Journey to JoBurg (HarperCollins Childrens Classics)

(Paperback)

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Description

This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africas apartheid.

Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.

The opulence of the white Madams house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.

Reviews

This story is compelling
TES

inspirational tale
Network

Growing awareness of the sufferings of South Africas black children brings renewed point to Beverley Naidoos Journey to Joburg, a story for young readers, the more searing for its gentleness, that makes them ask questions we must learn to answer.
Guardian

Author Bio

Beverley Naidoo was born in South Africa and grew up under apartheid. After arrest and detention without trial, she came to England. She married another exile and was only able to return freely twenty-six years later, after Nelson Mandela's release from jail. Their two children were brought up in England where she still lives. She goes back to South Africa to stay in touch, especially with young people. A teacher for many years, she has a doctorate in education and a number of honorary degrees. Journey to Jo'burg was her first children's book. It was an eye-opener for readers worldwide, winning awards, but it was banned in South Africa until 1991.