Book Description
This is Alex Boraine's account of South Africa's acclaimed Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was set up after the collapse of the apartheid regime. The TRC had the monumental task not only of uncovering decades of systematic human rights violations, but of doing so in a way that would help a very damaged nation to reconcile and move forward. Boaraine clearly sets out the process leading to the establishment of the TRC, describes the hearings at which victims and perpetrators testified about human rights violations, and considers reactions - inclusding criticisms - to the TRC and its final report. He analyses the key features that contributed to the Commission's success, and gives an honest assessment of some of its mistakes. This is also a personal story, giving insight into the feelings, disappointments, and rewards that the TRC's participants experienced. This book helps to elucidate and answer the many difficlut questions that were crucial to South Africa's TRC , and that need to be addressed by all people who are working with societies in transition.
Book Description
Originally formed in order to lend support to the FNLA and UNITA in the Angolan war, 32 Battalion quickly gained the reputation of being an unconventional, secretive, yet highly effective group. Written by a man who was intimately involved with the unit and served as its Regimental Sergeant Major for two years, the book aims to explode the myths surrounding the legendary 32 and set the record straight. It records how and why 32 Battalion was formed, explores its unique identity forged by the men who fought in it, details the many operations in which they participated, and concludes with its eventual disbandment at the dawn of a new South Africa.
What they did, and how they did it, would earn this controversial group official recognition as the best fighting unit in the South African Army since World War II. This book’s unembellished, factual reporting will fill a big gap in the highly popular military genre.
Customer Reviews:
32 battalion.......2007-06-27
This is really slow and not what you would expect. The minute detailing of every mundane aspect of building this unit is excruciating.
32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Afrca's Elite Fighting Unit by Piet Nortje.......2006-08-20
By the author's own admission a subjective report.The story of forgotten hero's, shunned by the political survivors of the old South Africa and hated by the new order.Too little was told about the Citizen Force officers and NCO's who served with this unit.However it is well written and worthwile reading to all who is interested in the history of South Africa.
A thrilling expose of modern military history.......2006-02-03
One of the 32 Battalion's longest-serving members presents the unadorned true story of his unit in 32 Battalion: The Inside Story Of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. Nicknamed "The Buffalo Soldiers", South Africa's 32nd Battalion was undefeated in twelve years of front-line battle, feared by enemies ranging from Cuban armies to Nambian guerrilla fighters. Called "Os Terriveis", or the Terrible Ones by their enemies, the unit met its most unlikely demise when peace came to southern Africa and politics chose to dissolve the unit's fraternity in 1993. 32 Battalion makes no embellishments or apologies, but rather presents the true story of the unit in clear terms, illustrated by a handful of black-and-white maps and diagrams and an inset section of color plates. A thrilling expose of modern military history.
Average customer rating:
- Extremely beautiful, interesting book (and series).
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Inside Africa: North & East Africa
Frederic Couderc , and
Laurence Douguiuer
Manufacturer: Taschen
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Simply Safari
ASIN: 3822848166 |
Book Description
Plunge into Africa: North and East
We've searched far and wide, through Africa's deserts and jungles, cities and wildlife reserves, islands and mountains, to uncover the continent's most inspirational dwellings; our goal was to find the kind of interiors that defy description, and we think the results will definitely leave you speechless. Nestled within these pages you'll find lush modern homes mingling with mud huts, funky artists' studios, elegant lodges, minimalist houses, ornate traditional homes, townships and much more—all lovingly built and decorated with sensitivity, creativity, craftsmanship, individuality, and sensuality. Inside Africa captures the beauty and diversity of African living.
Beautifully bound with an African tribal motif cloth cover
Highlights include:
• Italian sisters Carla and Franka Sozzani's fairy-tale palace in the Medina of Marrakech
• shoe designer Christian Louboutin's modest-yet-elegant Cairo home
• a lodge in Tanzania whose interior columns are formed by the trees around which it was built
• multi-level terracotta Troglodyte dwellings in Tunisia
• opulent mosaics, breathtaking courtyards and rooftop lounges in Marrakech
Customer Reviews:
Extremely beautiful, interesting book (and series)........2007-06-04
This book and the companion North and East volume are extraordinarily beautiful and offer images of a rich array of African homes -- traditional, contemporary and intermingled. The photography is excellent and offers images of architecture, art, landscapes and lives. Highly recommended.
