Pamela Roberts
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We Are Not Such Things
- The Murder of a Young American, a South African Township, and the Search for Truth and Reconciliation
- By: Justine van der Leun
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 20
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Story4 out of 5 stars 21
The story of Amy Biehl is well known in South Africa. The 26-year-old white American Fulbright scholar was brutally murdered on August 25, 1993, during the final, fiery days of apartheid by a mob of young black men in a township outside Cape Town. Her parents' forgiveness of two of her killers became a symbol of the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa. Justine van der Leun decided to introduce the story to an American audience. But as she delved into the case, the prevailing narrative started to unravel.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Questionable tale, chunks of South Africa history
- By Pamela Roberts on 05-01-20
- We Are Not Such Things
- The Murder of a Young American, a South African Township, and the Search for Truth and Reconciliation
- By: Justine van der Leun
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
Questionable tale, chunks of South Africa history
Reviewed: 05-01-20
I love South Africa and devour about everything that is written about it, but this book was difficult to finish. First, there was the performance, which varied from flat to objectionable stereotypes. For example, every time a black South African was speaking, the reader spoke in a halting dialect--as if they didn't quite know English. The supposed accents of the white characters weren't good, but the portrayal of SA blacks was offensive.
Then there's the story, many times revisiting things what anyone who followed the Amy Biehl case knew, but hinting that much more would be revealed. Some things were--but certainly not enough for a book of this length. Also, I thought the portrayal of Linda Biehl was snide; I'm no fan of hers, but I really found those passages off-putting.
What's good about this book? As someone who has spent the last 15 summers in Cape Town, some of the descriptions were spot on, others were just strange but not inaccurate.
Anyway, if you don't know late 20th century South Africa history, there's some accurate information in this, otherwise, I'd skip this book--particularly the audio version. If you know South Africa, it will drive you crazy.
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