South Africa Books

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.

Ian Player's Zulu Wilderness could also have been featured in our biography section, for really, it's as much a personal memoir of the author's experiences traveling in the African wilderness and his work as a conservationist as it is a travelogue of the region - but it's featured here for its fine survey of the wilderness of South Africa, the social and conservation issues at hand, and its exciting 'you are there' adventure sensation. Very highly recommended: gripping and hard to put down.

Meine erfolgreiche Dissertation war nur möglich durch dieses Buch. Dafür ein herzliches Dankeschön. Ich habe lange nach seriöser Informatio gesucht und dieses Buch legte mir alle Informationen zu Füssen.

However, this book is WELL worth every minute it may take you read it. I've had the book for several months and finally opened it last week.

After reading "The Power of One", if you don't laugh, cry, tremble, smile, hit something, or hug something, you are inhuman. This is by far one of the most heartwarming and heartwrenchingly beautiful books I have ever read.

By the way, if you are thinking about getting the movie after reading this book, this is what the movie description says:

"The Power of One is an intriguing story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. Maria is killed. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa."

WHAT?!? P.K? Orphaned? The Rainmaker? Where is the Judge? Or Grandpa Chook? Where is the Crystal Cave? Where is Morrie? Where are the mines? Where is the dream of "Welterweight Champion of the World", not to mention Hoppie?

I suppose you can't blame Hollywood for making such a botchery of a book like this. There is no possible way it could EVER be felt on screen the way it is with words. However, it is unforgivable that PEEKAY (Not P.K.) was not known as the Tadpole Angel.

I suppose that if you've never read the book, the movie would be standard Hollywood fluff, with all the political, cutsie, hero-that-changes-the-world, love story type stuff that people seem to go for.

Which is also the reason I prefer to read and this is one book I will read again and again and again.

this book is amazien i can't spell to well because im reading the book right now. BUy it DO IT KNOW

I picked up The Power of One in the Johannesburg Airport on the suggestion of a friend. With its odd, self-help book title, I would have never chosen on my own. I finished it on the long flight home and have read it repeatedly since. It's that book I pick up when I want to remember that there is goodness in human nature. Peekay's coming of age is an experience completely different from mine, yet it evoked such strong emotion. It echoes To Kill a Mockingbird in how it shows you, through the eyes of child, just how unfair and ill-founded bigotry is, but it keeps from drowning in righteousness by preserving the love and humor of Peekay's youth as well. I cannot recommend this book enough.

The Power of One came to me at an important time of my life and empowered me in the face of hardship to continue on. I recommend this book to all of my students.

I read "Power of One" for the first time when I was 14 and since then I have wanted to visit South Africa. So when I finally got the chance to go a few weeks ago, I re-read the book for the third time; it seems to only get better each time I pick it up. I love this story so much that I wish Peekay were real (the book makes me believe he is, the characters are so well written).

it is a very humourous and (I guess) honest book. He tells his tales as a child, and the innermost changes that led to leadership.
Interesting AND entertaining!
Greetings form Argentina!

I recently finished a leadership training course sponsored by my company. One of the activities that we did in the class was to reflect on great world leaders and think about what qualities made them great. It came up during the session that some years ago the teachers had led a similar exercise, but had actually asked the participants to try to communicate with a living leader who had personally affected them. The idea had been for people to get in touch with a former manager or teacher. However, it happened that one of the participants (not having a manager who he or she had admired) contacted Nelson Mandela by email. To everyone's surprise, he responded quite kindly and shared some thoughts about leaders and leadership.

When I was traveling in South Africa, I heard many similar stories. Tour groups who told about Mandela coming out of the parliament building to greet and talk to the tourists. Employees at Robben Island talked reverently about how he had taken personal interest in their lives based on the briefest of acquaintenceships. Every story emphasized his humbleness, his respect for others, and his basic approachability.