Book Description
A former U.S. ambassador provides the most authoritative account of the twists and turns of Sudan's interactions with America, its devastating civil war, and its close connections to global terrorism.
Sudan, governed by an Islamist dictatorship, became a pariah nation among the global community not because of its religious orientation but because of its record of human-rights abuses and its fostering of notorious international terrorists. As the last American ambassador to complete an assignment in Sudan, Don Petterson provides unduplicated insights into how Sudan became what it is. Petterson recounts the consequences of the execution of four Sudanese employees of the U.S. government by Sudanese security forces in the southern city of Juba. He relates the experiences of Americans in Khartoum after Washington put Sudan on the black list of state sponsors of terrorism. He offers his personal observations on war-devastated southern Sudan. In this newly revised edition of Inside Sudan, Petterson recounts the events in Sudan from 1998 to the present, considers Sudan's connections to international terrorists, including Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden, and assesses the changes in the relationship between Sudan and the United States after 9/11.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Book About the Sudan Conflict from a Diplomat's Point of View.......2006-07-22
Donald Petterson was a diplomat for the United States during most of the 1990's. He discusses from a diplomat's point of view the impasse that occured between the United States and the Khartoum governments. Petterson saw things get worse but could not stop the drift in differences. He explains that Sudanese people are quite friendly, but political, religious and regional problems run deep and occured during British rule also. A good book to get a perspective on Sudan.
A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON SUDAN..........2005-05-20
Donald Petterson, former U.S.Ambassador to Sudan, has written an unflinching account of modern Sudan. It is the thoroughly human story of a man and his family living and working in Khartoum in the 1990's, the hey-day of Islamic terrorism and fundamentalist belief. Petterson, a veteran Foreign Service Officer in Africa describes the day-to-day events in the abysmally hot and dusty,strife-ridden capital of Khartoum. An exciting place for any FSO, Khartoum was above all else a very dangerous city, as Petterson points out. Filled with Islamic radicals, the hatred for all things Western was very evident to this American. While the Author never treads strongly into the deep historical factors surrounding Sudan's cultural probems today, INSIDE SUDAN: POLITICAL ISLAM, CONFLICT, AND CATASTROPHE neveretheless is an excellent read for everyone wishing an up-front account of what it feels like to be in a land where one is always on the cusp of revolution. The book grips the reader personally and emotionally and makes the problems of Sudan all the more real. Readers may also wish to turn to my new book, JIHAD: THE MAHDI REBELLION IN THE SUDAN. I have encapsulated one brief period of Sudanese history - the Mahdi Rebellion of 1881-1885. I hope to show the effects of Western Imperialism upon both Sudanese nationalism and culture.
An average book with a misleading title.......2004-05-21
The title of this book, Inside Sudan: Political Islam, Conflict and Catastrophe, implies that the work will addressteh history of the conflict in the sudan as well as some discussion of the workings of Islam within the country's politics. However, this is not the case. The author, a former ambassodor to the Sudan, seems content to merely catalogue the meetings he had with Sudanese officials. Thus the book only addresses the time form 1992-95. Furthermore, the writing reads like a travel log and is rather uninteresting. The book claism to be an acoount of US-Sudanese relations, but even in this area it falls short. There is very little critical analysis and the work is littered with unimportant personal imformation. The book does give a look at life in a Us Embassy but this hardly makes up for its other shortcomings.
One good aspect of the work is Petterson's criticism of the media. For far too long has this atrocity been largely ignored by such agencies as CNN. Likewise, he also gives the reader some insight into the workings of Sudanese NGO's whose primary objective is not to relieve suffereing but rather to spread Islamic fundamentalism. Overall there are better books on the Sudan.
Mediocre.......2004-04-22
Precisely what we do not have is a real understanding of Sudan. We get a brief history; we get a sense that Petterson's diplomatic endeavours were futile; and we get information about the civil war which is available elsewhere. The fact is, Petterson did not have enough to write a book and should have spared us. If all the good elements were compressed, they would make a chapter in a real book. And the information on terrorism does not add anything new, if you are familiar with al-Qaeda. That was a ploy to encourage people post 11/September to buy it. I read it through, and was not rewarded by understanding Sudan. I will search elsewhere.
