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WELCOME TO THE WOMAN ZONE BOOK REVIEW PAGE.                   
​This is where members of the WZ Book Club get to share their thoughts on titles seen on the shelves of our Women’s Library. All reviews are unsolicited and only those attending the WZBC may borrow and review books.
The Woman Zone Book Club meets on the 2nd Saturday of every month between 2pm and 4pm at The Women’s Library, ground floor, Artscape.  All are welcome.
​
COVID19 ALERT! Please note that while the Women's Library is closed during lockdown, we welcome your reviews of women-authored books. Send between 200-500 words and cover pic if possible to info@womanzonect.co.za or hipzone@mweb and we will post it here! 

The Long, Long Afternoon

3/28/2021

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Author: ​Inga Vesper
Publisher: Manilla Press
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Transported back into the California of 1959, when the place of women was clearly defined ; marry, stay at home, bear children and pander to your husband, Inga Vesper’s debut novel is a ‘noir’ that explores yet another era of deplorable attitudes towards women, colour and class.
That this book has a punch is testament to Vesper’s excellent observation skills.  It hit me in my stomach and made me squirm with anger as Vesper recreates this life of 
heightened domesticity, ignorance and submission. For anyone who is a feminist this will really rattle you! In saying that, Vesper has skilfully opened this window and blown you into a world that we so wish was dead and buried.
What if you had ambitions beyond the ‘normal’ expectations? Had a talent that needed to be explored?  And if you didn’t quite fit the profile, well, a diagnosis of ‘nerves’ with the accompanying tranquiliser script could easily sweep that under the carpet. Some 70 years on, with feminism a strong part of our lives, the freedom to be who you are can still be out of reach in some countries. 
 All these elements are there as Vesper draws us into this seeming paradise and,  against the background of the Vietnam War,  she tightens her grip with every page.  You become at one with the characters, fighting for them or hating them, sympathising or simply dismissing their ignorance but Vesper’s exploration of the American soul is searing.  The scene is created with unnerving reality.
Sunnylakes development is not so sunny. It’s the American dream - middle class families with manicured lawns, perfect houses, perfect wives (or widows) perfect lives. I was reminded of ‘The Stepford Wives’ and ‘Valley of the Dolls’ as i read. And ‘Mad Men ‘certainly made an appearance. It is a patriarchal society but the undercurrents of jealousy, rivalry and ambition are about to tear apart this privileged community. When a wife goes missing slowly, inexorably the darkness begins to rise and, like a sharp knife, is set to rip out the secrets and the lies.
When Joyce Haney disappears it is the ‘help’ Ruby who is the first on the scene. In the manner of the racism of the time, she is held as a suspect because there’s an awful lot of blood in the kitchen. But there is no body.  Joyce has simply vanished, leaving her eldest child Barbara, shivering in the garden, ‘waiting’ and the baby Lily crying in her cot. Neighbourly Nancy Ingram rushes over to assist as the children are very familiar to her and she considers herself close to Joyce.
But it is Joyce’s voice that pitifully tells part of the tale. ‘I should not paint. Frank does not like it, even though Genevieve Crane says i have amazing talent. It’s a bad example to the kids, a mother who indulges when there are meal plans to be made and carpets to vacuum and flowers to be arranged. “ Makes you shudder!
And the search begins. Detective Mick Blanke is determined to see this case through, even though the bosses want a quick result, but it is his inherent kindness to Ruby that sees them reluctantly, at first, working together to solve this complex mystery. Vesper gives Ruby a sharp intellect and an ambitious streak, seeing much more than her ‘Madams’ would give her credit for and a passion for more out of life.  Cementing her relationship with the doughty detective is her ability to connect the clues. In fact, by the end of the book i was hoping to see more of this unlikely pair teamed up to solve more such mysteries!
The story does not let you go until the very end, with surprising and unexpected results.
There is eeriness about the book, an echo that does not sit quietly as we follow these women whose lives were so under control. It is a book about feminism and hope and the enlightened men who saw beyond prejudice and traditional roles.  I could not put it down. ​
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Looking For Eliza

