Memoirs & Bios

Memoirs are stories told by one of the characters involved. They are meant to be ‘true’ in that they relate to an actual person’s experience. Biographies are similar, except that they are written by a third party, the biographer. South Africa is big on memoirs at the moment, perhaps largely because for so long people have felt ‘bottled up’ but are now much more able to see value in their experiences and to express them. This is an exciting time in local literature.

Memoirs & Bios

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It shouldn’t happen to a...
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It shouldn’t happen to a...

‘Okay….the decision has been made’ I advise Kim, my wife of 25 years. ‘I am now going to buy a farm, leave my law firm and pursue the country life. ‘This decision’, I continue, ‘is now final and irrevocable.  I have considered the issue, weighed up the pros and cons and am now confident that this warrants no more consideration.’

Price R170.00
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ORPHANED, WITH LIVING PARENTS
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ORPHANED, WITH LIVING PARENTS

Many thousands of South African children are brought up by their grandmothers. This is one of the many manifestations of an unstable and distraught society, where the mother to child bond is too often broken, causing pain and a deep-seated sense of loss to both parties. Each Gogo-raised child’s story is different, but the general theme is the same: it deals with abandonment, with only qualified acceptance, but most of all with the simple absence of a real mother presence. The title of Vanessa Neo Mathope’s book – Orphaned, with Living Parents – tells it all. A monstrous imbalance has occurred, and the consequences run deep.

Price R260.00
No Taming of the Enthusiast
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No Taming of the Enthusiast

From skylarking at school to a professorship at the best university in Africa. It's all here in this collection of loosely related memoir-essays: all twists in the winding road the author travelled to become a female computer science professor at the University of cape Town. Born and schooled in the Netherlands, Ms Keet didn't stay home for long. Her winding road had a distinctly international flavour. She has worked and studied in Ireland and Italy, and briefly in Peru and Cuba, before finding her way back to South Africa. The author herself says of her essays: ' They offer a peek into a kitchen where underway is making of a woman into an academic scientist when the yeast has been gender-spiked against her chances of rising.'

Price R240.00
ALMOST A PREACHER -...
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ALMOST A PREACHER -...

This beautifully written memoir tells the almost unbelievable story of a South African boy who got as far as Grade 8 in his township primary school, and then hit a glass ceiling. Only through the intervention of a caring Catholic Father was he able to continue with his education. This same township boy recently retired from the University of South Africa as a professor emeritus in Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics. Between these two important events lies a life of extraordinary academic achievement in the United States and deep thinking about his native country. He has written four books, the most influential being The theory and Practice of Black Resistance to Apartheid: A Social-Ethical Analysis. which was later republished in America as Challenge to Apartheid.

Price R320.00
Absorbing too much of the...
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Absorbing too much of the...

What do you do when your son tries to strangle your husband? Only the author of this remarkable book has a ready answer for that. She takes the reader along for a frequently shocking life - affirming ride. It describes a wife and mother's journey into her son's mental illness. Her story allows us to see that recovery is not a neat, linear path, but instead a convoluted and complicated daily journey. 'In sharing her adversities and how she coped,' comments Kendal Brown, 'maybe we can draw some lessons from this brave lady to be better prepared for the lemons life all to often hands us.'

Price R250.00
An Unbreakable Woman - Your...
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An Unbreakable Woman - Your...

'NOW THAT I KNOW THAT I WAS NEVER A MISTAKE; I WAS MEANT TO BE BORN! I KNOW THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH WHAT I WENT THROUGH. IT WAS TO BECOME WHO I AM TODAY.'

A life filled with 1 challenge after another often seems like good enough reason to quit. But that wasn't the case for Natasha - a woman who literally turned around at death's door & defied all the odds to become a pillar of strength & beacon of hope to many. An Unbreakable Woman is an inspirational memoir filled with emotion, vulnerability, grit & determination. It is a journey of hope & reflection which will leave you believing that better days are ahead, even when you have reached the end of the road. As you experience Natasha's journey you will be inspired to keep faith as you trust God to bring his plan for your fulfilment. 

Price R180.00
Letters to Lionel
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Letters to Lionel

When poet, novelist & teacher Lionel Abrahams died in 2004, his wife, Jane Fox, wrote him a series of letters because she needed to go on talking to him. She found them in her computer 17 years later & was moved to show them to close friends. They suggested she share them with the wider public. 

This book includes small 'snapshots' in words of their life together; a Jane's-eye view of Lionel as a man rather than as a writer. It shows how a human spirit can rise above physical difficulties (Lionel suffered from cerebral palsy) to become a mentor for others & a creative artist himself. 

Letters to Lionel is a beguiling, unusual book. An inspiration to anyone who has lost a partner or loved one to make a healing connection back to them, & so find a source of courage to continue. 

Price R225.00
I never saw her eyes
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I never saw her eyes

I Never Saw Her Eyes is for anyone who has had to say an earthly goodbye to a loved one and the people supporting anyone going through loss. Anyone who has suffered loss can gain from the insights about grief and healing. It also gives a fresh perspective on how discovering one’s true identity and purposeful living can enhance one’s quality of life. This book includes a chapter Keletso wrote from her husband’s perspective on their daughter’s loss, highlighting the importance of allowing men to grieve and giving them a voice regarding child loss and fertility challenges.

Keletso “Sister K” Yende is an Author, Mentor, Speaker and Pastor who helps people discover their true identity and purpose in order to live their best lives. 

Price R210.00
Taj Mahal And Tea
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Taj Mahal And Tea

THE GREATEST STORY IS THE ADVENTURE YOU DIDN’T EXPECT

A funny, heartfelt adventure of selfies, surprises and self-realisation that will inspire and  and delight you. Discover how change can occur at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected ways and how a disciplined, successful, corporate CEO ended up having an uninhibited, life-altering grand adventure in a country of chili and chai.

Experience the light and colour of Diwali and Holi celebrations and marvel at the vibrant history, architecture and culinary delights of India. An enlightening and uplifting celebration of the bonds of friendship and life in all its diversity.

 

Price R210.00
Through My Eyes
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Through My Eyes

 A autobiography of a veteran politician and a girl, who takes you on a journey from small town life in a southern African colonial city to serving as a Member of the South African Parliament for 20 years, reinventing herself along the way to be fit for purpose.

This is a conversation about how life and politics relate to ones beliefs and vice-versa but it is also a call to people everywhere to choose hope and reject fear. 

Price R300.00
The Accidental Frontline...
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The Accidental Frontline...

Television came late to apartheid South Africa. By the early 1980s the state-owned broadcaster was ready to expand the network to include the black majority. There were sound economic and propagandist reasons for this.  Msibi was among those recruited to be trained as technicians, journalists, and cameramen. The irony was that this enterprise coincided with the sustained popular uprising that finally led to the end of white minority rule. So the new generation of black television journalists went back into their own townships and ‘homelands’ to record, like no-one else could, the rising resentment and the reciprocal repressions that characterised large swathes of the country in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Price R290.00
The Dusty Road to Success
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The Dusty Road to Success

The desire to succeed and live an impactful life is embedded in every human being. Many if us seek, daily, to find the secret to success and satisfaction in this life.  As much as we have  heard teachings, sermons and even read books that try to tackle this issues, there is still a gap in many people that calls for a simple and easy-to-follow procession as to how one can live a satisfying, purpose-driven, unique and impactful life.  This book expounds on this process with simple principles that bring a new, integrated and practical approach in answering how one CAN live an extraordinary life of fullfillment  with a lasting legacy.

Price R220.00
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