A Disappointing Book.......2002-12-29
"Inside Sudan" should be a great book. Donald Petterson served as U.S. Ambassador to Sudan from 1992 to 1995, and met with all the major political figures of the country (Gurang, Turabi, Bashir, Taha, Machar, etc.). In addition, he has extensive experience in Africa and traveled widely in the Sudan during his three-year tenure. Petterson also writes clearly. For all these reasons, this should be a great book.
But it's plainly not. Instead, "Inside Sudan" is a very dull and narrowly-focused volume. Unless you have a particular interest in the muted frustrations of Donald Petterson, when he served as U.S. Ambassador to Sudan, or you just like any book about the foreign service, you will probably find little to interest you here.
Examples of this are the lifeless descriptions Petterson gives of his meetings with important Sudanese officials. There's a formula to nearly all of them: Petterson usually starts out by saying the U.S./Sudan relationship will not improve until some important issues (slavery, torture, human rights violations, terrorism, etc.) are addressed by Sudan; the Sudanese official -- whoever Petterson happens to be meeting with at the time -- usually gets upset when he hears this and responds with either 1) there are no problems in Sudan, or 2) the U.S. has the same problems; the next day, the Sudanese press vilifies Petterson; finally, tempers cool and another meeting takes place where the same dynamic essentially repeats itself.
While this may be a fair description by Petterson of what actually happened during his meetings with Sudanese officials, it's not a basis for a book. There's no human element or color in his descriptions. It's difficult for the reader to tell one official apart from another or one meeting apart from another. They all just blend in together. Petterson spent a good deal of time with Turabi and Bashir, and he writes about several meetings he had with these two major figures. Yet after reading his book, these two very important men are still like stick figures in my mind, with little character or personality.
"Inside Sudan" is also weak on the history of the country and on the background of its current civil war. Most of the book focuses on just the three years Petterson was there. I realize the Ambassador is not a historian, but surely as a man who has spent a good deal of time in the Sudan, and read much to prepare for his job, he has strong opinions on the way history has shaped current events in that country. Doesn't he owe it to his readers to write about them? (The Ambassador does give a short introduction on the Sudan, but it's woefully inadequate.)
When I began "Inside Sudan", I thought Petterson's three decades of experience in sub-Saharan Africa would give him a fresh perspective on Sudan's relationships with its southern neighbors. Even though Petterson's previous experience was not in the countries that bordered Sudan, I reasoned that his time spent in Africa should still give him good knowledge about the ties between Sudan and places like Uganda, Central African Republic, Zaire, etc. But if it did, it's not evident here, as he only briefly discusses them.
A good book should be more than a series of failed meetings and tours around the country. It ought to tell you something interesting or important. This book fails that basic test.
Average customer rating:
- A unique "insder" look, with a bonus desert combat primer
- An Indispensible Source
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Inside The Afrika Korps: The Crusader Battles, 1941-1942
Rainer Kriebel , and
United States Army Intelligence Service
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
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Tank Combat in North Africa: The Opening Rounds : Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe February 1941-June 1941 (Schiffer Military History)
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ASIN: 1853673226 |
Book Description
This book presents the battles of the Afrika Korps as seen through the eyes of a trained general staff officer, and provides key insight into a formidable fighting force at the height of its power. Kriebel's account highlights the German response to the Crusader offensive and analyzes the unparalleled genius and fatal flaws of Erwin Rommel's generalship. Exposes the secrets of Rommel's exemplary fighting force's success as well as the dangers inherent in victory.