3/28/2021

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Author: Leaf Arbuthnot
Publisher: Trapeze
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
‘Growing older is not for sissies’ as the saying goes and so often that goes hand in hand with losing a partner and feeling unmoored, invisible  and in limbo.  Loneliness looms and with no children or grandchildren for the 70 – something Ada in Leaf Arbuthnot’s debut novel ‘Looking for Eliza”, this is so much the case. But loneliness is not confined to the elderly – it is a malady of every generation.
Set against the backdrop of the looming Brexit vote and the academia of Oxford, Arbuthnot has written a compellingly warm 
story of a surprising and rewarding intergenerational friendship. One that lays bare the ties of shared interests, the misunderstandings and the joys of being affirmed whatever your age.   
 Ada is a lapsed poet of some repute. She lives in a close on the slightly unfashionable side of Oxford. She and her late husband, Michael, professor of Italian literature at Oxford University, lived cosily and contentedly behind their bright yellow door, until his untimely, ‘well, I suppose at 75 it is to be expected’, death. The house echoes with their collective memories. Michael’s words, his books and the many items bought on their travels together, particularly two intertwined owls made of copper wire by the author Primo Levi, who was a key part of Michael’s work. Except that one owl was lost years ago during their move to Swinburne Road. It is a metaphor for the loneliness that Ada now feels and is trying to negotiate.
‘Now the solitude of the little creature on the table seemed starker than ever. It caused Ada such suffering that she learned to stop looking at it. Her gaze would skip from the rug to the lamp to the mantelpiece, never pausing on the picture frame housing those two cheerful, sunburnt people , or, right in front of the photo, the burnish of the singular copper-wire owl, irredeemably bereft of its partner.’
Across the road, renting the bedroom in a house in the major throes of renovation, lives post graduate student Eliza. With her pink hair and ripped jeans she is a complex young woman with issues of her own stemming from her working class background. A student of Italian literature writing her Doc Phil on Primo Levi, she is a young woman in turmoil; her last relationship with the emotionally abusive Ruby has left deep scars and longings, her family relationships are tenuous; good with Dad, Rich, but estranged from the mostly absent mother, Flora.
As the two protagonists surreptitiously eye each other across the street, Ada’s attempt to start a business to become more socially active is the catalyst for their meeting. ‘Rent –A Gran’ has some unexpected and hilarious outcomes and over a cup of lapsang souchong, Eliza and Ada discover tangible similarities, sealing an unexpected bond and bringing with it an interconnectedness that benefits both.  
It is a charming and joyous story, one which many will identify with. Arbuthnot writes with an ease that speaks to her own belief in reaching across the generations towards a richer and more fulfilling life.  She exhibits a tenderness that is warm and forgiving. The two follow the ebbs and flows of good friends, admitting to their own strengths and weaknesses. She understands that ‘seeing ‘ all generations is vital and while that may be an ageing body there is most likely a youthful and vibrant spirit itching to be heard.  There is much wisdom in this easily absorbed novel and much that will stay with you. I really enjoyed Arbuthnot’s references to Primo Levi and the tiny owl that spoke of such longing.   
While the story is not set during the pandemic it does underline solitary lives and the need to connect. The experience of the pandemic has seen neighbourliness emerging, stories shared, caring shown to people to whom we once just nodded and relationships formed between generations. Hopefully that practice will continue as it is such a vital link in the cycle of life.    
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Life's not Yoga

