Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Cry, the Beloved Country

Summary--In search of missing family members, Zulu priest Stephen Kumalo leaves his South African village to traverse the deep and perplexing city of Johannesburg in the 1940s. With his sister turned prostitute, his brother turned labor protestor and his son, Absalom, arrested for the murder of a white man, Kumalo must grapple with how to bring his family back from the brink of destruction as the racial tension throughout Johannesburg hampers his attempts to protect his family.

Con's-- This is a book about an Anglican priest so there were bound to be a few things I disagreed with Bibilically. Other than those minor things I have no con's.

Pro's-- For me in a modern world this book was a comforting portrayal of finding peace in the midst of big city violence and terror and extremely depressing circumstances. It offered a heartrending picture of the struggle with right and wrong and healing and forgiving when all did not come out as one would have hoped. I loved the poetical, dreamlike style of the book and found myself reading it with more ease than an ordinary book.

"Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."

Five stars. Ages 13 and up.

No comments:

Post a Comment