Book Recommendation!
Memoirs of a Play-White is a vivid and detailed story
focusing on one young woman’s life during the time of Apartheid in South Africa. The memoir opens with a descriptive narrative
of the setting at that time, dilapidated housing, low employment, and the
issues of social norms for those who fall in between the status quo of White
and Black. The main character of Louiesa
is an innocent, likable girl trying to find her place in this strange world.
Over the course of her life, she learns that skin color plays an active role in
her life with regards to where she can live and work.
The story opens with her mother who gave birth to her first child
at age 13. Louiesa was born later in her mother’s life, her father unknown. As
the daughter of a now-alcoholic Louiesa herself is a smart child, eager to
learn and go to school. She proves to be
an industrious girl, who, along with her mother, finds housing with indoor plumbing,
clothes for school, and opportunities such as a helicopter ride and a good job
at a bank. However, she also learns that
she got the job because of her lighter skin color, highlighting the issues of race
and color at the center of Apartheid issues of South Africa
I particularly liked the detail about the history of that
time. As an American reader, I am not deeply
familiar with life under Apartheid, and this story is a window into a
completely different world. Especially interesting to me was how limited they
were with regards to technology we in the Western world take for granted, like
access to a TV or radio in the 1970s.
Overall, Mynhardt’s memoir engages readers, taking them on an
emotional, harrowing journey as they read. I look forward to reading the second
in the series.
A full review and detail about Helene can be found here: https://www.stefanvucak.com/review-of-memoirs-of-a-play-white-by-helene-louiesa-mynhardt/
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