Customer Reviews:
A unique "insder" look, with a bonus desert combat primer.......2003-03-28
Inside the Afrika Korps is a rare operational account of some of the battles in North Africa from the German perspective. The material covers the campaign in the fall of 1941 (the British "Crusader" offensive), the retreat of Axis forces out of Cyrenaica, and the counterattack in early 1942 back to the Gazala positions. During these battles, Kriebel was the senior staff officer of the 15th Panzer Division, one of the units in Rommel's Afrika Korps. As a key member of the forces under Rommel, Kriebel is in an excellent position to analyze both the decision making of Axis commanders as well as the combat performance of the fighting units. This is in contrast to the typical accounts of the desert theater, which rely heavily (indeed exclusively for many) on Allied reports. So, at the very least, Kriebel provides a unique account of some familiar engagements.
The book is divided into two sections. The first is Kriebel's coverage of combat operations from fall 1941 through January 1942. These operations include the opening Crusader battles (the British offensive to relieve Tobruk), Rommel's "dash to the wire", the subsequent retreat of the Axis forces out of Cyrenaica, and Rommel's counterattack through Cyrenaica back to the Gazala positions. Kriebel's description of combat is quite good, and he has a very interesting technical and tactical story to tell. He is conscious of the various effects of different types of weapons and units, and is clear in his explanations of use and usefulness. He is also very clear about what he thinks were the key events that shaped each engagement. For example, one battle went poorly for the Germans due to a failed recon mission. This is very "nuts and bolts" stuff...the very sort of stuff that cannot be gotten from any other source. As a result, the "inside view" of the battles of the Afrika Korps is fascinating.
In this section, Kriebel also takes the opportunity to assess Rommel's leadership. In short, he does not deify him. Instead, a frank analysis of Rommel's abilities and shortcomings is presented. For example, Kriebel directly faults Rommel for micromanaging Afrika Korps units, typically to the detriment of those units. By ignoring the chain of command, Rommel created confusion, issued conflicting orders, and made tactical mistakes that a commander more familiar with the particular tactical situation would not have. He also identifies key moments where Rommel misinterpreted or ignored intelligence reports about the location and intentions of Allied forces. This got him into trouble several times, particularly in his failed "dash to the wire". On the other hand, Kriebel credits Rommel for occasionally perosonally leading critical units and commanding loyalty, so although the assessment of Rommel shows his flaws, the final conclusion is that his leadership was a decisive factor in the successes (even in retreat) of the Axis forces in North Africa. In any event, Kriebel's picture of Rommel is undoubtedly more accurate than some of the traditional Western assessments that portray Rommel as an infallible god of war.
Throughout this section, Kriebel offers assessments of the situation on the ground (disposition and state of units), the supply situation, and the air situation. Thus, the book offers a rare view of how logistics, air power, and land power came together to dictate how operations went. The supply situation is particularly interesting, as both sides relied heavily on captured booty, and the vagaries of Axis supply shipments made consistent operations difficult (Kriebel seems very frustrated at times, recounting how pursuits had to be called off due to a complete lack of fuel). Editor Bruce Gudmundsson clarifies a few points here and there (particularly unit information) but for the most part his touch is not visible.
The second section is written by the U.S. Army Intelligence Service, and is titled "Artillery in the Desert". It is an analysis of Axis and British combat tactics and weaponry. Much of this is very straightforward, and is presented as sort of a manual on "how to conduct desert warfare". This includes everything from how to set up defensive strongpoints, how to employ FOOs, at what ranges to begin firing different types of weapons, and how to conduct (or defend against) an armored attack. Much of this is interesting, particularly to game designers, as it presents good detail on how to prepare for and carry out battle. However, some of it is quite fanciful, and is obviously the result of faulty intelligence that has not been revised. One strikingly absurd example is the claim that the short 75mm gun of the Pz IV had a maximum range of 9000 yards and that these AFVs were employed as "sniper tanks" at this extremely long range. While Gudmundsson apparently has edited the material, he obviously missed this mistake. Although the other information provided regarding tactics and practices of combat seem accurate, this problem should make the reader at least somewhat skeptical.
I enjoyed this book, mostly because of its "inside view" of the Axis forces. Although it can not be the "final word" on the winter 1941/1942 battles in North Africa, nor should it be the first book you read on the topic, it certainly should be the second one you read. The battles covered are familiar, but the perspective is unique, and so I recommend this book.
