Miriam's Song

Mark Mathabane first came to prominence with the publication of KAFFIR BOY (Touchstone 1998), which became a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller. MIRIAM'S SONG is the story of Mark's sister who remained in South Africa when his family moved to America. It is the gripping tale of a woman, representative of an entire nation, who came of age amid the violence and rebellion of the 1980s. She saw the destruction of the hated regime of apartheid and the birth of a new and Democratic South Africa. Mark writes in Miriam's voice, based on stories she told him, but he has recreated her unforgettable experience as only someone who has lived through it could. The immediacy of the hardships that brother and sister endured, from daily school beatings to near overwhelming poverty, is balanced by the beauty of their childhood observations and the true affection they had for each other. Miriam emerges as both an innocent child drawn into the war against apartheid and a strong woman forever changed by the struggles, brutality and politics of the world around her. Mark emerges once more as a writer of extraordinary ability, sensitivity and insight.