Warriors, Warthogs and Wisdom - Hardcover

Watson, Lyall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0753450666 ISBN 13: 9780753450666

Publisher: Kingfisher, 1997

Synopsis

A distinguished naturalist describes growing up in Africa during the 1940s, discussing his grandmother's farm and his adventures in the African bush with his best friend, Jabula, a Zulu chief.

About this title

About the Author:

Lyall Watson is the author of Dark Nature, The Nature of Things, Supernature, and Heaven's Breath. Lyall lives in North Carolina.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-8. A white South African boy's coming-of-age is touchingly portrayed in this collection of personal reminiscences. The setting is a remote area in the northern part of South Africa bordering Mozambique. The first part introduces Jabula, a man who would have been chief of the Zulu people if not for apartheid, but is employed, instead, by the author's grandparents. Jabula invests time in the boy, teaching him everything he knows about life and the land. "The New People" focuses on those who came and took away the land from the "Old People." The main characters are Ouma and Oupa, the aforementioned grandparents. The grandfather loves wild animals and spends most of his time watching them. Before his death, he leaves instructions that his body be given to the vultures and jackals, and strong-willed Ouma must see that her husband's wishes are carried out. The last section deals with the wildlife, particularly Hoover, a warthog who has a sense of humor and an uncanny intelligence. Finely detailed pen-and-pencil drawings illustrate each page. The author writes in a lively style, which is both amusing and moving in turn. He is eloquent about his love for Africa, its people, and its culture. It is very unfortunate, therefore, that the injustice and humiliation that the African has undergone in the system of apartheid are never mentioned. Where is the author's recognition, at the very least, that his friend Jabula was robbed of his heritage? Surely it matters not that he was kindly treated, in the face of such a loss. This blind spot has made Watson's memoirs a pleasant, mild reading experience when it could have been a powerful, unforgettable story.?Gebregeorgis Yohannes, San Francisco Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kingfisher
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0753450666
• ISBN 13: 9780753450666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80