Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club) by Alan Paton
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Book Reviews of Cry, the Beloved Country (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: A Heartbreaking, Must Read Story
Summary: 5 Stars
This book gives us an inside look at South African apartheid in the 1940's. We live this story through the eyes of a poor Zulu pastor who decides to travel from his small village to Johannesburg in hopes to save his son from mounting troubles. The migration of gold mine workers to the cities has increased the crime rate due to the separation of families. Exploitation of these laborers has caused a political unrest in Johannesburg.
Stephen Kumalo, our Zulu pastor, has to question his own parenting and lifestyle when he sees the poor decision making of his own son. Stephen meets a varied barrage of people, some who help and some who choose silence as the easiest way to stay out of trouble, when searching for his son.
"Cry, the Beloved Country" is a must read book. The story gave me insight on this foreign culture and the hardships experienced by not only the exploited workers of the South African gold mines, but the destroyed families of said workers. This book is mandatory criterion for schools in South Africa and it is worthy of this praise.
Book Review: Touches the heart
Summary: 5 Stars
A beautifully written exploration of racial divisions that transports the reader into 1946 South Africa through Paton's vivid descriptions of place and people. Originally written around 1948, it's themes of race, family, injustice, and political division ring as true today throughout our world as they did then. Though this story is set in South Africa, there are people in every country who can find relevance in the issues raised in Cry, The Beloved Country because bigotry continues to find a home in the hearts of many. There are still many in our world who are being treated unjustly due to their skin color, their political beliefs, their religion or lack thereof, or nationality. Reading this books touches the heart and makes one long for a world where our differences no longer divide us but become a way for us to enrich one another's lives.Book Review: Very impressed
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't know what to think of Oprah's latest selection, I'd never heard of this book before. But, oh, was I happily surprised! I was very impressed. I thought it would be dull and drab, but from page 2, it drew me in and I enjoyed reading this book immensely. Before reading this book, I couldn't find anything that really gave a description, so here's my synopsis, in case you were looking for one:
This book is about two families living in Africa. One is black and one white. We follow them through their struggles and hardships and watch their lives intertwine in the most magical way. This book is full of thought provoking ideas and the writing is at times poetical.
If you'd find a book about Africa, in the 1940's something that would interest you, I'd very much recommend this book. At 270 pages, it's a short, easy, enjoyable read.
Book Review: A gripping story
Summary: 5 Stars
It is a blessing for a book-lover to come across a story which is so deep like Cry the beloved country. The characters are dissected and made so real. The plot is awesome and the pace of the story is fast moving. Plotted in the depth of Apartheid South Africa, this story brought out the lamentation of the soul of a nation, a lamentation that is felt by all the different ethnic and racial groups involved. I watched the movie on the story "Amok" and it gave the full visual presentation of the story. Having watched Hotel Rwanda and read Flash of the Sun,stories that touch the soul, I find this book as my number one on Africa to recommend this book to all book-lovers with a curious mind about an era, a people and a nation that stared at disaster straight in the eyes and chose the option of peace.Book Review: Wonderful story--really heart warming and tragically sad
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my all time favorite books. I cried and I smiled at the same time. The story is very well written and tells a story about a wonderfully gentle man who does his best to help everyone he meets. Without telling too much of the story, he goes from a small village in the midst of incredible change and goes to the large city in search of two members of his family. Several situations arise, not always with a happy ending, but he faces them with sincerity, compassion, and a commitment that is inspiring. I took from this story the lesson that the worst situation that a person might ever have to deal with in their life that love can shine through and prove that there is a powerful goodness in man that is only waiting to be discovered and revealed.