THE HUMOUR ADDS PIQUANCY. Much in these pages will encourage you to reminisce about simpler carefree times, youthful preoccupations and escapades as well as those bad old days of the 1980s when South Africa came too close to burning, and then to marvel at how rapidly the country has changed. This elegant memoir begins against the backdrop of a rural hinterland, and ends with academic accolades and personal success.

The story of a young Zulu man, at one time studying at a university where soldiers patrolled the campus, is told with humour and deep insights into the perplexities of the broader canvas. The author’s acknowledgement of the funny side of things, adds a new maturity to his descriptions of the apartheid past and the damage it caused. As he reflects through the various phases of his life, the worlds he inhabited have metamorphosed countless times. ‘I almost feel I was different people at different times in my life,’ the author admits.

This book will challenge you to think about how, as a South African, you can help shape a better world for your children and the coming generation.