Page 33 - D11 Dainfern Precinct Living December 2021
P. 33
BOOK REVIEWS
Rise astonishing victory at the Rugby World
Cup in 2019. However, Rise is not simply
a chronology of matches played and
games won; it is an exploration of a
BY SIYA KOLISI
man’s race and his faith, a masterclass
His truth. His story. In his words. Siya in attaining a positive mindset, and an
Kolisi, captain of the Springboks, and inspirational reminder that it is possible
the first black man to lead his country to defy the odds, no matter how they
in over 128 years of South African are stacked against you.
rugby shares his story in Rise. In an
extraordinarily intimate memoir, Kolisi The title, Rise, is inspired by Siya’s
charts his story from being born in mother – Phakama – which translates to
the impoverished Zwide Township, the book’s name. It is also a celebration
to leading his proud nation to an of his Xhosa heritage. Price: R328.00
Scatterling of Africa: Shudu Finds
My Early Years Her Magic
BY SHUDUFHADZO MUSIDA,
BY JOHNNY CLEGG CHANTELLE THORNE, BURGEN THORNE
There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to
hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know
it. Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space
and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better
term, we call these moments ‘magical’ and when we remember
them, they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.
For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as
plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening
outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one
such ‘magical’ moment. The success story of Juluka and later
Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language,
story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across
the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack
to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent ‘70s and
‘80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to
democratic freedom. It crossed
borders, boundaries and
generations, resonating around In this courageous and beautiful book,
the world and back again. Less Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo
known is the story of how it all Musida, tells the story of her upbringing;
began and developed. of a delightful and outgoing girl in
Ha-Vhangani, a small Venda village.
Scatterling of Africa is that origin She is surrounded by a loving, extended
story, as the late Johnny Clegg family. However, things for Shudu take
wrote it and wanted it told. It is a turn for the worse when she moves to
the story of how the son of an Mpumalanga to live with her mom. At
unconventional mother, and her new school, Shudu is bullied by her
grandson of Jewish immigrants, classmates.
came to realise that identity can
be a choice, and home is a place Read how Shudu overcomes her sadness
you leave and return to as surely and her challenges, and grows into a girl,
as the seasons change. and then an adult, who has learned to
Price: R368.00 love herself! The book is aimed at children
aged between four and 12 years of age
and deals with bullying and the power of
friendship. Price: R88.00
2 31
DPL