An Indispensible Source.......2000-05-11
I first became aware of the Kriebel manuscript when reading "Sidi Rezegh Battles, 1941" (OUP, 1957), the official South African account of Operation "Crusader". The text provides some vital insights into how and when the Afrika Korps made its transition to the Plains March style of formation, armored cars, tanks, armored personnnel carriers, towed howitzers, anti-tank guns, flak 88s, etc. during the interval between "Battleaxe" and "Crusader". This has not been widely reported in English, not even in Correli Barnett's provocative study of British generalship in the desert, "The Desert Generals".
The full manuscript has not been available to me before; the National Archives wanted $80 for a typescript copy a few years ago, and I could not afford that, unless I could secure viable commercial publication, which Stackpole beat me to. What the reader should understand is that German victory in the desert in winter of 1941 was not certain, and the eventual recovery was not certain either.
Kriebel gives the perspective of a detached staff officer analyzing a situation; he was the Ia (or first general staff officer)of the 15th Panzer Division, one of the principal units of the Afrika Korps, with operational planning authority, so he knows of what he speaks. The book takes the reader through a full narrative of the series of winter battles after giving one pertinent background, and then it analyzes significant factors contributing to success or failure, and provides rare portraits of Rommel and his three divisional commanders.
What more could you ask for in such a book?
As for my background: I have been researching the desert war, since 1961, trying to untangle the mosaic of information, misinformation, and missing information. I pointed out a few small technical errors and suggested a need for further interpretive analysis in the celebrated Barnett classic, which resulted in corrections and some further analysis in the second edition of The Desert Generals, which caused almost as much controversy as the first. The person who enjoys looking at the "how to's" of battle will enjoy this book.
Average customer rating:
- the most beautiful book in the world
- how
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Inside Africa (2 Vol. Set)
Manufacturer: Taschen
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Inside Africa: North & East Africa
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South African Style: Exteriors, Interiors, Details (Icons)
ASIN: 3822857718 |
Customer Reviews:
the most beautiful book in the world.......2004-06-03
Really. The listing here doesn't do this 2 volume set justice. If you have any interest at all, don't hesitate, this is the most beautiful thing ever!
how.......2004-01-12
both books are wonderful!!!!!! it's a mix between travel & interiors. another taschen-you-must-have-it !!!!!
Book Description
The NIGERIA-BIAFRA war started in mid 1967 when a tiny region of Nigeria seceded from Nigeria to become Biafra. With the complete support of the British government, Nigeria instituted a very powerful and effective blockade on Biafra. The only communication that Biafra had with the rest of the world was through the RED CROSS and CARITAS relief flights that were flown into Biafra at nights under heavy attacks from Nigerian forces. Some of the planes were shot down. With no powerful nation backing Biafra, coupled with the blockade and the consequent lack of food and medicine, surviving in Biafra became a matter of improvisements for both Biafran forces and citizens. In an area that was replete with diseases like malaria, typhoid and kwashiorkor, this book explains how the Biafran citizens were able to survive for almost three years until Biafra was defeated in January 1970.
Customer Reviews:
A must-read book on surviving in Biafra.......2007-05-07
Chief Jim Ojiaku has written a fantastic and excellent expose' of the events of the Nigerian civil war from the home perspective. The rendition of his experiences, his free style of writing, enabled him to compress a large volume of facts with eloquence and details, thus, reminding the reader about why 'war is raw'. Chief Ojiaku wrote from the heart--a testament of the originality that would be a point of reference for future writers, hence there were no bibliographical references. The book portrayed how a determined people (Biafrans) courageously persevered over a thirty-month bloody civil war in the face of adversity perpetrated by world super-powers who coerced the international community to look away while they helped the Federal Government of Nigeria in its failed effort to win the war in forty-eight hours, then resorted to blockade and blanket the Biafrans both by sea, air, and land and executed the blood-letting and starvation that led to an eventual surrender to peace in 1970.
Chief Ojiaku indicated that although the battle ended in the war front, the war rages on as people from the Biafran side continue to be marginalized in almost all aspects of Nigerian life--politics, university admissions, road constructions and what have you! This book showed that Chief Jim Ojiaku can successfully make use of good advice. Thanks to his brother in law--Professor Joe Akunna who sincerely advised him to put down his thoughts in black and white.
