South Africa Books

Peter Goldblatt's The Woody Iridaceae is the first thorough botanical investigation of this specialized group of genera. Though comprising just 13 species, one of which is newly described here, the group displays a surprising diversity of vegetative and floral form, the latter an adaptation to pollination by a variety of organisms, including insects and birds. To assess the evolutionary history and relationships of the species to each other and to other Iridaceae, the author has applied the rigorous methodology of cladistic analysis to a large array of data gathered from field, laboratory, and herbarium investigations.

In addition to detailed descriptions of the morphological, chemical, and cytological features of plants, this monograph provides information on the history of knowledge, including cultivation, of these southern African plants; distribution maps; the etymology of the names; complete synonymy; and notes on relationships and features that warrant further investigation.

Each species is illustrated with a full-page watercolor, drawn from a living plant, by noted botanical artist Fay Anderson.
Original line drawings by Margo Branch show other details of the plants. A glossary of special terminology and an index complete the work.

It is beautifully illustrated with watercolors of each of the species, as well as line drawings detailing morphological attributes....valuable, readable and beautiful book, and worthy of acquisition by those interested in unique plant forms.

This book is the best that I have read on the origins of apartheid in South Africa. It is a carefully-written and quite lucid explanation of the politics and unionism of black and white workers during World War II. Alexander illustrates how the degree and kinds of racial unity among South African workers during this period have been drasticaly underestimated by historians, but his analysis of the complex phenomena of working-class racism is full and nuanced. He has done an amazing amount of research into the political economy of the South African state at a number of different levels, and smoothly integrated this with a subtle and interesting social history of workers. This book serves as an excellent example of this kind of analysis for US historians of labor.

Nat Nakasa wrote once: 'I may shut up for some time because of fear. Yet even this will not make me feel ashamed. For I know that as long as the ideas remain unchanged within me, there will always be the posibility that, one day, I shall burst out and say everything that I wish to say - in a loud and thunderous voice.'

In The World of Nat Nakasa that loud and thunderous voice speaks with the clarity and insight that have caused this book to be read and reread for almost a decade.

Writing that is at once deft, humorous and compassionate speaks with concern and great understanding of the bleak and shut-in times of the early sixties.

In this new and expanded edition editor Essop Patel includes work by Nakasa which has come to light since the first edition was published.
--- from book's back cover

I was in 6th grade when Nelson Mandella was freed from prison, and I remember watching it on TV and understanding that this was a really good thing, because people in South Africa were really rascist and black people couldn't vote or do much of anything. It's sad to admit, but my knowledge of apartheid and of South Africa's history hasn't really grown much since then... I had always been under the impression that Apartheid was equatable with early 20th century Jim Crow laws.

This book is a fascinating story of life in a police state, where even white people have no real human rights, where everything that you do or say can and will be used against you, and where even the idealists lose hope. In the midst of all this are Rusty and Hilda Bernstein, a politically connected couple (she was the first female and the first Communist member of the City Council) with an otherwise fairly normal middle class life (he is an architect, she is a housewife with 4 children). This book charts their experiences in the infamous Rivonia Trial, where Rusty was tried with Mandela and others captured in a raid on an anti-appartheid action group.

Much of it really just takes your breath away. People may be held for 90 days without being charged (sound familiar?) and they are. Lawyers are too afraid to take on political prisoners, and for good reason (as we see with one in particular). The police conduct midnight raids, so if you sleep through the night you're one of the lucky ones. Through it all, the kids have to be sent off to school, the laundry must be done (in what may be the most gripping scene in the book), and friends and family must be protected.

Even though you more or less know what will happen at the end of the book if you know anything about the Rivonia Trial, or even just read the author's biography blurb on the jacket, this book will still have you sitting on the edge of your seat. I read the whole thing in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I wholeheartedly recomend this book to absolutely everyone.

Year of Fire, Year of Ash will stand for many years as a leading study of the brave uprising in 1976-77 by ten., of thousands of South Africa's young people - now known to the world as the Soweto Revolt.
This book - by an author who is both scholar and active socialist revolutionary - is important not just because of its careful documentation or lucid style, but for the depth and perceptiveness of its political
insights. Its central question is: To what extent can the Black Consciousness Movement provide a viable ideological platform for future revolutionary struggle? It is a question that no one concerned for the
future of South Africa can ignore.

Baruch Hirson's book goes far beyond a history of the Revolt itself - inspiring and exciting as his account of the uprising is. Part One outlines the whole history of education for Blacks in South Africa,
stressing the long record of student resistance and analysing carefully the emergence of the Black Consciousness Movement after 1969. Part Two turns to the history of the Revolt itself, including its
antecedents in 1973-75. In the course of so doing, it explodes several of the myths already current concerning the Revolt. It shows how it was the black working class, rather than the students, who set the pace
of renewed resistance in the 1970s. The book also demonstrates how the key Black Consciousness structures - SASO and BPC - had very little organisationally to do with the Revolt, while the African National
Congress's underground cells played quite a significant role after the uprising began. Perhaps the most significant section of the book is Part Three in which the author, from a socialist perspective, analyses
Black Consciousness as an ideology, and sets its ideas in the context of South African history since the Second World War.

LIBRO MOLTO BELLO DA UTILIZZARSI PER REGALI DI PRESTIGIO. LE FOTO SONO UN SOGNO.

Zambia borders on eight states whose political ideologies range from the socialism of Mozambique to the conservatism of Malawi. Because of its great mineral wealth and well-developed mining industry, Zambia is potentially one of the strongest nations in Africa.

In this introduction to Zambia, Dr. Burdette addresses a group of puzzling questions. Why is such a rich country experiencing economic troubles? Why does it seem destined to be locked in long-term combat with international lenders? Is the state, in fact, moving toward economic independence or is it being dominated once again by its more industrialized neighbors and various Western states? Finally, how do ethnic and class factors affect the tone and content of modern Zambian politics, and how will they combine to affect the nation's future?

Kacowicz's book "Zones of Peace in the Third World," is a welcome addition to the international relations literature on the reasons for peace and conflict. While much has been written about democratic peace and the building of community in the west and amongst democracies, the treatment of peaceful communities outside the west and outside of the democratic world have been sorely lacking. Kacowicz addresses this gap well while providing a well thought out theory to explain the phenomena. His coverage of peaceful regions outside the West gets past the Euro-centric focus of much of IR literature and broadens the discussion theoretically by attempting to explain extended peace without democracy. In addition, he provides a clear and concise review of the literature that is helpful for those who wish to explore this topic more fully. Structurally the argument is presented very clearly and can serve as a model for how to present theory and case studies at the graduate and undergraduate level.

This is a meticulously detailed history book that reads like a novel. If only all history books were as enjoyable as this, their popularity would increase beyond recognition. The author has gone out of his way to give a rounded and unbiased view of the Zulu War. I found the book an interesting and exciting read.

This was one of the most controversial and brutal conflict of the nineteenth century. The real story of the Anglo-Zulu war was one of deception, dishonour, incompetence and dereliction of duty by Lord Chelmsford who invaded Zulu land without the knowledge of the British Government. But it did not go to plan and there were many political repercussions.

The author Saul David is an author and broadcaster. He has written several books prior to this one and been involved in several documentary programmes.

My aunt brought an earlier edition of this book to me and my siblings after she had traveled in Africa. We loved it so much that, when my daughter was born in 1987, I tried unsuccessfully to find it. Then, to my delight, it became available! These stories are full of love, danger, and magic. "The Love of Kenelinda" haunts me to this day. It has remained one of my favorite children's books for over 40 years.