A âstunning blend of reportage, travelogue, history and meditationâ by the New York Timesâbestselling author of King Leopoldâs Ghost (Publishers Weekly).
National Book Award finalist Adam Hochschild brings a lifetimeâs familiarity with South Africa to bear in this eye-opening examination of a critical turning point in that nationâs history: the Great Trek of 1836â39, during which Dutch-speaking white settlers, known as Boers, journeyed deep into the countryâs interior to escape the British colonial administration.
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The mass migration culminated with the massacre of indigenous Zulus in the 1838 Battle of Blood River. Looking at the tensions of modern South Africa through the dramatic prism of the nineteenth century, Hochschild vividly recreates the battleâand its contentious commemoration by rival groups 150 years later. In his epilogue, Hochschild extends his view to the astonishing political changes that have occurred in the country in recent decadesâand the changes yet to be made.
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Hochschildâs incisive take on these events, noted Nadine Gordimer, âis far more than an outsiderâs perception of the drama of our country. Read him, in particular, to understand the rise of white extremism which is threatening the democratic vision of the African National Congress and its allied progressive constituency among people of all colors.â
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âA good book for anyone who wants a succinct and precise account of how this fascinating country has got where it is. . . . This is a book I recommend warmly.â âArchbishop Desmond Tutu
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âOne of the most illuminating books ever written on contemporary South Africa.â âPublishers Weekly
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âThoroughly researched, immensely readable . . . A work of vivid reportage and astute political analysis.â âSan Francisco Chronicle