Long Walk to Freedom, for me, confirms that image of Mandela as a man who is great in part because of his humbleness, and his resistance to myth. He emphasizes his role as the man in the middle, pushed by circumstances and common decency into greatness. He consistently avoids overdone bragging (the little that is there is surely allowed him) and looks hard at the actions that the ANC took in their quest for freedom.

While it would have been interesting to read this before going to South Africa, I actually think that I got more out of it now after seeing the country first.

I really enjoyed the book. It is not a perfect narrative. It suffers in parts from being written over a period of years. There are some little repetitions and awkwardnesses along the way. None of those things matter at all in relation to either the reading experience or the importance of the book. I liked it very much, and would recommend it highly to others. Do not be daunted by its size (625 pages, in my edition). It is actually a very quick read and kept me intensely interested the whole time. Genuinely inspirational.

This book recounts the life of Nelson Mandela beginning in childhood up to the present age. It is written by Mandela himself - it's honest, straightforward style seems to be an honest attempt by Mandela to portray himself objectively, avoiding the tendency to be self-serving.

A fascinating book. It begins with Mandela in his young childhood living in a pre-industrial society of native Africans in the countryside of South Africa where white settlers have dominated industrialized society. It is an engaging society, - perhaps more advanced than our own - as one must reconsider what it means to live in harmony and in cooperation; A true democracy, based on the ideals that all are equal.

Mandela undergoes culture shock when he runs away from his traditional homeland to seek his fortunes in the big city of Johannesberg. Here is encounters white society up close, and is mortified at the inequity that exists between the native blacks, and the immigrant whites that make every attempt to dominate their country and exploit its indigenous peoples.

Mandela encounters a small group of educated, free-thinking educated blacks, and joins the African National Congress. Here he encounters several other oppressed peoples: Indians, Communists, and liberal whites. He slowly makes his life's objective to be a freedom fighter. A fighter for civil rights for all people. A life of struggle, where one must be willing to pay the ultimate price. And he nearly does.

He becomes the inspiration for downtrodden average black citizen, nearly enslaved within their own country. He willingly faces grave danger, is tried several times for his political ideals, denounced as "treason" and is eventually sent to prison "for life."

Mandela's life in prison is austere. But he and his colleagues never yield in their commitment to freedom for all South Africans. His wife, Winnie is an example of true dedication - equally a woman of integrity and worthy of the highest praise. She undergoes severe hardships being married to a "freedom fighter."

Mandela avoids the tendency to give up in the face of severe conditions, showing true mettle as he remains dedicated to the rights for all people to live free in racist South Africa. 27 years later having risked his life and surviving harsh prison conditions, he emerges a national hero.

A must read for anyone - Mandela is history in the making.

This is a fantastic book that provides great insight into one of the most inspirational leaders in modern history. His story in particular and the anti-apartheid struggles in general are fascinating and provide extremely valuable lessons. With his humbleness and incredibly lucid and organized writing style (which admittedly did surprise me), this could be the best autobiography out there. One can only imagine how different the continent would be if other African Nations had such strong leaders with Nelson Mandela's courage and integrity.

Full of humanity, integrity, sacrifice, humility, and character. This is an uplifting book about the power of the human spirit to overcome great adversity. I loved it and I do agree that this book should be required reading for everyone. Parts of this book brought tears to my eyes. It illuminates a great man and the struggle people had to endure to overcome a great blight. To think that the U.S. did not place sanctions on South Africa until the mid 1980's, when men like Mandela were fighting and dying for the right to be considered human. I read recently that Pat Roberston, the great American evangelical, was a supporter of apartheid. How incredibly inhuman. If you know anything about South Africa, you will know that by the end of his long incarceration, even Mandela's captors had acquired great respect for this man. A must read...in many ways, this is a life changing, life affirming book. Powerful.

first time i listen to a book by sidney sheldon and i think he is the best book that i ever read i am going to pay more of his books i hope that i am not going to be disappointed , you see some writer thy do write one good story but all wt come after it is garbage. pls if any one have recommendation for the next book pls advise.its not every profound book but it is very entertaining.and breathtaking, you going to love it .

