Just finished this seemingly old book (1990) by Sindiwe Magona, the first black woman to publish novels in South Africa. It's an interesting reminder of the hardships of the period, much like Maya Angelou, though not as lyrically written. The overlay of Xhosa tradition and idioms add to the impact. ( )

Written as a letter to her grandchildren, this is an account of Sindiwe Magona's first 23 years, growing up in a poor but loving Xhosa family first in the Transkei and then on the Cape Flats at Retreat and Guguletu. She wishes her grandchildren to be aware of their own history, and writes with a candid, unselfpitying humour about the trials and tribulations of her early years in tge face of hardships relentlessly reinforced by the apartheid system. ( )