The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning
- Downloads：3152
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-30 17:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Eve Fairbanks
- ISBN：1476725241
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Dawn Michelle
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This is a book where the author explores an ugly subject with a piercing eye and an even hand。 I am not sure how much people are aware of how bad Apartheid was and how it poisoned so many people， Black and white and the after affects of all that once Apartheid was abolished。 Told from the perspective of three people that the author was friends with [with personal reflections from the author and other people she has known]， this book is full of emotions and thought-provoking dialogue。 Mixed with This is a book where the author explores an ugly subject with a piercing eye and an even hand。 I am not sure how much people are aware of how bad Apartheid was and how it poisoned so many people， Black and white and the after affects of all that once Apartheid was abolished。 Told from the perspective of three people that the author was friends with [with personal reflections from the author and other people she has known]， this book is full of emotions and thought-provoking dialogue。 Mixed with history [both true and what was perceived by these three people]， it is a very compelling tale that at times made me so angry I could hardly continue and at times made me weep so hard I could not see the page and the end was just heartbreaking。 It would seem that there is no real happy ending here - South Africa continues to suffer and struggle to find peace out of the chaos that ruled it for so long。 This is a well-written book that you will not be sorry you read。 I learned so much。 Thank you to NetGalley， Eve Fairbanks， and Simon and Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Megan
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This is a very worthwhile read， especially for people with little knowledge of how apartheid worked in practice and the rocky transition to democracy。 Fairbanks makes sure that each person profiled is fully human， fully aware， and has the courage to probe some really intimate aspects of each person's psyche。 Four stars because there were some odd editorial choices （though possibly for a standard American audience， they make more sense）。 Like， why not name Helen Zille as the politician who got in This is a very worthwhile read， especially for people with little knowledge of how apartheid worked in practice and the rocky transition to democracy。 Fairbanks makes sure that each person profiled is fully human， fully aware， and has the courage to probe some really intimate aspects of each person's psyche。 Four stars because there were some odd editorial choices （though possibly for a standard American audience， they make more sense）。 Like， why not name Helen Zille as the politician who got into a Twitter fight defending colonialism？ I knew right away who the author was referring to （though again， I may not be the typical reader）。 I just am not sure what's gained by being vague。 。。。more
Chloe
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I read Eve Fairbanks' "The Inheritors" in one sitting- it was impossible to put down！ The book follows the lives of three individuals in post-apartheid South Africa。 Fairbanks draws out their stories with nuance， thoughtfulness and care， as both witness to and poet of their lives。 I was drawn in by the remarkable prose （there are many phrases in this book that have stuck with me！） but it's the incredible depth of storytelling that made this book a profound read。 As someone who spent time living I read Eve Fairbanks' "The Inheritors" in one sitting- it was impossible to put down！ The book follows the lives of three individuals in post-apartheid South Africa。 Fairbanks draws out their stories with nuance， thoughtfulness and care， as both witness to and poet of their lives。 I was drawn in by the remarkable prose （there are many phrases in this book that have stuck with me！） but it's the incredible depth of storytelling that made this book a profound read。 As someone who spent time living in South Africa， this is a story about the political re-shaping of a complex and beautiful country。 It's a critical story to tell in this moment of American （and world） history。 Fairbanks does a terrific job of telling it。 I'm buying copies for all my friends！！ 。。。more
Joe Silber
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Caveat: I am a Facebook acquaintance of the author and received an early copy of the book in exchange for an objective， unbiased review。"The Inheritors" by Eve Fairbanks is not the sort of non-fiction I usually read， but I really enjoyed it。 Ms。 Fairbanks， an American ex-pat living in South Africa， takes us in some detail through the lives of 3 individuals living through the changes wrought by the end of Apartheid。 Christo， a white Afrikaaner who fought as a soldier for the apartheid regime， Dip Caveat: I am a Facebook acquaintance of the author and received an early copy of the book in exchange for an objective， unbiased review。"The Inheritors" by Eve Fairbanks is not the sort of non-fiction I usually read， but I really enjoyed it。 Ms。 Fairbanks， an American ex-pat living in South Africa， takes us in some detail through the lives of 3 individuals living through the changes wrought by the end of Apartheid。 Christo， a white Afrikaaner who fought as a soldier for the apartheid regime， Dipuo， a black anti-apartheid activist， and Malaika， her daughter。 