"Master of the Game" is a 1982 novel by Sidney Sheldon, a man responsible for bringing you both lackluster television shows like "I Dream of Jeannie" and guilty-pleasure novels like "The Other Side of Midnight." I will say this for Sheldon. He knows how to keep you reading. The two novels I have read by the man (the aforementioned book and the one for which this review is being written) are entertaining reads. That being said, they are also silly, far-fetched and not particularly intellectual. Thus, if you are thinking about reading this book, you should ask yourself what it is you want exactly from the experience.

The story begins in 1883 where we meet the young and ambitious Jamie McGregor on his way to Africa to make his fortune in diamonds. Jamie eventually makes it rich, but not without consequences. He eventually has a daughter named Kate who takes over the business her father started. Kate marries into the company and makes running it the primary focus of her life. Her son, Tony Blackwell, is less enchanted with the business world and wishes to be a painter. Kate, however, needs someone to take over the business before she dies. Tony eventually has twin daughters, Eve and Alexandra. The two look exactly the same, but are actually as different as night and day.

Of course, there is much more to this story than the brief description I've offered here. The way the story unfolds will mostly keep you interested enough to keep turning the pages, even if there are a number of very predictable plot twists. The book is not without its faults. The book really seems to lack a narrative theme that holds throughout the entire story. It is supposed to be a family saga in which Kate Blackwell is at the heart of the story. However, that central character isn't even introduced until 159 pages into the book. What comes before her birth is the story of how her father made his fortune, which can be interesting, but really isn't particularly relevant to Kate's quest to make her company ever-richer and more powerful.

The rest of the book holds together a little better, as it all has to do with Kate trying to run the lives of people in her family. Still, when it comes down to it, this book is just a series of events over a few generations rather than an epic tale with a point to make. You could probably start from the section labelled BOOK TWO and only a few references here and there wouldn't make sense.

I've also heard it said that Sheldon likes to write stories about strong women. I found that interesting because while many of the female characters in this story are strong, most of them don't fare particularly well. Kate is strong, but also ruthless and not at all concerned with what someone else might want for their life. Margaret is a doormat, who allows Jamie to treat her like a punching bag. Alexandra is naive, and doesn't catch on when someone tries to kill her multiple times. Eve simply isn't human at all.

Of course, not everybody cares if what they are reading has a real point. Some people just read a novel to escape, and on that level, this book is more successul. If you are just looking to pass some time without turning on the television, this story should keep you occupied. I did find the ending a little anti-climactic, but I don't feel like reading the book was a waste by any means. I'd suggest starting with "The Other Side of Midnight", which had similar flaws, but was slightly better overall.

Sidney Sheldon is the master of the game capturing romance, twisting plots, greed, intrigue, and a furthering menu of exciting characters. This is my most favorite Sidney Sheldon read. I thought Sands of Time would be at the top of the list, but now just finished reading Master of the Game. IMO this is the best he's done. You will not be disappointed. This one is a page turner. Another classic for my library.

EXCELLENT !!!

WHO NEEDS TELLY WHEN YOU CAN SIT BACK AND LISTEN TO A GOOD BOOK.

i love this book. I could read it again and again. This book goes through the lifespan of a family from the 1800 when there was no money to modern day time when the family has a lot of money and now problems. Well written, very enjoyable, I think this is sheldons best book. Love the others too!!! Put this on your list!

I really enjoyed reading about this mans triumph to overcome the odds and to follow destiny (getting to America).

