Themba - a Boy called Hope by Lutz van Dijk

Oxford – The World’s Most Trusted Dictionaries...

A Prisoner's Home...

After a quarter of a century of the Oprah-ization of America, can there be any more secrets left to reveal?

Yes! Because Oprah has met her match...

The narrative opens in the early days of the white settlement at the Cape, with the Dutch East India Company clinging precariously to a little piece of land in Table Bay, Robben Island. Pieternella is the daughter of Eva, one of the first interpreters and intermediaries between her Khoikhoi tribe and the Dutch, and Pieter van Meerhoff, the Company surgeon at the Cape.

Pieternella and her siblings are amongst the first mixed-race children born at the Cape and their lives are a manifestation of a sentiment often expressed by Matthee in this novel, that life consists of heaven and hell rolled together in the same cloth. After her mother's sudden death, Pieternella and her brother Salomon are sent, reluctantly, as a orphan 'slaves' to foster parents in Mauritius, a penal colony at the time. The sea voyage is described in detail, wondrously imagined, with Pieternella making sense of the new experience in terms of her life at the Cape, so that to her the ship looks like a wooden goose floating on the water and she focuses on the animals on board to orientate herself on the deck, sheep-side and chicken-side.A premature marriage is Pieternella's salvation, but she remains attached to the memory of her mother and is full of turbulent emotions about how she is both brown and white in the same body.

What will her children look like? Is she really a half-slave? Eventually Pieternella must learn to come to terms with her life in Mauritius, a realisation that will, with time, give her some peace and comfort.

At the end of her bestselling memoir 'Eat, Pray, Love', Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe - a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. [Both were survivors of previous horrific divorces. Enough said.] But providence intervened one day in the form of the U.S. government, who - after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing - gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving completely into this topic, trying with all her might to discover [through historical research, interviews and much personal reflection] what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is. The result is 'Committed' - a witty and intelligent contemplation of marriage that debunks myths, unthreads fears and suggests that sometimes even the most romantic of souls must trade in her amorous fantasies for the humbling responsibility of adulthood. Gilbert's memoir - destined to become a cherished handbook for any thinking person hovering on the verge of marriage - is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love, with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.

Few people have courted as much controversy or evoked such strong and divergent emotions as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Adored by some, abhorred by others, she bears a name famous throughout the world, yet not many people know the woman behind the headlines, myths and controversies, or the details of the fascinating story that is her life. This biography reveals the enigma that is Winnie Mandela, by exploring both her personal and political life. The reader is given a rare glimpse into Winnie's strict yet happy rural upbringing, where the foundations were laid for her faith, compassion and indomitable resolve. As a young social worker in 1950s Johannesburg, her beauty, style and character captivated the political activist and Tembu prince, Nelson Mandela. Together, they personified the rising aspirations and political awakening of their people, and, in so doing, inspired a nation.Through her fierce determination and dauntless courage, she survived her husband's imprisonment, continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small Free State town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement u all the while keeping the struggle flame aligh

In the aftermath of the Great Depression few opportunities existed for working-class boys, but at just eighteen Danny Dunn has a good deal going for him: brains, looks, sporting ability - and an easy charm. His parents run The Hero, a favourite neighbourhood pub, and Danny is a local hero.

Luck changes for Danny when he signs up to go to war. He returns home a physically broken man, to a life that will be changed for ever. Together with Helen, a woman of strength, character and intelligence who becomes his wife, he sets about rebuilding his life. It is a life tormented by personal demons, and shaped by compassion, corruption, love and power - and the gift of twin daughters, Sam and Gabby.

Set against a backdrop of Australian pubs and politics, The Story of Danny Dunn is an Australian family saga spanning three generations. It is a compelling tale of love, ambition and the destructive power of obsession, at a time of great change in Australia's history.