3/10/2021

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Author: Jacqui Burnett
Publisher: Sophie Blue Press
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Life’s not Yoga is Jacqui Burnett’s candid memoir of her journey to self -discovery and the real meaning of love and life.
Childhood trauma has led her to the brink, both mentally and physically. The only girl of five siblings, she was born into a God -fearing family where church ruled and any deviation was seen as the way to hell. Judgement day was always near at hand.   Her mother turned a blind eye to her controlling husband’s failings and her brothers were more 
favoured, yet she was the darling of her father, loving him unconditionally. But when the feisty girl challenged him his mood changed and he hurled abuse at her. But still she forgave him. He moved the family often, chasing one deal after another, moving from grand to mediocre to staying with family. When she discovers that he committed insurance fraud – she confronts him, exhorting all the faith teachings that he has laid at her feet – own up and you will be forgiven. The threat of Jacqui exposing him leads to more abuse and the child is marked for ever.
As often happens, a spirited child becomes the target of a parent’s inadequacies resulting in first loving and then abusive behaviour.  Subliminally trying to break the spirit and restore order in the chaotic world of the parent’s making.
So it was in Jacqui Burnett’s case.
Since our first male role model is our father what can we expect from our subsequent male relationships? Always seen through her father’s eyes, Jacqui is never able to view herself objectively but finally she has to face herself with some devastating consequences. Nine near death experiences shape her finding of the truth. As a determined, adventurous young woman she seeks answers in unlikely places, pushing herself beyond the pale as she pieces together the chaos of her early life and her reactions. She takes herself into extreme conditions, testing her endurance to look for answers.
What follows is a roller coaster ride as we experience a life unravelling and a painful reconstruction to a life worth living. The palpable anger that pushes her to action shapes the woman she is today.
Love affairs, success, failure, travel, yoga training (with a very judgemental teacher) move her forward until her final epiphany, when like a butterfly, she emerges stronger and wiser bringing all her experiences together into a comforting quilt of calm, peace and love that she can pay forward. 
That Jacqui loves writing is evident and she pens a spirited and descriptive story that is engaging and thoughtfully crafted. As she bares her soul taking us into the very depths of her confusion and anger, she is brutal in her honesty and candour.  At times it is an uncomfortable read as so much of what she has experienced will resonate.  At others frustrating, as you cry, ‘no, don’t do that again!’ But ultimately it is a forgiving and brave story, with mindfulness and spirituality at its core. It is a true test of courage to face and battle the demons which colour and shape our lives.
Using quotes as openings for each chapter this one by Viktor Frankl sums it up: ‘When we are no longer able to change our situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.’ Jacqui has successfully taken that path. (find her on facebook daretobelove or go to jacquiburnett.com)
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Girl A

3/5/2021

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Author: Abigail Dean
Publisher: Harper Collins
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Nuanced, sinister, horrifying, gripping - this psychological thriller is not only a page turner but is thought provoking in the extreme. In our daily devouring of the news there have been terrifying tales of children kept in chains, underground, abused and neglected to the extent that we ask what makes parents so unbelievably cruel to children seemingly conceived in love. Abigail Dean’s debut novel ‘Girl A’ exposes all of this and more as she steadily builds the suspense, drip-feeding 
information in a story that makes your skin crawl and lodges in the crevices of your mind.
Lex Gracie (Girl A) is 15 when she escapes her family ‘House of Horrors’ and exposes the untenable circumstances of her and her siblings. Her religious fanatic Father has descended into complete madness . The compliant, mostly pregnant and weak Mother has allowed the cruelty to escalate as the six siblings are deprived of freedom, light, food and human contact.  What follows is Father’s suicide, a public outcry and the bringing of Mother to justice. With media gobbling at the story the children are mostly protected, but there is always the trickle of information that identifies them as having endured this unspeakable childhood. It is within these bounds that the story explores relationships - of the children and ultimately with their friends and lovers.
The story opens with Lex some 15 years later. She has a good life as a successful lawyer living and working in New York. Returning  to the UK when the imprisoned Mother dies, Lex is the appointed executor of the house on the edge of a North of England moor.  While she has no desire to visit that place or the horrific memories she sees a positive solution – that she and her sister Evie turn the house into a community and rehabilitation centre. But she has to get signed permission from her siblings and therein lies the tale. There has been little sibling communication since ‘the escape’; adoption, new families and circumstances have dictated this.  But Lex and the younger Evie have retained their strong bond through their having shared a bedroom.  Ethan the eldest son has also remained within their orbit, seemingly overcoming the trauma by having an exemplary life as headmaster of a public school.
This is a story where concentration is required as Dean takes you from past to present with speed and skill. Measured information develops the story into an unexpected climax.  We meet each of the siblings - severely damaged Gabriel, bible punching , brittle Delilah, Ethan and his thin veneer, the hidden-from- view Noah, the ethereal Evie and the ghosts that Lex  lives with. Dr K is the understanding, forward thinking psychiatrist who remains in Lex’s life throughout and then there is Ana, Ethan’s gentle fiancée.  We experience the neglected house with its ’tumours of mould’, the ‘Territory’ that Evie and Lex struggle to cross – well constructed and malignant descriptions  add to the ugly picture. 
This is a powerful story, thoughtful yet shocking, bringing with it many surprises as the narrative develops. There is the question of genetics as Dean threads a clever insert of a client that Lex will be working with - raising in her mind the chance of the madness being handed down. It questions the damage lying sometimes dormant through much of a life, until circumstances bring it to the fore. And to what length the mind will protect the victim with a fiction invented to overcome the pain. But overall it is a book of hope as we engage with Lex as she deals with her demons. ​
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A Family Affair