KAFFIR BOY is a must read for anyone interested in what life was like for a young boy coming of age in Apartheid South Africa. Mark Mathabane describes in vivid detail the horror of poverty and brutality which was a way of life for black children and families living in the squalor city of Alexandria near Johannesburg, the affluent suburb in South Africa. His account is heartbreaking. Yet, Mark was able to do the unthinkable. He was able to escape (thanks to the support of men like Stan Smith), and lived to write about his horrifying experiences. KAFFIR BOY is interesting and important because Mark Mathabane writes in a style as if he is talking directly to the reader, thereby allowing the reader to fully understand what it was like coping with the cruelty and injustice of apartheid.

I thought that parts of the book could have been penned more concisely. Also, it was difficult at times to understand the character of Mark's mother and father. Yet, Mark Mathabane's powerful and profound account/message of life in Apartheid South Africa far outweighs the minor flaws of this book. I highly recommend this book.

Stark and poignant, Mark Mathabane shares his autobiography of life under South African apartheid until the miracle of his escape to the United States in Kaffir Boy (Free Press, 350 pages). Mr. Mathabane's story is told in three parts. The first, The Road to Alexandra, offers a description of the appalling squalor and violence found in a black ghetto under fourth-class citizen status. How children learn to survive, let alone attempt to carry on any type of hopeful existence, defies any common understanding of humanity and pulls at the reader's heartstrings. The challenges, frustrations, and sacrifices that confronted Mr. Mathabane and his family are documented throughout the second section, Passport to Knowledge, where education, religion, and tribal affiliations swirl as possible solutions to combat the Influx Control Law and other forms of white-minority separatist rule. Passport to Freedom, the third section, narrates Mr. Mathabane's discovery of tennis and the difficulties of making dreams come true.

Despite the repetition of incidents and the infusion of seemingly inconsequential moments, Mr. Mathabane's autobiography is readable and moving. It is hard to imagine anyone living through the impoverished conditions he describes. Confrontations with his tribal father, local gangs, missionaries, and white authorities suggest hope of a better future is nothing short of a lottery ticket. The most effective sections of the text share Mr. Mathabane's inner turmoil in deciding his place as a black South African and an agent of change. The tumultuous history of apartheid is drawn with an effective narrative voice as violent uprisings and responses are juxtaposed with tender sacrifices and determination. With the assistance of liberal whites, Mr. Mathabane turned hard work and good fortune into a plane ticket to freedom. Kaffir Boy joins Cry Freedom and Master Harold & the Boys as yet another powerful depiction of South African life.

I picked up this book after watching the movie "Tsotsi". I was looking for a book about apartheid in South Africa and stumbled upon this one. And I am so glad I did. The author has done a great job in detailing his childhood and the struggle he and his family went through. Half-way through the book I found it extremely depressing and decided to stop. Later that night I realized that people have courage to actually go through and I can't even complete reading the book? People in Africa still go through horrifying experiences...Yes, it was a depressing read but a definite MUST. An absolute eye opener...

A truly heartwrenching tale of what life was like growing up under the oppressive system of apartheid in South Africa. Great resource for history classrooms and an excellent read, Mathabane relates a story that was hard to put down.

The novels of Laurens van der Post were based in the deeper reality of the African bush of the times of his writings. From the very beginning this film is untrue of his novels. Lonnie from the books, was a young boy-man who was a hunter of the first order, but based in the honor of code of the bush and its ways. Lonnie was never in the bush without his gun. In the movie the character does not have a rifle. Without Lonnie's own bush prowess, they, including the bushman would not have survived the ordeal of the African political factions and conditions of the forced initiations into manhood that he was faced with. Lonnie was a classical hero in every sense of the word and was never a twittering kid type as portrayed in the move. In van der Post's books Lonnie was forced to kill men to survive. Childen of a young age will like this film... its fairy tale, not reality. Those who respect the profound depth of van der Post's writing will be betrayed by this film.

Reese Witherspoon rocked in this movies as a young teen in Africa standing up for her family's values for the preservation of the magestic elephant. All in the name of greed the poachers killing these magnificent animals just for their ivory tusks. This movie made me laugh,get angry and cry.