The Number 1 'New York Times' best seller. More than 1.5 million copies in print. 'Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

'The Love Dare,' as featured in the popular new movie Fireproof [from the makers of Facing the Giants], is a 40-day challenge for husbands and wives to understand and practice unconditional love. Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, 'The Love Dare' is a journey you need to take. It's time to learn the keys to finding true intimacy and developing a dynamic marriage. Take the dare

As Spud Milton continues his diabolical stagger through adolescence, he learns one of life's most important lessons: when dealing with women and cretins, nothing is ever quite as it seems. 'I'm practically a man in most areas,' writes Spud confidently on his sixteenth birthday. The year is 1992 and, as always in South Africa, radical change is in the air. The country may be on the bumpy road to an uncomfortable redemption, but Spud Milton is hoping for a smooth ride as he returns to boarding school as a senior. Instead, he discovers that his vindictive arch enemy is back to taunt him and that a garrulous Malawian has taken residence in his dormitory, along with the regular inmates and misfits he calls friends. Spud's world has never seemed less certain; he attempts to master Shakespeare, wrestles constantly with God and the power of negative thinking, and develops an aversion to fried fish after a shocking discovery about his grandmother, Wombat. Spud - Learning to fly transports the reader on an authentic tragicomic journey, deep into the sublime and ridiculous world of being a teenager.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'March' comes this novel--inspired by a true story--that traces the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war.

Bitches' brew, is a South African love story set in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. It focuses on the epic love affair between Bra Zakes, a former amateur musician, bootlegger, mercenary and killer of great repute and Lettie, a shebeen queen. Bitches' brew traces the couple's lives and loves through the interweaving of history and memory in the tradition of village storytellers. As he lies dying, and facing the prospect of his assets being confiscated by the Assets Forfeiture Unit, Bra Zakes is surrounded by his trusted luitenants who wait for their last instructions from their 'mafia' boss. Also at his bedside is Lettie, whom he has not seen for twenty years, and whom he hopes to make a beneficiary of his empire.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Picador is producing a beautiful new hardback edition of a book that is viewed by many as the most extraordinarily written book of the last ten years, and whose author is consistently touted to win the Nobel Prize. Publication will follow the release of what will be a hugely acclaimed film starring Viggo Mortensen ['Lord of the Rings'] and Academy Award winner Charlize Theron. A father and his son walk alone through burned America, heading through the ravaged landscape to the coast. This is the profoundly moving story of their journey. 'An American classic which, at a stroke, makes McCarthy a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature ...An absolutely wonderful book that people will be reading for generations' - Andrew O'Hagan. 'So good that it will devour you, in parts. It is incandescent' - Niall Griffiths, 'Daily Telegraph'. 'You will read on, absolutely convinced, thrilled, mesmerised. All the modern novel can do is done here' - Alan Warner, 'Guardian'.

This vividly textured tale of risk and betrayal juxtaposes an unlikely trio of two women and the child who both connects and divides them. An intimate portrayal of the bare-bones struggle for survival in the world's oldest profession, it is also about love in its limitless guises; about motherhood, sisterhood and friendship.

Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness but of strength. It's also healthy, brave, contagious--and it sets you free. Everyone needs to forgive, whether it's your parents, your neighbours, your dog, the man who cut you off in the traffic this morning or the criminal who murdered your loved one. In this clear, concise and inspiring book, bestselling psychiatrist Dr. Edward Hallowell shows you how.

Petina Gappah is the voice of Zimbabwe. In this astonishingly powerful debut collection, she dissects with real poignancy the lives of people caught up in a situation over which they have no control, as they deal with spiralling inflation, power cuts and financial hardship - a way of life under Mugabe's regime...

Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting toumament, to prove that he has the makings of a man.

Till We Can Keep an Animal is about a middle-aged woman who was attacked, raped and murdered in her home by armed robbers, Voysey-Briag says 'I keep her alive so that her story continues. I invite her family members, those who are alive and dead, to tell their stories through her. She is the main protagonist and the narrator'.

Written by Sam Cowen, Lee van Loggerenberg & forword by Embeth Davidtz.

But most people don't know how to get involved. This title will help readers 'go green' one day at a time. Filled with simple and easy-to-implement tips and steps on how to decrease your carbon footprint and make the world a more sustainable place, Going Green is the perfect beginner's guide.