Great African Reads discussion

The July/Aug read of 2022 will be from Southern Africa (as defined by the UN geoscheme)

Nominate great reads from any of these countries:
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland

Try to keep nominations to one pr. person - and you're welcome to second someone else's nomination.

Our last choices from this region are not eligible in this round:
The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales by Bessie Head
Mama Namibia by Mari Serebrov
July's People by Nadine Gordimer
Down Second Avenue: Growing Up in a South African Ghetto by Ezekiel Mphahlele
When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head
Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
(but the threads are open if you want to read and discuss those titles).

Authors! Please note: We to not allow selv-nomination - but if you are an author and would like to promote your book, please feel free to do so in this folder. Thank you for your understanding!

I nominate the following books by authors from South Africa:
A Sport of Nature — Nadine Gordimer
The Other Side of Silence — André Brink
In the Heart of the Country — J. M. Coetzee
Agaat — Marlene van Niekerk
The Heart of Redness —Zakes Mda

Amira wrote: "I nominate the following books by authors from South Africa:
A Sport of Nature — Nadine Gordimer
The Other Side of Silence — André Brink
In the Heart of the Country — J. M. Coetzee
Agaat — Marlene ..."

Hi Amira, thanks for the enthusiasm in kicking off the nominations :) However to keep the votes managable we only allow one nomination pr. person, so can I ask you to pick one of these, please? (And maybe others will be inspired by your other suggestions?)

I'd like to nominate 'We kiss them with rain' by Futhi Ntshingila..it's a relatively new novel, unsure if it fits the selection criteria

Oh! So sorry! I didn't pay attention. I'll keep Brink's The Other Side of Silence. Thank you

Amira wrote: "Oh! So sorry! I didn't pay attention. I'll keep Brink's The Other Side of Silence. Thank you"
Excellent, thanks :)
The Other Side of Silence by André Brink

Laura wrote: "I'd like to nominate 'We kiss them with rain' by Futhi Ntshingila..it's a relatively new novel, unsure if it fits the selection criteria"
Sure - only criteria is that the author and/or theme falls within the region - and both seems to be the case her :)
We Kiss Them With Rain by Futhi Ntshingila

PS: To all new(er) nominators - welcome :) We love more people joining in!
Anyone can nominate a book for the group to vote on - the only criteria is a connection to the geographical area (author or topic), and no self-promotion.
If you can, add the link to the book, it makes it easier for others to check out the book :)
-> Click the text "Add book/author" just above the text entry box, it let's you look up the book and add it. (but if you can't, don't worry about it, Goodreads is not very helpful on phones!) - I've added links for the latest nominees, so you can have a look :)

You are right that Goodreads is not very friendly on phones, Anetq! I was noticing that.
I would like to nominate Agaat, by Marlene van Niekerk.

I'm not sure if this title belongs here, as it is always referred to as a novel from Namibia though the author is a refugee from Rwanda. But if possible I would like to nominate The Eternal Audience of One by Rémy Ngamije.

I would like to second We Kiss Them With Rain.

Amira wrote: "Oh! So sorry! I didn't pay attention. I'll keep Brink's The Other Side of Silence. Thank you"

I read Brink's A Dry White Season, very good.

Orgeluse wrote: "I would like to second We Kiss Them With Rain."

My local (US) library actually has this, in the YF (youth) section.

I'll nominate The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa). It was inspired by the old German novella Michael Kohlhaas, which I recently read.

George P. wrote: "I'll nominate The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa). It was inspired by the old German novella Michael Kohlhaas, which I recently read."

Nthikeng Mohlele has written one inspired by the JM Coetzee version, Michael K: A Novel which may also interest you.

And I would like to nominate David's Story by Zoë Wicomb.

Thank you all for the nominations - the poll is now up, so please vote here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...