Hannes Barnard

teen/adult historical fiction (late 1980s South Africa, towards the end of Apartheid; author is white and published the book first in Afrikaans and later rewrote it in English) TW: sexual assault, anti-gay hate, racism, mass shooting/bombings.

Thought-provoking, mostly well-paced story told from the point of view of a white teen who is at first guilty of repeating the racist remarks and behaviors that everyone around him has always made and done, but who, after getting to know a Black teen boy and an Indian teen girl, comes to partially understand that things in his community are actually pretty unfair. (Or at least, that is unfair that he isn't legally allowed to be friends with them, and also that the hateful remarks/behaviors of his church and friends are wrong.) Ultimately he's able to make his parents and community into being more mindful of the various injustices, though of course that won't be near enough on its own to end Apartheid.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do and I think he should keep thinking and writing and trying to make the world better any way he can.
I definitely think the publishers **need** to seek out more writers of color, as those perspectives were not able to be fully realized here.… (altro)