Fairbanks normally writes long magazine pieces， and indeed the book has that sort of feel to it， with the author herself briefly appearing in the narrative here and there， as we experience some of her efforts researching the book as well as what her subjects actually tell her。The book is heavily slanted toward examining the effects of the end of apartheid， rather than the causes of it， and so if you are looking for a detailed political examination of how the change happened， look elsewhere。 Fairbanks is most interested in the complex emotions that both white and black South Africans feel post-apartheid - the backlash among some whites， how others clung to their few black friends as a way to expiate their guilt， how some upwardly mobile black South Africans （which some of the poorer blacks called "Black Diamonds"） became more "white" in their actions and attitudes， living in walled neighborhoods and being fearful of poor black people on the street。 They began to openly doubt the ability of blacks to govern well， and secretly wonder if they would be better of with whites back in power。 Sadly， it seemed， the end of apartheid solved some problems only to create all sorts of new ones。 Varities of self-loathing seemed rampant among both black and white South Africans， for different reasons。Some of the complexities facing the new government were fascinating - take farming。 Under apartheid， whites owned 90% of farmland， and what blacks were allowed was barren and useless。 Under the new， black-led government， farmland was purchased by the government， and redistributed to aspiring black farmers， but they were generally poorly educated and unprepared to deal with the problems of modern farming。 Increasing the challenge was the fact that South Africa had a bit of a monopoly under apartheid （as few countries would trade with them） and as part of a global community， now had to compete in the global marketplace。 Small and midlevel farmers， regardless of education or experience， struggled。 One vignette in the book struck me as heartbreakingly sad。 At one point， the author and a black South African friend named Elliot visit a former white settlement located within a black "homeland" that Elliot had loved as a child， called Penge。 The author was struck by how unimpressive and run-down it was， until Elliot explains that he had loved it BECAUSE it was a white spot。 At one point， they reach an disused high school surrounded by fencing， where they discover a poor， skinny， self-appointed "security guard" living in the school。 He had stayed there for 9 years， keeping the building safe from vandals and people scavenging materials， hoping that one day the white people would return and reward him for his diligance。 He shows Eve and Elliot his favorite room in the school - a pristine bathroom that he kept spotlessly free of dust and spiders。 But in all the 9 years， he never used it。 He dug himself a latrine out back instead， feeling that the immaculate bathroom was reserved for white people。Ms。 Fairbanks writes well， with emotional resonance， and she has a particular knack for tone， in crafting her presentation of these very personal stories。 I did sometimes feel like the book need further clarity， though， as I would run into passages that either were slightly too elaborate in sentence structure or left out clear transitions， leaving me slightly puzzled as to what the author's intent was。 I also wouldn't have minded a little more historical context for things - I suspect that the author and/or her editor were trying to keep the book from being overly long， but I personally would have enjoyed it being longer。 Nonetheless， the book is very thoughtful， readable， and fascinating， and I recommend it。 。。。more
John
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Eve Fairbanks is a beautiful writer who explores an ugly subject with a piercing eye and an even hand。 Apartheid’s murderous boot stomped the neck of many Black lives and stained many white souls， and the people she befriends （both Black and white） carry the mark of Cain。 Her book， while explaining the broad strokes of its history， instead focuses on complex resilience of Apartheid’s victims and the dreadful， painful existence of even its beneficiaries。 More importantly， we sit alongside Blacks Eve Fairbanks is a beautiful writer who explores an ugly subject with a piercing eye and an even hand。 Apartheid’s murderous boot stomped the neck of many Black lives and stained many white souls， and the people she befriends （both Black and white） carry the mark of Cain。 Her book， while explaining the broad strokes of its history， instead focuses on complex resilience of Apartheid’s victims and the dreadful， painful existence of even its beneficiaries。 More importantly， we sit alongside Blacks and whites who are left to deal with the political， cultural， economic， and emotional aftermath — warts and all。 Without polemics， Fairbanks surgically separates the “what we’re supposed to say and feel” from the actual experience of a post-Apartheid culture。 Americans will see themselves in part — but， critically， not in whole — in those trying to answer freedom’s key question: What the hell do we do now？ 。。。more
Christina
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Eve Fairbanks tells us the story of the end of Apartheid and the years following。 To reflect on these times， she has chosen four people to tell their stories。 Full of facts and emotion， this is an absolutely fascinating read！
Jesse Hassinger
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