No More Strangers Now

Twelve South African teenagers share, in their own words, their experiences under apartheid as well as the exhilarating, yet sometimes challenging, years of freedom and reconciliation that have followed that oppressive regime.

Grade 5 Up-Twelve South African teenagers, from a wide range of social, economic, ethnic, and regional backgrounds, tell what it was like to live under apartheid and how the system has affected them. Each chapter contains a youth's personal narrative; the text is accompanied by a full-page, black-and-white portrait plus five or six snapshot-sized photos of the subject with family and friends. The young men and women eloquently express their feelings of pain, confusion, and anger resulting from the inequities of apartheid. What was it like to be black in South Africa, to live in a shack with no plumbing or heating? What was it like to be white and live a sheltered life of comfort and privilege? What was it like to be Coloured (of mixed race) with a way of life somewhere in between abject poverty and privilege? The young people tell it all. The narratives are clearly written, illuminating a particular time and place; many are touching, demonstrating the ability of the young to heal themselves and develop new dreams for the future. A foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and an introduction that provides historical and political background on this country are also included. An informative and timely book.
Gebregeorgis Yohannes, San Francisco Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Though their country is still bitterly divided by race, "most South Africans seem to share an almost uncanny confidence that... a stable, vibrant nation will emerge," claims the author of this hope-filled volume of profiles. In their own words, 12 teens representing the country's many ethnic groups (African, Coloured, Indian and white) describe the harsh realities of their lives under apartheid and the ways things have changed since the election of President Nelson Mandela. Some of the teens hint at the complex problems their country still faces?a Coloured girl who once didn't feel "white" enough now doesn't feel black enough; a young activist is frustrated by his peers' lack of political involvement?but none espouses extreme positions (no white featured here still believes in apartheid, for example). Their predominantly upbeat attitude, as well as McKee's informative, if occasionally overly politically correct, introductions to each profile keep the book focused on the promise that lies ahead, rather than the difficulties. Although the composition of the black-and-white photographs tends toward the unimaginative, the soft-focus style of the portraits complements the text's optimistic tone. What carries this volume is the vitality of the teens' voices themselves, and their impassioned debate of universal issues of poverty, racism, faith and reconciliation. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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