Mine Boy

Rating:
Summary: An Unsung Gem
Review: (...) For me, this book was amazing and much more potent than say Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country. In fact, the two do not necessarily warrant comparison except for the fact that Paton's book is the only classic South African novel that is ever considered part of the World Lit canon taught in U.S. schools, which is a damn shame because the African continent--like the others--has produced some spectacular creative works. Some of the other readers have complained of the simplicity of Abraham's language or "cardboard" characters. For me, it's that very simplicity that makes the story such a dramatic tale; it's language that anyone can understand. It's primitive, if you will, or embryonic. As for the characters being underdeveloped, again, I think this adds to the effectiveness of this particular story. Caste systems, apartheid, and other types of sanctioned discrimination force people to come across as stereotypes. When we view our neighbors as "other," we're not seeing them as fully human. So for me, I got what I needed from Mine Boy, which I consider a must read. It put me in a time and place that I would not have experienced otherwise despite the universality of feeling that comes with the hardships of life.

Rating:
Summary: A Historical Landmark in South African History
Review: I read this book for my course on South African History, and though it may not be very well written (English is Abrahams' second lanugage, and the prose comes off as very stiff), it is nevertheless a landmark acheivement in South African History. At the time when it was published, 1946, no book had been written about racial tension in South Africa, especially fom the eyes of a Black South African. Historically and politically a triumph, this book is as important to South Africa as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is to the United States.

Rating:
Summary: The first modern novel of black South Africa
Review: Xuma is a black country boy who moves to Johannesburg to look for work in the gold mines. Upon his arrival in town, a strong but kind woman named Leah takes him into her bootlegging household. She introduces him to Eliza, the girl Xuma loves but can't have, and Maisy, the girl he can have but doesn't want. He is given a rude awakening to race relations in the city and witnesses first-hand the brutality of the Johannesburg police force. While Xuma's great strength makes him a successful mine boy, he remains a second-class citizen under the apartheid regime. As the novel closes, Xuma's boss and friend Paddy helps him finally come to the realization that blacks and whites can be brothers after all.