlands, indispensible in finding the way around Harare, with useful potted histories for most rural locations.

On the eve of the Soweto riots, a wealthy white South African looks back on his troubled and troubling past.

Martin Mynhardt, a highly successful business and Afrikaans Nationalist, returns to the family farm one weekend to arrange its sale to the government - a corrupt deal that will lead to a financial killing.

The weekend becomes a nightmare. Martin's closenst friend, a brilliant, idealistic lawyer, is sentenced to prison for his anti-apartheid "terrorist" activities - in part because Martin refuses to help him. Martin's son, recently returned from the Angolan war, is in silent revolt against the values of his father and his nation. Martin's mistress, Bea, an intelligent, strong-willed woman who offers Martin the hope of redemption through her own capacity for empathy, is also caught up in the gathering political storm.
--- from book's back cover

Running Towards Us presents new writings from South Africa from both established and new writers, revealing new subjects and concerns from writers who are now beyond the focus on apartheid. How does one define history and plan for the future? This turns to accepted masters of South African literature and new voices to consider changed themes and perceptions.

This book is based on a mini-series produced for South African subscription based television and contains many photographs. It details the British policy during the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902), to send all Boer women and children to concentration camps in order. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the Boer population died in these camps, but this is a little known fact outside of South Africa. The British govenrment had recognized both Boer republics until after the discovery of Gold in the South African Republic, known after the war as the Transvaal province. When the British realized that they could not win the war, it was decided to break the spirit of the Boers by imprisoning their women and children.

It is unfortunate that no distributors in the U.S. were interested in this film, as I certainly would have liked to see it.

Scouting on Two Continents is the autobiography of one of the greatest scouts who ever lived, and is packed with his incredible adventures. The stories that Burnham tells are simply amazing--hiding in plain sight and yet avoiding capture, floating on a river past an enemy camp, and knifing through unknown terrain crawling with bad guys and somehow managing to get back home in one piece.

Burnham's stories are riveting, but his presentation is humble. His writing style is detailed and to the point, making his adventures all the more believable. While generally exuding the confidence that he must have felt while on most of his missions, Burnham doesn't neglect writing about his fears and failures. Through them we see the side of a man who absolutely hated returning from a mission without success, but at times knew that that was all he could do. He also presents himself as a man who was at times too brash, taking unnecessary risks to perform feats that served his ego but not his mission.

Burnham's book also provides a glimpse at the history of the Old West and of the wars in Africa around the turn of the 20th century. His insights are valuable, but racism creeps into many of his judgments about the enemies he fights.

Overall, this book reads well and is full of fantastic adventures, but it will only be appreciated by the reader who takes the time to carefully read and understand the man and the societies in which he lived and fought. It is not riveting like a modern thriller, but rather because its stories are true, personal, and well-told.

I bought Shack Chic as a "souvenier" after spending a summer working in the Cape Town townships with the youth there - I cannot think of a better object to take home and represent to my friends and family Cape Town's townships and South Africa as a nation. This photo-essay book, with brilliant colors and spectacular images, is a testament to the strength of South Africans and their innovation and resourcefulness even in the most destitute of living conditions. Portrays poverty in the post-Apartheid era not as the romanticized victimization of people but the hopeful and perservering will of humankind to live with digity.