South Africa Books

As a South African living in Europe with a similar and yet in many ways different background, I am able to identify with Mr Jacobson's sensitive account of his search for his family roots in Lithuania. The construction of the work itself is a masterpiece: first his perception of Lithuania from South Africa, then his childhood in South Africa and then the encounter with Lithuania, where he finds nothing concrete and yet conveys the atmosphere of what he finds so movingly. The touching letter to his grandfather and his dream at the end are full of feeling and yet not in the least sentimental. This book has deeply impressed me and given me a wonderfully tragic picture of Lithuania.

This book has managed to portray the most accurate review of South African High Schools. The pictures displayed throughout this informative book are the best to describe and show the spendour of fantastic South African Schools.

"If asked to imagine Africa, most Americans will conjure images of "National Geographic"-style wildlife and rural exotica, or the horrific scenes of violence and despair that seem the extent of the press coverage. Few will think of Africa's thriving cities, and fewer still of how long some have existed. Distinguished social historian Coquery-Vidrovitch offers a broad, accessible overview of African urban history to rectify such neglect, taking the pulse of ancient and more recent cities from Awdaghust to Great Zimbabwe. Readers are introducted to fabled centers of Islamic learning like Timbuktu in Mali, holy Christian cities like Axum in Ethiopia, storied royal capitals like Mbanza-Kongo in Angola, and dynamic ports like Kilwa in Tanzania that encouraged trade for millennia. The great cities of Ghana and Nigeria are presented in all their complexity, as are early European enclaves like Saint Louis and Gor'D'ee in Senegal. Architecture and built environments are considered, as are the impacts on African urbanism of trans-Atlantic and Indian Ocean slavery, Islam and trans-Saharan trade, European capitalism, and the rise of cultural synthesis. THIS EXCELLENT BOOK BELONGS IN EVERY PUBLIC, HIGH SCHOOL, AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY. Summing up: Essential. All levels."
-A.F. Roberts, UCLA, for Choice Magazine

This is, without a doubt, the most painstakingly researched book on this topic I have ever read. The author obviously knows this subject inside and out, and has invested a tremendous amount of time checking and cross-referencing his facts. Considering certain details that this book uncovers and makes public for the first time, it is no wonder that it created such an uproar in South Africa among Nelson Mandela's followers. For anyone who desires an honest look into the truth about communism in South Africa, you need not look any further than this book. It is a factual treasure chest.

Having spent 3 1/2 years living and working in an African village and trying to understand the S.A. government's rationale for its indifference to the plight of the 70% of its population living in rural villages, Professor Terreblanche offers a clear understanding of the history of the nation which has led it to where it is today. His book will certainly not please everyone, but he provides copious evidence to support his position. I have read 5 different histories of South Africa, Terreblanche's book is by far the best.

After spending three weeks in South Africa this summer, I realized the real effects Apartheid had on the country. After reading this book, I could envision the entire process of the rise & fall of their government as it happened, and the events that occurred in between. This book is a denfinite good read for anyone learning about or knowledgeable of South African history. Like all political cartoons, it puts current events in a language we can all understand, and helps us realize what's really going on. (Clifford Galiher, 13)

Kohler's writing uncovers the darkest aspects of human nature through precise language and carefully placed detail. It's a shame reviewers for publications such as Kirkus don't have the patience to discover her. But if you are serious about writing and about literature, hunt down Kohler's work where-ever you can find it. Her first novel, The Perfect Place, is a stunning example of an unreliable narrator. And in The House On R. Street, she shows again that beneath the flawless manners of the upperclass there is an unfathomable capacity for corruption.

I was very impressed with the clarity and intelligence of the essays in this book. I now think more critically about sanctions, in both a historical and contemporary context.

Mutua's book is a must-have for those seeking to understand why a hegemonic, westernized approach to human rights is so problematic. Speaking from the perspective of an "insider/outsider" (the author is a leading international human rights scholar and activist from Kenya), he examines both the positive aspirations and contributions of human rights as well as evidence of its limitations and even dangers in practice.

Rather than embrace a strong version of cultural relativism, Mutua clearly condemns violations of human rights in both North and South. Nevertheless, he demands that human rights leaders must spend time in self-examination with regard to the history, origins, and contemporary contexts in which violations occur if abuses are to be effectively combatted.

There is much here for debate and discussion both inside classrooms and among activists in the field. Along with works by Anghie, Gathii, Rajagopal, Woods & Lewis, Andrews, Knop, Wing, and others, Mutua's book is a foundational contribution to the loose network known as the "Third World Approaches to International Law" (TWAIL) movement.

I have this book (two books in one) titled with "Hunters life among lions,elephants, and other wild animals of South Africa" published in 1856. The more than 600 pages of travel, hunting, and near escapes will keep you reading. Cummings is not long winded on his tales at all, more facts would be nice. but still you will love his hunts and the thrilling escapes using the old muzzle- loader, stalking, hunting from horseback etc. htl ky