South Africa flag Biography books from South Africa

Recommended biography books (8)
Travel the world without leaving your chair. If you are into biography here are some biography books from South Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge.

1.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah EN

Rating: 5 (125 votes)
Description:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! A “brilliant” (Lupita Nyong’o, Time), “poignant” (Entertainment Weekly), “soul-nourishing” (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid “Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten.”—Esquire Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Time, USA Today, San Francisco... continue

2.

Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
Ghost Boy is a deeply moving story of recovery and the power of love. Through Martin's story we can know what it is like to be here and yet not here - unable to communicate yet feeling and understanding everything. Martin's emergence from his darkness enables us to celebrate the human spirit and is a wake-up call to cherish our own lives.

3.

Going to the Mountain : Life Lessons from My Grandfather, Nelson Mandela by Ndaba Mandela EN

0 Ratings
Description:
The first-ever book to tell Nelson Mandela's life through the eyes of the grandson who was raised by him, chronicling Ndaba Mandela's life living with, and learning from, one of the greatest leaders and humanitarians the world has ever known. To the rest of the world, Nelson Mandela was a giant: an anti-apartheid revolutionary, a world-renowned humanitarian, and South Africa's first black president. To Ndaba Mandela, he was simply "Granddad." In Going to the Mountain, Ndaba tells how he came to live with Mandela shortly after he turned eleven--having met each other only once, years before, whe... continue

4.

Kaffir Boy : The True Story Of A Black Youths Coming Of Age In Apartheid South Africa by Mark Mathabane EN

0 Ratings
Description:
A Black writer describes his childhood in South Africa under apartheid and recounts how Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith helped him leave for America on a tennis scholarship

5.

Long Walk to Freedom : The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela EN

Rating: 5 (8 votes)
Description:
The riveting memoirs of the outstanding moral and political leader of our time, A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM brilliantly re-creates the drama of the experiences that helped shape Nelson Mandela's destiny. Emotive, compelling and uplifting, A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM is the exhilarating story of an epic life; a story of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph told with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader. 'Burns with the luminosity of faith in the invincible nature of human hope and dignity ... Unforgettable' Andre Brink 'Enthralling ... Mandela emulates the few great political leaders such as L... continue

6.

Nascido do crime: histórias da minha infância na África do Sul by Trevor Noah PT

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
A jornada extraordinária de Trevor Noah ― da infância sob o apartheid, na África do Sul, à bancada de um dos mais importantes talk shows dos Estados Unidos ― começou com um ato criminoso: seu nascimento. Trevor nasceu de pai branco e mãe negra, numa época em que essa união era punível com cinco anos de prisão. Prova viva de um crime, ele era mantido em segredo, uma das medidas extremas que sua mãe era obrigada a tomar para escondê-lo do governo, que a qualquer momento poderia levá-lo. Finalmente livres com... continue

7.

Sipping Dom Pérignon Through A Straw by Eddie Ndopu EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
'Uncompromising... A masterful writer poised for even more great success' - Forest Whitaker, Academy award-winning actor A memoir, penned with one good finger, about being profoundly disabled and profoundly successful. Global humanitarian Eddie Ndopu was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare degenerative motor neuron disease affecting his mobility. He was told that he wouldn't live beyond age five and yet, Ndopu thrived. He grew up loving pop music and haute couture, lip syncing to the latest hits, and was the only wheelchair user at his school, where he flourished academically. By his lat... continue

8.

The Life and Times of Michael K. by J. M. Coetzee EN

0 Ratings
Description:
From author of Waiting for the Barbarians and Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee. J.M. Coetzee's latest novel, The Schooldays of Jesus, is now available from Viking. Late Essays: 2006-2016 will be available January 2018. In a South Africa turned by war, Michael K. sets out to take his ailing mother back to her rural home. On the way there she dies, leaving him alone in an anarchic world of brutal roving armies. Imprisoned, Michael is unable to bear confinement and escapes, determined to live with dignity. This life affirming novel goes to the center of human experience—the need for an interior, s... continue