Books
by Pamela Jooste
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Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter |
The whole exotic and lively culture of the Cape Coloured community, when apartheid threatened its destruction, is seen through the sharp yet loving eyes of 11-year old Lily. The story of her past - and future - unfolds as her beautiful but angry mother returns to Cape Town, determined to fight for justice for her family. This prize-winning first novel is a genuine and moving tribute to a richly individual community.
(Rosamund Bandi - bwl 4 July 2000) |
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Frieda and Min |
It's summer, 1964, in Johannesburg, two young girls are thrown together. Jewish Frieda, secure in her family, accepts everything because that is how things are. Min brought up in the bush, withdrawn and traumatised after her brother's death, questions everything and finds herself in terrible trouble with the authorities. Told with warmth and humour, this is the story of their friendship and how through its strength they cope with the cruelties of their country's regime.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 13 April 2002) |
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Like Water in Wild Places |
Bleaker than either 'Frieda and Min' or Jooste's first book, 'Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter' (bwl 4), this is both an indictment of apartheid and a lament for the fate of the Bushmen. Told through the eyes of Conrad and Bicky, children of a white senator, it's a heartbreaking story ending on a note of hope, brilliantly written with strong characters and vivid descriptions of the beautiful country that is South Africa.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 13 April 2002) |
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