Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War Against Apartheid

Ruth First and Joe Slovo, husband and wife, were leaders of the

war to end apartheid in South Africa. Communists, scholars, parents,

and uncompromising militants, they were the perfect enemies

for the white police state. Together they were swept up in the

growing resistance to apartheid, and together they experienced

repression and exile. Their contributions to the liberation struggle,

as individuals and as a couple, are undeniable. Ruth agitated

tirelessly for the overthrow of apartheid, first in South Africa and

then from abroad, and Joe directed much of the armed struggle

carried out by the famous Umkhonto we Sizwe. Only one of them,

however, would survive to see the fall of the old regime and the

founding of a new, democratic South Africa.

This book, the first extended biography of Ruth First and Joe

Slovo, is a remarkable account of one couple and the revolutionary

moment in which they lived. Alan Wieder's deeply researched

work draws on the usual primary and secondary sources but also

an extensive oral history that he has collected over many years.

By weaving the documentary record together with personal interviews,

Wieder portrays the complexities and contradictions of this

extraordinary couple and their efforts to navigate a time of great

tension, upheaval, and revolutionary hope.