3/3/2021

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Author: Sue Nyathi
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Reviewer: Gail Gilbride
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of childbearing age must be in want of a husband.” (Jane Austen)
The Mafus are a traditional family of five, whose lives are all inextricably linked. Pastor Abraham and his wife Phumla seek to save their daughters’ souls, as well as to lead their church community in Bulawayo.  
Xoliswa, the spirited sibling, returns home after some time abroad. She is looking to begin afresh   and heading up the family business seems like a good place to start. The rebellious Yandisa has finally met the love of her life and she’s ready to leave her past behind her. Zandile is the newly wed daughter, who fully embraces a traditional role. She will be the one to show what happily ever after brings…
In many ways, I saw myself in all three women. So often our lives are dependent on fate, marital status and the way our partners choose to behave. In A Family Affair, each sister holds a devastating secret close to her heart, one which could ruin them all.
Sue Nyathi deftly tackles patriarchy, abuse and social disparities, as she takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Her sensitivity and deep understanding of human nature, gives rise to richly rounded characters, who have flaws we can all identify with. Nyathi is also a master storyteller and I found myself reading late into the night!
Once again, the author creates a sisterhood I connect to and am fascinated by. I highly recommend A Family Affair, as well as all Nyathi’s previous novels.  
Heads up. Sue Nyathi is the one to watch, as she is indeed a shooting star! 

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Into the Sun

3/1/2021

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Author: Takalani M
Publisher: Kwela
Reviewer:  Beryl Eichenberger
Takalani M is definitely on the road to success as a romance writer. In fact I think she is a happily modern version of the old Mills&Boon genre. She writes with fluidity, has a good story line which, despite the twists and turns, ultimately leads to the ending we all want to hear.
Into the Sun is a great read, capturing imagination and as lively as the author herself. If you’re looking for a light, easy-to- read romance then this is the one for you. 
Curl up on a lounger and prepare to be engrossed as the story unfolds.
Heroine Thandeka is the village girl from Venda who is nearly run over by a handsome stranger in her village. Gundo is there for the funeral of his son, she is still mourning the loss of her still born child and betrayal by her child’s father. In this surreal scenario they connect and share their grief and he gives her advice that resonates and comforts her. When Thandeka is recruited to work in Johannesburg as a cleaner for a big PR firm she finds, to her surprise, that he is the boss! But some confusion reigns through mistaken identity when Thandeka thinks he is a ‘player’ and tries to resist their mutual attraction. Ex-wife Diana is in the firm and uses all her conniving, wicked wiles to ensure their budding romance is scuppered. And so the story goes with a winding road to true love. I’m not going to give you spoilers but suffice to say things do start going Thandeka’s way but not without some nail-biting drama.
Takalani M draws her characters well. We are behind Thandeka, wanting this strong and talented young woman to win and fulfil her own dreams. Gundo is a good man, deserving of empathy and his one true love.
This is Chick-Lit at its best so pick it up for a chilled weekend – after all - who doesn’t need a bit of love in their lives!
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The Gospel According to Wanda B Lazarus

2/2/2021

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Title: The Gospel According to Wanda B Lazarus
Author: Lynn Joffe
Publisher: Modjaji Books
Reviewer: Ambre Nicolson

​Hold on to you britches b*tches, Wanda is about to take you on a wild ride!
​Wanda - an accidentally immortal being - is a heroine for our times (and in fact, all times). She is wicked, foul-mouthed, funny, kind hearted and occasionally criminal. In other words, flawed but irresistible.
On the surface of it author Lynn Joffe has created an energetic and entertaining tale that spans centuries and even other dimensions as we follow in Wanda’s footsteps. But make no mistake, this is also a serious business. Joffe has experimented with the form of the picaresque novel, turned the anti-Semitic trope of the Wandering Jew inside out and upside down and offered a tart-tongued feminist retort to the ways that history has curtailed womens’ choices. More than anything else though, Wanda is great fun and I dare you to be anything other than riveted as she shimmies, sashays and blasphemes her way through history, all while auditioning for the role of her many lifetimes.