Surviving the iron curtain exemplified how Biafra was killed in a genocidal civil unrest, but the people refused to die. The planned extermination of the Biafrans from the surface of the earth--how civilians were tortured and starved, the poor state of Biafra, how ill-equipped young people joined the war to save their people, how the Biafrans used improvises to fight valiantly as the Biblical David against Goliath. Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku did not forget the benevolence of the Red Cross and other relief organizations in breaking the iron curtain despite enemy attack. Worst still was the only twenty pounds which Biafrans received from the Nigerian Government who had any bank account in Biafran banks--being the only rehabilitation received since after the war.
Chief Jim Ojiaku deliberately refused to deal with the blame game that characterizes every war. He was right to blame both sides in order to allow the reader to understand his reason for writing the book. Finally Biafra surrendered through the courage and bravery of Colonel Philip Effiong who helped to salvage the human skull that was left of Biafra--in 1970. I strongly recommend this book to all who profess to the Biafran cause-both old and young--a reminder of the indelible scar--that was Biafra.
Surviving the iron curtain by Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku.......2007-04-23
In reading Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku's book I learned a piece of history that needs to be read by everyone and the world needs to remember the horrors of the war between Nigeria and The Republic Of Biafra and a war that tore apart a country.
He tells of one story about his brother Emmanuel who is killed at the front at the young age of 19 and the beautiful touching letter his father writes to his dead son, "An Epitath To Lt. Emmanuel Ojiaku."
This letter is heart breaking and no one would forget reading it. He writes very lovingly about his mother, father, brothers and sisters and especially about his love for his people. He brings forth in his book many beautiful photographs and diagrams on the many foods in his region and explains in great detail on each food and how they're prepared.
This book is a must read. Jim brings forth the great love he has for his people, his family and most of all his great country.
I give Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku five stars ***** for a book well written.
Joseph Frank Baraba
Average customer rating:
- "When you have just escaped Armageddon, that is no time to become a pessimist."
- Biased, but great
- One of a Kind
- An excellent read.
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Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa
Allister Sparks
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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ASIN: 0226768597 |
Book Description
In Beyond the Miracle, a distinguished South African journalist provides a wide-ranging and unflinching account of the first nine years of democratic government in South Africa. Covering both the new regime's proud achievements and its disappointing failures, Allister Sparks looks to South Africa's future, asking whether it can overcome its history and current global trends to create a truly nonracial, multicultural, and multiparty democracy.
Sparks sees South Africa as facing many of the same challenges as the rest of the world, especially a widening gap between rich and poor, exacerbated by the forces of globalization. While the transition government has done much to establish democracy and racial equality in a short time, as well as bring basic services such as clean water to millions who did not have them before, many blacks feel it has not done enough to redress the continuing imbalance of wealth in the country. Many whites, meanwhile, feel disempowered and confused about what role they have to play as a racial minority in a country they used to rule and regard as theirs by divine right. Sparks also covers other burning issues, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, high crime rates, the diamond wars, the Congo conflict, and the Zimbabwean land crisis.
Writing vividly and often quite movingly, Sparks draws on his decades of journalistic experience and his recent insider access to key figures in the liberation government to take stock of where South Africa has been, where it's going, and why the rest of the world should not turn away from this country where the First and Third Worlds meet. As Sparks persuasively argues, the success of Mandela's vision of a peaceful "rainbow nation" is crucial not just for the salvation of Africa, but also for the world.
“Sparks, a grandfather of South African journalism, has fired one of the first volleys in the 10-year assessment. . . . It is an even-handed work, almost encyclopedic in its breadth. Sparks traverses all the important political terrain.”—Mail & Guardian
“It is as good a guide to the new South Africa as any.”—Economist
Customer Reviews:
"When you have just escaped Armageddon, that is no time to become a pessimist.".......2007-08-09
Sparks has written a trio of books about South Africa with this book being the third. I've also read the first one, The Mind of South Africa, but not the second, Tomorrow Is Another Country. On balance, I found The Mind of South Africa stronger than this book. In part, this is simply because the evolution of a system like apartheid is such fascinating reading. This is also partly because the nature of this book-- a "where are we now?" book-- is time limited. It was published in 2003, and it left me to wonder what Sparks would have made of the last four years.
