South Africa Bibliography
FICTION
Brink, Andre. A dry white season.
A compelling story of injustice under apartheid written from a South African lawyer’s perspective. 310 pgs. FIC BRI
Courtenay, Bryce. The power of one.
Set in a world torn apart, this is a moving story of a weak and friendless boy growing up in South Africa during World War II and his triumph over a world when all seems lost.
530 pgs. FIC COU
Gordimer, Nadine. My Son’s Story.
A schoolboy playing truant bumps into his revered father coming out of a cinema with a woman.
277 pgs. FIC GOR
Gordon, Sheila. Waiting for the rain.
A white farm boy and his friend, the son of the black farm boss, are separated in later years by apartheid. 212 pgs. FIC GOR
Paton, Alan. Cry, the beloved country.
Reveals the character of South Africa as Kumalo searches for his son, Absalom, in the city of Johannesburg. The land, its people and its racial ferment are visible behind the story of the tragic influences of the city upon the native son. 277 pgs. FIC PAT
Williams, Michael. Crocodile burning.
Hoping to get the money to get his brother out of prison, Seraki joins the cast of a musical written to express the rage at conditions in their South African township and travels to perform it in New York. 198 pgs. FIC WIL
STORY COLLECTIONS
Gordimer, Nadine. Crimes of conscience.
Goldblatt's photographs and Gordimer's prose blend into a portrait of the impotence and pathos that are so much a part of black life under apartheid. SC GOR
Rochman, Hazel. Somehow tenderness survives.
A stunning collection of stories and autobiographical accounts which vividly evoke what it means to come of age in South Africa under apartheid. SC ROC
Busby, Margaret (ed.), Daughters of africa.
An anthology of writings by women of African descent. Writers from South Africa include: Bessie Head, Amelia Blossom House, Noni Jabavu, Ellen Kuzwayo, Zindzi Mandela, Gcina Mhlope, Laurette Ngcobo, Christine Qunta, Dulcie September, Joyce Silakane, Miriam Tlali, and Zoe Wicomb. 808.8 BUS
NON-FICTION
Finnegan, William. Crossing the line: A year in the land of apartheid.
Silly reasons (wanting a pizza and good surfing conditions) take Finnegan, a California surfer to South Africa; and while there he takes a job teaching "coloureds" and comes to grips with more that one line that can't be crossed. 409 pgs. 373.11 FIN
Laure, Jason. South Africa, coming of age under apartheid.
Interviews with eight South African young people of various ethnic backgrounds show the effect of apartheid on their lives. 175 pgs. 968 LAU
Meyer, Carolyn. Voices of South Africa: growing in a troubled land
Wealthy white students attend expensive schools with the best resources; blacks are offered an inferior education because, as a rich farmer says, "More education will only make them dissatisfied with farm life. 228 pgs. 305.2 MEY
Sparks, Allister. Tomorrow is Another Country: The Inside Story of South Africa’s Road to Change
Investigates the political situation in Saouth Africa four years before Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 including secret talks held between Mandela and senior government officials and South African intelligence negotiations for a new multi-cultural government. 241 pgs. 968.06 SPA
Tutu, Desmond. The rainbow people of God: the making of a peaceful revolution.
From the graveside of Steve Biko to the triumphant inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa, Tutu’s words and presence helped shape events and lead South Africa toward justice and freedom. This tapestry of narrative recounts those significant events and showcases the unique spirit of one of the foremost spiritual leaders in the world.
269 pgs. 968.06 TUT
Woods, Donald. Biko.
On August 18, 1977, at the age of thirty, Biko was taken into custody by security police. Six days later he was dead. This powerful biography of Bantu Stephen Biko recaptures the short career of this brilliant and charismatic figure whose death became a symbol of Black Consciousness. (The motion picture, Cry Freedom, is based on this book.)
BIOGRAPHIES
Makeba, Miriam. Makeba: my story.
Makeba tells of her life as an acclaimed singer and of her continued struggle in the anti- apartheid movement in her native South Africa. 249 pgs. 921 MAK
Malan, Rian. My traitor's heart.
A relative of the architect of apartheid offers his observations on his return, discussing the extremists that continue to divide the country and the racial policies that offer no peace. 349 pgs. 968.06 MAL
Meer, Fatima. Higher than hope,the authorized biography of Nelson Mandela. 420 pgs. 921 MAN
Mandela, Nelson. A long walk to freedom.
Nelson Mandela’s moving autobiography tells the extraordinary story of his life; an epic of struggle, setback, renewal and ultimate hope which prior to this was virtually unknown to most of the world. 544 pgs. 921 MAN
Mandela, Winnie. Part of my soul went with him.
Interviews, letters, etc. describe the author's enforced separation from her husband, the South African leader of the outlawed African National Congress. 150 pgs. 921 MAN
Manning, Richard. They cannot kill us all: an eyewitness account of South Africa today.
Describes South Africans of every race, class, and outlook.
255 pgs. 968.06 MAN
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir boy.
A rare look inside Alexandra, one of South Africa's notorious black townships, by one of its ex-residents. 350 pgs. 921 MAT
Wepman. Dennis. Desmond Tutu.
Presents the biography of the archbishop who rose from parish priest to the highest rank in the Anglican church of South Africa and earned international recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize, for his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. 143 pgs. 921 TUT