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Running in Heels

2/2/2021

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 ​Author: Zoë Scholtz
Publisher: Quickshift
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
Sometimes you enjoy a book because it is a beautiful story or because it’s beautifully crafted, elegantly written, because it’s exposed you to other worlds or ways of life. Then sometimes it’s because there’s a little message in there meant just for you. Running in Heels is not necessarily a beautiful book in all the above senses, but there are lots of messages. Certainly to do with health - as a reminder of its fragility, it’s loud and clear. 
Then, and this is assuming that you’d want to, that within the space of three years, with the right mind set, training and strategy you can go from running a puffed out 3km in just over 30 minutes to smashing an ultramarathon in well under 6 hours.
In 2015 Zoë Scholtz, CFO for a small construction company becomes unaccountably very sick. A runaway infection leaves her in a coma. Reflecting back on what the neurologist told him, her husband Gerhard says there was ‘potentially going to be some sort of permanent damage to her brain….and you need to prepare for the worst.‘ Despite the ‘lucky to be alive’ outcome, and not being an acquiescent ‘typical patient’ – she decides that ‘quitting is not an option’ and starts coming to grips with the ‘lessons of gratitude and humility that I hadn’t realized I needed to learn.’
What follows is a journey through anger and resentment, determination and triumph. She has used the opportunity of the book to do some reflecting of her own, to key events in her life. In a chapter called ‘A walk becomes a run’ she looks at the concept of taking 21 days to build a new habit, or break an old one.  And so, from being a kid who had a ‘love-hate’ (with a special hate for running) relationship with sport spending more time eating and sleeping and weighing in at 85kgs at matric, she transformed into a medal-winning marathon and ultra-marathon runner of note.
As she says, the ‘road was a great listener’ – but ultimately the book is about the role that running can play in your life – both physically and as a metaphor. It’s also about appreciating that what you put in is what you get out – and that it’s almost never just about you, but about the people by whom you are surrounded – and again, what you put in is what you get out.  ​
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The Death of Vivek Oji

1/31/2021

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Author: Akwaeke Emezi
Publisher: Faber
Reviewer: Orielle Berry
Wherever you are in the world, parents are protective and want what they think is best for their children. And wherever you may be in the world, parents often do not see the truth that is dangled before their eyes. When children are different and battling with inner demons there is a sort of denial. A protective shield goes up. 
In a small Nigerian market town, the 
​teenager Vivek Oji spends his days dreaming. He's from what could best be described as a comfortably-off family. His mother is over protective; his father largely absent. 
Emezi is astoundingly adept at taking small family issues and describing them in a way that leaves you wanting for more. They may sound benign but they lead to a more significant picture. Parents beget children. Two people meet and fall in love. A man asks for the hand of another. A marriage happens and new children come into the world.  Vivek is born the day his grandmother Ahunna dies. 
Vivek is a young boy. Shirtless, he places necklaces on his small chest and clips his ears with gold earrings from his parents' jewelley box. His hair tumbles over his shoulders.
Enter Osita, his cousin. As tall as Vivek but with broader shoulders. His skin is described as the colour of loam, his mouth "full beyond belief". The two are like brothers. But more than that... 
One savours the clever use of words, the sentences and the paragraphs that Emezi magnificently wields with her pen. 
On one level we seen the unhingeing of the young Vivek. Coming of age, he straddles the world of a seemingly conservative family milieu. Back in his bedroom or on the streets during his evening walks he is more himself. But there are inevitable clashes as the family are unable to find the real boy/man.  
Juxtaposed is the political and social malaise that is happening in the market town as unrest seethes and it becomes more and more urgent.  
Vivek and Osita have to keep the secret of their love well-hidden both from the family and from the more threatening Nigerian society at large. 
When a fire engulfs the market town - Vivek's body, enshrouded in a piece of traditional akwete material, is brought to the family's home. It's then that secrets tightly packaged are slowly are unwrapped and matters kept hidden beneath the surface, begin to emerge. 
It would be an understatement to again reiterate what a superb read this is. One to be savoured. Emezi paints a fascinating picture of how a young boy with a gentle spirit touches all he comes into contact with. It is also a beautiful coming of age story subtly showing how life's expectations, disappointments - the optismism we hold as youth and the acceptance of ageing adulthood are all to be embraced. 
*Go to www.akwaeke.com/biography to find out more about the author.
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JWARA! Induna's Daughter

