South Africa Books

I was honored to read this book prior to its publication, and found it an absolutely riveting history of events. I recommend it highly as a first person account, a great tale of personal struggle and triumph. A really uplifting story of a young man's life in South Africa.

I found this book many moons ago in a used book rack. Having recently re-read the volume I am again impressed by seeing a view of South Africa's efforts to halt communism in SW Africa/Namibia. Now that apartheid has ended officially, we the rest of the world can see the other side of life in the southern tip of Africa. Mr. Hooper's description of his time with Koevoet is both exciting and in-depth in his examination of the people conducting counter-insurgency against the communist supported SWAPO. A good, fast read that can allow the reader a chance to expand their knowledge of what attrocities were committed by forces in the name of "global marxism." Balance this work with recently released histories on American work against communism. You the reader can now decide with a more balanced view. Not just a war history but a look at why men fight for seemingly unjust causes.

Just enough info to start you on your way! Absolutely a must take on your trip to capetown!

This is an informative, in-depth look at Bessie Head's life and work, put into context by timely and interesting references to politics in South Africa during her lifetime. The book is respectful of Head, but does not compromise in its analysis of her many problems and difficulties. It is well worth reading and will encourage you to read Bessie Head's works.

A variety of ornithologists contribute chapters on their specialised subjects for this attractive book produced and edited by Kenneth Newman who is famous for his bird paintings and related books. It includes almost every family or group of birds found in Southern Africa. Their origins, habitats, feeding, nesting and behaviour patterns are amongst the subjects discussed.

The species are found under chapter heading like e.g. Migratory Birds, Diurnal Birds Of Prey, Birds Of The Night, Birds Of The Inland Waters, of the Indigenous Forests, of the Bushveld and Woodlands, of the Open Veld, of the Deserts, of the Coasts and Offshore Waters.

There are short biographies of the contributing authors D. Blaker, C.C.H. Elliott, P.G.H. Frost, R.A.C. Jensen, A.C. Kemp, G.L. Maclean, P. Le S. Milstein, T.B. Oatley, W.R. Siegfried, P. Steyn and C.J. Vernon plus a bibliography of books and journal articles and an index of scientific and common names. The dust jacket contains a portrait and short biography of Kenneth Newman.

The book is richly illustrated with colour paintings, colour and black & white photographs, illustrations and maps. Together with the book's authoritative text, these make it one of the most comprehensive, practical and beautiful books on Southern African birds that will appeal to both the newcomer and the experienced naturalist.

The Southern African Subregion may have the most field guides of any region, but the SASOL guide is undesputedly the best field guide to the region and probably the best bird book in Africa! The book illustrates every single of the 900 species in full color. The plates are beautifully illustrated and the species are often shown in flight and females and juveniles are very often illustrated. The only very slight downside is that the plates are a little small, but there is a new, larger version that has been newly published in South Africa by Struik Publishers (Cape Town). In South Africa's Birds & Birding magazine it was voted as the best field guide of the region by many ornithologists

This book captures the struggles of some of the real heroes of the anti-apartheid movement, the black lawyers of South Africa. From those who went from the cells of Robben Island to corporate boardrooms, to those who stood side by side with Nelson Mandela in court and now are judges, these amazing individuals used their smarts and savvy to tear down a corrupt system. These courageous individuals often used the very laws the apartheid government had devised to argue that the system was fundamentally corrupt. Although Professor Broun primarily let's his subjects tell their stories, using an oral history approach to their lives, the commentary he adds allows the reader to understand the background of these men and women and how they fit into the South African legal system. As an added bonus, the book contains a message from Nelson Mandela, South Africa's most famous lawyer. A must read for anyone interested in South Africa and for anyone who needs evidence that lawyers aren't always the bad guys.

This is essential reading for anyone seeking an introduction to and overview of the complex sonic wealth of musical forms from Africa and the African Diaspora.

It is a fine orientation from an intrepid Brit who has been seeking these wonders since the early 1950's.

It was hard enough to find recordings of compelling planetary noise for a kid in the 70's in provincial America.

Roberts was discovering it all in its homeworlds before I was born.

Roberts work helped me make sense of Merengue, High Life, Blues Shouters, Santeria Drummers and many other glistening things from the hearts and minds of Africa here and there.

An invaluable collection of 10 South African plays about experiences of black women, written from the early 1980's to the late 1990's. It includes works by well-known playwrights like Fatima Dike and Maishe Maponya aswell as new work by previously unpublished playwrights like Lueen Conning and Thulani Mtshali. The plays range from frighteningly serious to hilariously funny. The collection is supported by material gathered through interviews with the playwrights, offering insight into their artistic purpose and their take on theatre in post-apartheid South Africa. The book is easy to read and makes an important contribution to recording the vibrant body of new South African theatre which is muscling its way onto stages around the country.

This is the very best kind of street reporting-exploring, experiencing, communicating with the camera. And always with equal measures of mind and heart. That it all happens deep within one of the most gripping historical sagas of the century makes Kendall Hunter's book a must-read.