Take a photo of a barcode or cover
camsand 's review for:
Cry, the Beloved Country
by Alan Paton
Cry, the beloved country for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply, let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veldt with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all, if he gives too much.
This is said to be the most important and well-known novel from South Africa. It is the powerful and heart-wrenching story of a Zulu man leaving home to find his lost son and sister in Johannesburg. He approaches tragedy with grace and, fitting with his role as a Christian pastor, blesses those he encounters.
It is a moving story of racism and redemption. Hopeful, but devastating that this book was written when the worst of the legalized racism started in 1948. Even with this book bringing bold awareness of the horrific consequences, legal Apartheid continued for more than 40 years.
This book is almost scriptural in tone and cadence. The dialogue seems intentionally stilted, possibly to indicate literal translations from Zulu to English. The narrative has interludes of poems and songs that gave voice to the feelings of the people.
[b:The Orphan Master's Son|11529868|The Orphan Master's Son|Adam Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878601l/11529868._SX50_.jpg|16467838] by Adam Johnson. An orphan stumbles into a minor position of power as he becomes the body double for a North Korean official. A satirical thriller with attempted rebellion in the world’s most obscure dictatorship under Kim-Jong Il.
[b:Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry|310459|Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4)|Mildred D. Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388345167l/310459._SY75_.jpg|1165554] by Mildred Taylor. This middle grade Newbery medal winner carries the same themes of connection to the land, living with courage and dignity under segregation in Jim Crow Mississippi. I first read it 30 years ago and it still comes to mind often.
This is said to be the most important and well-known novel from South Africa. It is the powerful and heart-wrenching story of a Zulu man leaving home to find his lost son and sister in Johannesburg. He approaches tragedy with grace and, fitting with his role as a Christian pastor, blesses those he encounters.
It is a moving story of racism and redemption. Hopeful, but devastating that this book was written when the worst of the legalized racism started in 1948. Even with this book bringing bold awareness of the horrific consequences, legal Apartheid continued for more than 40 years.
This book is almost scriptural in tone and cadence. The dialogue seems intentionally stilted, possibly to indicate literal translations from Zulu to English. The narrative has interludes of poems and songs that gave voice to the feelings of the people.
[b:The Orphan Master's Son|11529868|The Orphan Master's Son|Adam Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878601l/11529868._SX50_.jpg|16467838] by Adam Johnson. An orphan stumbles into a minor position of power as he becomes the body double for a North Korean official. A satirical thriller with attempted rebellion in the world’s most obscure dictatorship under Kim-Jong Il.
[b:Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry|310459|Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4)|Mildred D. Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388345167l/310459._SY75_.jpg|1165554] by Mildred Taylor. This middle grade Newbery medal winner carries the same themes of connection to the land, living with courage and dignity under segregation in Jim Crow Mississippi. I first read it 30 years ago and it still comes to mind often.