Mud Chic: Lifestyle and Inspiration from the Xhosa People of the Old Transkei

Politics & Social Sciences

MaGoNa, SindiWe

Social Sciences

Quivertree Pubns

Beauty’s Gift is a riveting, moving tale of how four women lose their best friend. And how they decide to change the fate of their own lives as well as the lives of those closest to them. The AIDS-activist Zackie Achmat described it as "one of the most important books about HIV/AIDS in our country.” The FFF used to consist of Five Friends: Edith, Cordelia, Amanda, Doris and Beauty. But then Beauty suddenly becomes very ill, and after six short weeks, passes away. On her deathbed she begs Amanda to promise her one thing – that she and the rest of the FFF will not pass away prematurely like she is doing. All because of an unfaithful husband . . . Ukuhle, she begs of Amanda. May you live a long life, and may you become old. Edith, Cordelia, Amanda and Doris all swear an oath after Beauty’s premature death, that they won’t have unprotected sex – not even with their husbands – and that they will find out their own HIV status as well as that of their husbands/partners. This is Sindiwe Magona at her very best – writing about social issues, and not keeping quiet. Speak up, she says to women in Africa. Stand up, and take control of your own lives.

Beauty’s Gift

Literature & Fiction

Literary

NB Publishers

Sindiwe Magona's novel Mother to Mother explores the South African legacy of apartheid through the lens of a woman who remembers a life marked by oppression and injustice. Magona decided to write this novel when she discovered that Fulbright Scholar Amy Biehl, who had been killed while working to organize the nation's first ever democratic elections in 1993, died just a few yards away from her own permanent residence in Guguletu, Capetown. She then learned that one of the boys held responsible for the killing was in fact her neighbor's son. Magona began to imagine how easily it might have been her own son caught up in the wave of violence that day. The book is based on this real-life incident, and takes the form of an epistle to Amy Biehl's mother. The murderer's mother, Mandisi, writes about her life, the life of her child, and the colonized society that not only allowed, but perpetuated violence against women and impoverished black South Africans under the reign of apartheid. The result is not an apology for the murder, but a beautifully written exploration of the society that bred such violence.

Mother to Mother (Bluestreak)

United States

Beacon Press

A fictional account of the real-life murder of Amy Biehl, a Fulbright scholar helping to organize free elections in Guguleta, South Africa

Mother to Mother

Beacon Pr

A powerful collection of stories by the acclaimed author of Mother to Mother This collection of Sindiwe Magona's short fiction, following the publication to wide acclaim of her novel Mother to Mother, ranges in location from rural Transkei, her homeland, and the black township of Guguletu, where she struggled to raise her children, to New York, where she immigrated. With vivid and perceptive prose, Magona creates memorable characters, both hilarious and tragic, who bring to life the rich and varied backgrounds and cultures of South Africa.

Push Push (Bluestreak)

This powerful and widely acclaimed autobiography of Sindiwe Magona's early years in South Africa, announced the arrival of a major new black writer. Here she gives an account of her eventful first 23 years and tells a candid, unself-pitying story of triumph and endurance in the face of hardships relentlessly reinforced by the apartheid system.

To My Children's Children

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

D. Philip

Push-push! and other stories (Africasouth new writing)

Cape Town, David Philip [

Short stories exploring the lives and circumstances of African women in South Africa, all told with insight humor and vitality, this collection is a forceful document of injustices. In the opening story, a woman leaves her mud hut--and her five young children--to flee to the misty mountains beyond her village. She had been awake at night, in despair, considering where their next meal would come from. Her move is incomprehensible--the youngest child is still nursing. Then one comment gives meaning to the whole: "To be a good mother I must leave." Her mother-in-law will take over, she hopes. It is only later that we learn, she has become hired help in a white household to earn money to support her family.This collection of superb short stories was voted one of Africa's Best 100 Books.

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night

Contemporary

David Phillip Pub

When we meet someone, one of the things we notice is the colour of their skin. But what can someone’s skin colour tell us about them? Despite what some people say, your skin and skin colour means very little! Inside we’re all the same. Join Njabulo, Aisha, Tim, Chris and Roshni as they discover why humans have different skins, and how people’s thinking about skin colour has changed throughout history. Skin we are in is a celebration of the glorious human rainbow, both in South Africa and beyond.\nOne of South Africa’s best-selling authors, Sindiwe Magona, has teamed up with well-known American anthropologist, Nina G. Jablonski, and award-winning illustrator Lynn Fellman to create a much-needed book about race and skin colour – for children. Magona has written a story of five friends as they explore and discuss the skin they are in. The scientific narrative, written by Jablonski, expands and supports the conversation topics generated by the children’s adventure.

Skin We are In: A celebration of the evolution of skin colour

Jablonski, Nina

Children's Books

New Africa Books

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night (Emerging Voices. New International Fiction)

Interlink Pub Group Inc

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Books by MaGoNa, SindiWe