This film is interesting and somewhat effective as a piece of cinema. That said, its story is so far removed from van der Post's indiosyncratic novels (upon which the film is ostensibly based) as to be almost unrecognizable. Only one connection to the two novels remains: both the film and the books are set in Africa. Beyond that, just about every other element of the books' narratives has been changed, usually so that the film follows some shallow Hollywood plotline, but at the expense of van der Post's encyclopedic knowledge and love of Bushman life and culture. As a result, the film is watchable, but its destruction of the novels is almost as complete as the razing of Hunters Drift by poachers in the film version.

This is such a heartwarming movie, great for the whole family, yet a love story for all us girls!

I remembered watching this movie a long time ago as a kid, which is why I decided to buy it, so many years later.

Long story short, the movie is just as good as I remembered it to be. While the story is cliche at times, and simplistic in some ways, the character interactions is what makes this film shine.

It also gives you a glimpse of a young Reese Whiterspoon, and you can clearly see her developing talent.

King Solomon's Mines is a story of a man's search for his brother, and told from the point of view the famous hero and hunter, Allan Quatermain.

He is the man they turn to for help, and become is solid and steadfast companions. The search for the Mines, the battles, the evil witch woman and the African setting are all excellent.

King Solomon's Mines is a straight forward adventure story. Two friends enlist the services of a crusty guide and a strong minded native to tramp across Africa in search for a missing brother, a brother who in turn was lost while searching for one of the greatest treasures known to legend (see title). To do so they must cross the desert, climb the mountains, confront an evil witch, and fight an epic battle.
It's a quick read and a pleasant one. Only one bit goes down sour, a bit of racism residual from the time period. While one of the lead characters, Umbopa, is a strong, intelligent African man, an interracial love story is cut short by death, followed by the observation that white and black cannot marry anymore than day and night. Not exactly the most enlightened point of view.
I love the writing and the story. If you could cut out that paragraph all would be well and this at least a four star book . . . but I suppose that would be revising history and literature, and so the book stands, or falls, as it is.

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my negative reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks, and note that a very short review is not necessarily a bad review if it leads you to read a great novel.

I got lost in this wonderful African adventure as I followed Allan Quatermain on a quest to find the lost mines of King Solomon. Quatermain finds an old map and heads out on a rip-snorten adventure. Quatermain was the Indiana Jones of his day.

At age twenty-nine, Haggard made a whimsical bet with his brother that he could write a story as good as Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" (1883). Six weeks later, Haggard completed King Solomon's Mines (1885).

This is proof that given the right time, circumstances, and motivation a novel can come forth quickly. See my review of "Singer in the Shadows," by Irving Litvag and my comments on Joseph Smith composing the Book of Mormon. Click here, then scroll down to my review of Litvag's book. SINGER IN THE SHADOWS the Strange Story of Patience Worth

Also highly recommended as an African adventure is "Cry Wolf," by Wilbur Smith. Click here for a great read! Cry Wolf

My review here isn't about the book, rather this edition. Like most reviewers here, the book is fantastic--a thrilling yarn of a story. This edition--The Modern Library, have done a wonderful job updating this classic. The footnotes are very edifying and the introduction helps to contextualize the novel. Well done editors! This is the edition one should use in your book club or in class for students.

King Solomon's Mines is one of the best adventures ever penned. Even the Victorian-English-speak dialogue adds to the realism. A lost brother, a great treasure, an exiled black king, a pitched battle, heroes, death, a vast and dangerous wilderness, a doomed love, strong friendships, one of the strangest and most evil villainesses in all of literature, and echoes of antiquity -- what more could you want? You could want literary excellence, wonderful pace, and a slight element of the occult. Well, Haggard provides those as well. The films VERY loosely based upon this great tale are horrible. This is a dream. Go read it. Unfold Da Silvestre's fragile treasure map and take the unforgettable journey that is King Solomon's Mines.