12/27/2020

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Author: Joyce Notemba Piliso-Seroke
Publisher: Tafelberg
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
‘A riveting account of activism, courage and values’ is how former first lady Zanele Mbeki describes Joyce’s book on the cover. Notable is that these two women, both born in the 1930’s, come from a generation in which such attributes were nurtured – and essential.
The book starts with the respective stories of Joyce’s father Hannie Booi or H.B., the induna of the title and a proud member of the Jwara clan, and her mother, primary school teacher 
 Ethel Mvulazana.  These chapters reveal the strong educated and cultural rootstock from which Joyce was born.
She then picks up the story of her early life, growing up in Crown Mines in a home where her father’s bowler hat, ‘worn only on special occasions’, sat conspicuously on top of the umbrella stand’, and where ‘the old-fashioned radiogram was switched on for news, weather reports and church services only’. Aside from herself and her five siblings, her parents fostered many other children, ‘from the Cape and other places’. The pictures she paints of this upbringing is of a caring, educated, conscious and conscientious home.
A pivotal stage in her own education was the move to Healdtown Institution where the school motto was ‘They will rise on wings like eagles.’ The path her life was to take seems to have been clearly marked from the outset. Healdtown was followed by the Methodist Kilnerton school where she passed her matric in 1952, ‘grateful to have had the opportunity to explore and acquire knowledge.’ After a brief interlude at Wits and St Francis College, she finally went on to graduate with a University Education Diploma at Fort Hare – the chapter on this iconic seat of learning is an education in itself – as are the chapters in The Teaching Years section.  
Later, social work took the place of teaching in her heart and with a scholarship from the Institute of Race Relations she went to study further at Swansea University in Wales. But if her early path had been mapped out by parental influence, so to an extent, was her career when her mother insisted she come home following her graduation to take up a job at the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) in Durban. She was to soar in this role however, moving on to join the national office in Johannesburg and eventually being elected to the World YWCA Executive Committee.
Lets not forget that all of this was set against the backdrop of crippling apartheid and in a chapter called Uprisings , Detentions and Bannings she describes her arrest in 1976 and an agonizing period of detention in the Women’s Jail – though not without humour. ‘Cecily and I, during lunch, while sipping water from our cups, would indulge in a fantasy of toasting each other with gin and tonic.’
After her release from prison she became vice-president of the World YWCA and her commitment to the organization was long and impressive – but in her view, also richly rewarded: ‘The training I received at the YWCA and my exposure through international visits and participating in World Council Meetings, gave me a deep understanding of advocacy.’ Equally her involvement with many other organisations, like the stokvel group The Be United Women’s Forum, the Maggie Magaba Trust and the Women’s Development Foundation gave her the skills and tools that made her an invaluable  candidate for her later appointments, first to the Independent Electoral Commission,  then the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and finally the Commission for Gender Equality.  Again each  dedicated chapter is a lesson, and a reminder.
By the time you reach the Retirement chapter, it’s hard to believe that one woman could have packed so much into a life. More astonishing still is the detail with which she has remembered it.  In the acknowledgements she salutes Betty Wolpert for hatching the idea of writing a memoir and amongst many others who helped with the memories, Barney Pityana for his Foreword ‘honouring me with his analysis to enhance my stories.’
But Joyce’s stories need no enhancement – they are intimately detailed and entertaining. As a reader you can almost hear her voice relating each anecdote. And to have written them in her 80’s is beyond impressive chronicling as they do, so much of South Africa’s turbulent history with first-hand experience and insight.
If there were a criticism it would be that just as her life was intensely ‘a journey of conscious living’ to quote Zanele Mbeki – the book too is intense and my recommendation would be to allow a little time between each of the seven sections. Don’t be in a hurry because as Pityana says, Joyce Notemba Piliso-Seroke is ‘an encyclopaedia of life, politics and morality…she is among the dwindling generation of luminaries in whose reflected glory we have had the privilege to bask. South Africa is richer for her.’
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