William O'Dowda

eBook, ePUB

Black Queen White King Check Mate (eBook, ePUB)

Race Relations Seen Through the Lenses of Lover'S Chess

Beschreibung

First and foremost, this is a love story, although the multiple endings fragment the romance into a tragedy and a comedy as well. It is a true story, autobiographical. But it doesnt mention any names. No one is really sure exactly what happened. We may never know. When we do, a sequel could be on the cards! The white groom is writing the story as he sees it, adoring his black bride. He relates the traditional rites of passage and compares them to modern conventions. But after the Lobola is paid, expectations do not materialize, so it gets complicated. Readers can decide which of multiple endings they like best, which they are inclined to believe. In the end, the narrative moves to deep reflection and lessons learned, looking for some value in the experience. The story gives you goose bumps at times, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, and it might make you cuss. But it will open your eyes. The themes of racism, xenophobia, alcohol abuse, tribal authority, and gender rights all come into play on the South African checkerboard of love. As another writer once famously said: alls fair in love and war.

Technische Details

• Geräte: eReader
• mit Kopierschutz
• Größe: 0.69MB

Barrierefreiheit

• Text-to-Speech

Autor

The author is a white foreigner who has settled in Africa. He has lived in Africa longer than his bride, who has never lived anywhere else, because he is that much older. He is an empathetic bridge-builder, unhappy with the status quo in which enclaves can harden into ghettos. He detested apartheid but still sees its legacy in attitudes and architecture. He is not particularly well-to-do on white standards but is, of course, much better off than most South Africans. Middle middle class, not even upper middle class, and certainly not upper class. His empathy is just too strong, so he has sacrificed over the decades to promote causes and worked as a change agent, an activist. So he wanted to practice what he preaches about rapprochement and the need to get that Rainbow Nation out of TV studios and into real life on the street. He is hardworking and at times daring too. He speaks more than one language and is well educated. He is biblically literate, so he uses a lot of metaphors from that source. This draws him close to readers of all races in South Africa and also to those of different monotheistic religions because he taps mostly their common source, the Old Testament. He follows the news closely and writes commentary on a regular basis, so he mixes both touching testimony from his personal life with philosophical positivity. Even when it doesn't go well, he looks for learning points. Where there is pain, there is gain. This book is written under a pen name to assure anonymity. This is built-in protection for the one he cherishes. She deserves praise but can't be named. Because it's a true story about someone who wasn't true.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Seitenzahl: 112
• Erscheinungstermin: 8. April 2016
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781482861846
• Artikelnr.: 52594506