Review
“ This story is compelling”
TES
“This inspirational tale…”
Network
“Growing awareness of the sufferings of South Africa’s black children brings renewed point to Beverley Naidoo’s Journey to Joburg, a story for young readers, the more searing for its gentleness, that makes them ask questions we must learn to answer.”
Guardian
Product Description
This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africa’s apartheid.
Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.
The opulence of the white “Madam’s” house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.
From the Back Cover
"…the more searing for its gentleness, that makes young readers ask questions we must learn to answer."
'The Guardian '
Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the police, the pass laws, racism, the breaking up of families.
The opulence of the white "Madam's" house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease. Their journey is also one of courage and of beginning to learn about the wider struggle for freedom. It is a story about keeping alive hope.
This Classic edition contains a Postscript by the author about the story behind the book.
About the Author
Beverley Naidoo is a South-African born writer and an educationalist. Apartheid prevented her and her Indian husband living in their country of birth, so they moved to Bournemouth, where Beverley is an Advisory Teacher for Cultural Diversity.
