The Lost
Boys of Bird Island: A shocking exposé by Mark Minnie and Chris Steyn
This is the book that has been in the
news recently in South Africa; an exposé of a paedophilia ring during Apartheid
that involved various cabinet ministers of the National Party government. This was both an easy and difficult read;
easy in that the writing was very accessible (in my opinion a good thing so
that more South Africans read it) and impossible to put down. It was difficult to get through some of the
content, because the acts in the book are horrifying; and the fact that it was all covered up and that no justice was received for the victims was even worse
(although it did end with a call for victims to come forward). It was not what I expected, as it was written
in more of a narrative form rather than the factual exposé that I anticipated
beforehand. I felt a bit frustrated
reading it initially, because I felt that it was sensationalising something
that was already traumatic enough; however I think this narrative approach was
done in order to paint a picture of Apartheid South Africa, and to see the
inherent privilege of a white policeman at the time, even one who wasn’t a ‘typical’
government employee. The fact that Mark
Minnie devoted his life to trying to get justice for these victims, and so
recently lost his life because of this is a testament to his character,
regardless of the social and political status of the country at the time. Chris Steyn’s account of the story, as a
journalist, provided great insight into the censorship that surrounded South
African media at the time and the frustration of having stories and truths
pulled from publication that she had been working on for months, or even years,
at a time as they didn’t fit the motif of the political party. Steyn uncovered much information about Bird
Island and the ministers involved, however had to write watered down versions
of this, as all of the newspapers were not allowed to report on anything that
might have hindered the upcoming elections (which were obviously a landslide
victory regardless of the dirty politicians).
It highlights the legal costs associated with wanting to write about the
truth, as she was exiled due to fear of imprisonment for not giving up the name
of one of her sources. Her journalistic
and ethical integrity was very remarkable and inspiring to read about. I wanted to focus more on the people who
wrote this book, and not so much the content because I don’t feel that I have
the privilege or authorship to accurately deconstruct it (I’ve attached a
better article from the Mail & Guardian here), but it is harrowing and
horrifying and infuriating and I would recommend that everyone becomes more in
tune with the evils of Apartheid and the men behind it.
Who was
Sophie? by Celia Robertson
I picked up this book at a
second-hand bookstore in Durban and fell in love with the blurb, a female
writer in the 1920s with mental illness- all of the things that I love (I
studied Psychology to give this some context).
This book was written about Joan Adeney Easdale (later Sophie Curley,
and then just Sophie) who sprung to fame in her teenage years after Virgina
Woolf published a book of her poetry through the Hogarth Press. The book is written by her granddaughter who
was intrigued by her life and how she transitioned from an established writer to being
a vagrant woman completely out of touch with her surroundings (later
established as being diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia). It follows her life from childhood to her
death, incorporating letters that she wrote to family and friends, along with
some of her poetry and extended works.
It was a very interesting read as it highlighted the way that women,
especially women with mental illnesses, were treated in society. What I unearthed; divorce is not a new thing
(and I can only imagine the stigma attached to it in the 1920s), mental illness
is not a new thing (and I’m not sure how much better the way we treat people is
in the present day), and that violence against women occurs across the world
and across classes. The book felt a bit
drawn out at some points, mostly because it highlighted everything in Sophie’s
life in order to portray that a person is the sum of their experiences. I am always shocked at what women have to
endure, and also how they are other-ed when they don’t cope with experiences in
their lives in a typical way. Sexual
abuse and violence is prevalent in the lives of most women, and how people with
mental illnesses are taken advantage of is heart wrenching too. It was a very enlightening book to read and
although she is not remembered as a poet, she is a woman who can be remembered
for always paving her own way and never letting society or anyone else put her
into a box. It couldn’t have been easy
for her family to see her like this, but they let her take the reins of her own
life to her death.
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
This book was shortlisted for the Man
Booker prize in 2016. I have mixed
feelings about it and so have my other friends. A friend of mine perfectly summed it up for me when she said that she
begrudgingly finished it but then couldn’t get it out of her head. Another friend has read it at least ten times
with notes in the margins. It’s a great
quick read, especially if you’re on holiday or at the beach. The book is set in Almeria, Spain and centres
around a strained mother and daughter relationship wherein they have travelled
to see a specialised doctor for the mother’s many (many) ailments. It is written from the point of view of the
daughter and although the writing is quite straightforward it unlocks many uncomfortable
truths that occur in family dynamics, and is definitely worth more than one
read to fully grasp all of the underlying content. It’s not a book that I necessarily thought
much of at the time of reading, but it still lingers in my mind even months
after finishing it; which indicates a good job by the author. It also very accurately portrays the
suffocating emotions present in mother-daughter relationships, as well as
psychosomatic illnesses. I would
definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a slightly different easy
read, or anyone grappling with the constant presence of a mother’s shadow.
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