South Africa Books

I worked for the Independent Electoral Commission as a Senior Mediator in the Eastern Cape, and remember these events. Reading through this book ten years on, it is a wonderful reminder of those heady days, and very accurate in its capturing of the mood of the time. The major players are all there, and wonderfully evocative pictures of places with names like Committee's Drift, dustbowls in the middle of nowhere, polling stations flapping in the wind.

A remarkable book testament to a remarkable period in South Africa's history.

I could barely put this book down. I bought it on Robben Island at the gift shop and read almost the entire book on the flight back to the US. It was written, as you can tell by the publishing date, in the thick of the apartheid struggle by a white man who was imprisoned and sentenced to 12 years in maximum security for distributing literature for the African National Congress. He and his friends made an incredible escape, however, and made it to safety to continue the struggle and write this book, which details how they came to be involved with the ANC, what sort of work they did and how they did it, how they got caught, what their trial was like, what their prison was like, and, ultimately, how they escaped. It is written like an excellent suspense/thriller novel, but is made infinitely better by the fact that it really happened and that his cause (to eradicate racial oppression) was so righteous. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in learning more of the blood-and-sweat history of apartheid South Africa, anyone who likes suspense novels about prison escapes, and especially to people interested in both.

Featuring 228 photos by Tim Hauf, "Essence Of A Land: South African And its World Heritage Sites showcases seven memorable sites of significance and beauty. Max du Preez provides an accompanying text for Hauf's superb photographic images of Vredefort Dome (the biggest known crater on earth caused by an ancient asteroid); the Cradle of Humankind (an site denoting early hominids and the development of the human species over the past 3.5 million years); the Cape Floral Kingdom; the Khahlamba/Drakensberg National Park; Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (telling the story of the first great kingdom of back farming groups in southern Africa more than six hundred years ago); the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park (with its sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, and wetlands); and Robben Island (perhaps the most powerful symbol of South Africa's long history of repression and resistance). Ideal for armchair travelers with an interest in seeing what the nation of South Africa has to offer, "Essence Of A Land" is especially recommended to the attention of anyone planning a business or vacation trip to this diverse and rapidly growing African nation.

Palestinians, Armenians, Albanians, Tamils, Chechens-around the world, ethnic groups fight to forge their own nation states. What is the secret of success? In this excellent book, Dr Mark Suzman, one of the few to have predicted the fall of the Afrikaner regime in South Africa, reveals the ingredients of successful ethnic nationalism.

The book rests on three case studies-Afrikaner nationalism, Irish nationalism, and Zionism. All three share a number of features. First, all were formerly under British rule. Second, all grew from a pre-existing ethnic culture based on language and religion-and a sense of discrimination coupled with a history of violent struggles against other ethnic groups. Third, all three had a significant literate class that could formulate the ideology of the nationalist movement-and strengthen the symbols and trappings of nationalism. Perhaps the most extraordinary example of this is the deliberate resurrection of Hebrew from an ancient religious language read by scholars and rabbis to a flourishing modern language spoken by millions. Fourth, all three movements were able to gather popular support through the promise of patronage and wealth once power had been seized. And finally, all were highly organised, having erected a parallel state apparatus that could be swiftly transformed into the real thing.

But alas for the nationalists of the world-and luckily for the rest of us-there is no magic bullet. As Dr Suzman emphasizes, while these features are necessary constituents of successful ethnic nationalism, they are scarcely sufficient. Factors external to the nationalist movement also matter. For example, if the regime that the nationalists are seeking to overturn or replace is strong-and seen by others in the international community to be legitimate-then the nationalists will have a much harder time winning through. For aspiring ethnic nationalists, gathering the support of the international community will ultimately be at least as important as the internal structure of the movement itself.

I have long admired Dr Suzman in secret; I am thrilled that the publication of this wonderful book allows me to make my admiration public.

This short book explains basic economic concepts (e.g., GDP, inflation, and exchange rates) and uses them to analyze current issues facing the South African economy. The writing is clear, the analysis is balanced, and the issues are put in historical context. The book would be perfect background reading for general readers wanting to make sense of economics articles in Business Day or The Financial Mail.

Exploring the Natural Wonders of So. Africa is both an invaluable guide to the country, as well as a fine souvenir of one's visit. Each chapter highlights a particular area of interest, with maps, colored illustrations, details of driving and hiking trips, whom to contact for information. It's a book one can leaf through for hours to help plan a trip. I obtained the book in So. Africa and showed it to travel industry people with whom we came into contact. They all thought it to be an exceptionally fine book.

It never entered my mind that so few could be so deperate enough to be so evil. These all seem so calculated, which is in a way more disturbing that someone who is just a psycopath.

Ms Pistorius is unbiased and very factual and I enjoyed reading her account.

Well researched.

A friend gave me Feather Fall for Christmas two years ago, thinking I would enjoy reading it. For some reason I put it on the shelf and forgot about it for several months. When I picked it up and started reading it, I called her to say what a fantastic book and that she must read it! Since then I have been trying to read everything by and about Laurens van der Post. He has led me into a discovery of the people and geography of South Africa, but more importantly has helped me on my spiritual journal.

Featuring full-color photography of over 1,200 insect species, Field Guide To Insects Of South Africa is a comprehensive guide to insect fauna of South Africa, now in an updated 2004 edition. Senior Zoology Lecturer Mike Picker, Associate Zoology Professor Charles Griffiths, and retired entomologist Alan Weaving combine their knowledge and expertise in this guide that offers extensive identification details, maps of regional habitats, and basic biology information allowing for quick and simple field identification of insect species. An index of scientific names, and an introduction to insect hunting and classification round out this easy-to-use guide for amateur nature lovers and professional zoologists alike.

This is an excellent guide to have if ever you wanted to go South Africa for the first time.