I think that he would have been kind. One of the things that strikes me about Sparks through both of these books is his strong humanism. He does not want to believe in villains. I get the feeling that he is probably the kind of guy who irritates everyone at a party by defending whoever is under discussion. He wanted to believe that Mugabe would do the right thing in The Mind of South Africa. Even in this book, although he owns his mistakes about his hope for Mugabe his tone is more one of sadness than condemnation. Sparks seems to see the whole sad mess in South Africa as not having any heroes or any villains-- just victims and participants. I like that approach. It is the kind of view that I naturally tend to agree and sympathize with.
But actually, I think that the point of the book is that he does not see the situation in 2002-3 South Africa as a sad mess. He sees it as an imperfect triumph, and I'm not sure that he isn't right. The more that I learn about the country and the more that I hear about the history, the more amazed I am that things didn't collapse into fire and destruction. There are problems, huge ones, but they were largely there to begin with. He has the same worries about Mbeki that I think many observers have-- his strange stance on AIDS, his silence on Zimbabwe. Sparks doesn't gloss anything over, but he largely repeats a message of hope. I think that this is a message worth repeating.
A good book, and interesting.
Biased, but great.......2004-11-05
In this fascinating book, author and journalist Allister Sparks takes us inside South Africa, ten years after the miraculous end of Apartheid. Though many inside the African National Congress (ANC) expected that this would be the beginning of their "Happily Ever After," South Africa continues to face many challenges, many of which they did not expect. But, this is not a doom-and-gloom, pseudo-exposé of South Africa, instead it is a hopeful look at a country in transition - facing daunting problems, but moving towards a brighter tomorrow.
Now, what can I say about this book? First of all, I was quite saddened that the author brought along a bag full of biases to his analysis. He has an orthodox Leftist viewpoint which he spills out all over the book. For example, in his view all of South Africa's problems are either holdovers from the Apartheid era, or are caused by outside factors over which the ANC has no control.
But, if you bear in mind that the author is a journalist, rather than an objective sociologist, you can let yourself ignore his analysis, and get down to the real strength of the book - the author's penetrating report on the state of South Africa today. The author does an excellent job of looking at the political and social changes that are redefining South Africa, and explaining them in a clear and easy to read manner.
It is hard to find resources that discuss modern, post-Apartheid South Africa, but this is one that is really great! So, if you want to know what South Africa is like today, ten years after Apartheid, then this is a great book to start with.
One of a Kind.......2004-04-11
Step into any bookstore in South Africa and you'll see that the country is awash in social science literature (most of which is ephemeral and undigestible) while sorely lacking in modern histories that put post-apartheid events and developments in a framework for intelligent general readers. This book is a notable and admirable exception. Written by a leading South African journalist and non-academic historian, it's a readable, comprehensive overview of modern South Africa, with chapters on economics, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the ANC's performance in office, HIV/AIDS, race relations, and more. The judgments are balanced and Sparks weaves together anecdotes and analysis in the best journalistic fashion. The book ably reflect his decades of reporting on South Africa.
The only real deficiencies are the lack of "inside" information on the ANC and Spark's failure to convincingly explain the paradoxes swirling around President Thabo Mbeki, a university-trained economist who is undeniably brilliant but whose crackpot medical theories have hamstrung effots to fight HIV/AIDS and have made South Africa the laughingstock of the scientific world. These gaps are at the center of the book (hence my rating of four stars) but probably aren't Sparks' fault: although the ANC now presides over a democratic state, it spent decades in underground resistance to apartheid, and remains highly secretive and quick to punish members who speak out against the party line. I'm not sure whether anyone outside of the party's inner circle truly knows what makes Mbeki & company tick.
In contrast, the chapters on the media sparkle with first-hand accounts of mismanagement and internecine rivalry. If only Sparks' had been able to write comparably illuminating chapters on the ANC!
I'm an American living in Johannesburg.
An excellent read........2003-09-08
Sparks has written a winner with Beyond the Miracle. With the exception of one or two niggling errors, it is thoroughly researched, littered with pertinent observations and unfailingly readable. Perhaps most importantly it offers a commendably balanced view of the successes and failures of post-apartheid South Africa. As a white South African I was simultaneously surprised and encouraged by much of the book's content. Although, due to the wide variety of topics looked at, it isn't particularly comprehensive, I would still recommend it as essential reading for anyone with an interest in South Africa.
Book Description
The companion to Allister Sparks's award-winning The Mind of South Africa, this book is an extraordinary account from South Africa's premier journalist of the negotiating process that led to majority rule. Tomorrow is Another Country retells the story of the behind-the-scenes collaborations that started with a meeting between Kobie Coetsee, then minister of justice, and Nelson Mandela in 1985. By 1986, negotiations involved senior government officials, intelligence agents, and the African National Congress. For the next four years, they assembled in places such as a gamepark lodge, the Palace Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland, a fishing hideaway, and even in a hospital room. All the while, De Klerk's campaign assured white constituents nothing would change. Sparks shows how the key players, who began with little reason to trust one another, developed friendships which would later play a crucial role in South Africa's struggle to end apartheid.
"A gripping, fast-paced, authoritative account of the long and mostly secret negotiations that brought South Africa's bitter conflict to its near-miraculous end. Sparks's description of these talks sometimes brings a lump to one's throat. He shows how the participants' deep mutual suspicion was gradually replaced by excitement at the prospect of making a momentous agreement--and also by the dawning realization that the people on the other side were human beings, perhaps even decent human beings."--Adam Hochschild, New York Times Book Review
"A splendid and original history. . . . Sparks's skillful weaving of myriad strands--Mandela's secret sessions with the committee, the clandestine talks in England between the African National Congress and the government, the back-channel communications between Mandela and the A.N.C. in exile, the trepidation of Botha and the apparent transformation of his successor, De Klerk--possesses the drama and intrigue of a diplomatic whodunit."--Richard Stengel, Time
"Sparks offers many reasons for hope, but the most profound of them is the story this book tells."--Jacob Weisberg, Washington Post
"The most riveting of the many [accounts] that have been published about the end of apartheid."--The Economist
Customer Reviews:
all sides.......2001-11-10
Tomorrow is Another Country is the sequel to the Mind of South Africa. It described the transition from apartheid state to the Rainbow Nation. Allister Sparks is a South African journalist (and is currently teaching at Duke University) who sought to get "the real story" before the actors started to forget. He found collaboration from all sides so everyone would know the sacrifices made by both sides to form the new South Africa.
An excellent balance between being comprehensive and being readable, Tomorrow is Another Country is not a difficult read but not nearly as inspiring as Nelson Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom. It does however capture more of the Afrikaaner experience, something Long Walk to Freedom often fails on doing.
The story of South Africa's transition........2001-08-17
This is an outstanding book with many original and personal accounts of what brought South Africa to a negotiated abandonment of minority rule. Objective and beautifully written.
Why did the apartheid regime keep Mandela alive?.......1999-03-29
An excellent read if you know at least a little about South African History. It's a "who's who" of the inside story of Africa's "Negotiated Revolution" and could count as a "cliff hanger" if we all didn't already know the outcome of the story. But for anyone who would like to know how the worlds most remarkable political transition was pulled off without a bloody coup, who all of the players were, and why one the worlds most brutal and racist governments kept the world's most enigmatic man alive; then this is the read for you.
If you ever want to understand South Africa, read it.......1998-06-22
Allister Sparks tells a story in a brief, a reporter kind of a way, where he leaves out the details and gives you the key facts plus an explanation of them. By the time you finish the book you'll get a picture of the past and present of South Africa. You'll probably be clued in as much as people who leave there.
Book Description
This is a book about Soweto from inside and out. It is an effort to mark a century since the first forced removals of black Africans from central Johannesburg to the banks of the Klipspruit River. It is also in recognition of the limited books available on a world-famous city.
This book is a companion to a collection of journalists' stories about Johannesburg that was published in 2002, From Jo'burg to Jozi; Stories About Africa's Infamous City. The stories and reflections are written by a hodgepodge of writers from mixed up backgrounds, some from Soweto itself, some from other parts of Johannesburg, others from beyond South
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