Customer Reviews

Africa Will Always Break Your Heart

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One of the hardest things when working in the anti-apartheid movement was to understand the mindset of the average white South African. What on Earth were those people thinking and why? When reading Hugo's book, with all its harsh language, I'm for the first time offered a credible explanation, a chance to try to understand how this could have happened. I don't think Hugo's story could have been told in any other way; I get disgusted, I laugh and cry,whilst following Hugo through his life. But I also find an honesty that makes me think, and think again. Life is not a negative in black and white, especially not during the apartheid-era. Hugo wears his heart on his sleeve and it's painful to share his experiences. But the book sheds light on the near brainwash many a white South African was subjected to and in washing the dirty linen of a racist regime in public, the book is important if we want to prevent history from ever repeating itself.

I highly recommend this brilliant book to all the millions of people involved in the anti-apartheid movement all over the world.

It is a very good read.

So this book, "Africa Will Always Break Your Heart" by Gerrie Hugo is an intense and very unique book. It is a memoir, an autobiography of sorts, about a man (Gerrie Hugo) who participated in Apartheid in South Africa but later came to his senses. It is a brutually honest account, as the reader will get that from the very first page. The writing style is informal, with some swear words here and there but it brings an air of authenticity to the book. It is a fairly fast read and I definitely enjoyed reading it. The chapters are only a few pages long so it makes you feel as if you have accomplished a lot (which I really liked).

A few things of note, you definitely have to be open minded when going into this book and it's definitely not for everyone. It's for a "mature" audience as there are a couple chapters which lean on the side of being slightly [...]. To me, those parts didn't need to be in the book for it to be successful, however, I don't think it detracted from the book as a whole too much. That being said, I really did like this book. It was very different from many books I have read and gives an unique perspective into the whole issue of Apartheid. I loved the brutal honesty as well as the humor that was woven into the work. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in a completely different book and is interested in finding out what Apartheid was like for someone who actively participated in it and his thoughts on it now. Be prepared for a very honest work with some "rough" language from time to time, which only adds to it's authenticity.

Having finished this book, I fell asleep, my mind a-buzz, and dreamed that a crocodile swam up to me as I stood shivering, waist-deep in the river. Because I had no weapon, I tried to fend the beast off with my hands. But he was not intent upon attack. Instead, he nudged and nuzzled me like a friendly cat.

And so fear became wonder, and when I awoke I spent several weeks contemplating, perhaps pointlessly, why crocodiles behave like crocodiles. Mainly because I could not bear to blow the brains out of this menacing metaphor. Instead, I set about imagining a man in a crocodile suit, who grows weary of the anger, hate and fear he inspires. And so he gradually slips off his suit, a gruesome metamorphosis, until he emerges naked and hurriedly fashions his discarded hide into a loincloth, a hat, cowboy boots, and a rough satchel in which to carry his diary, his memory, his most prized possession.

Imagine, if you will, what kind of reception our Crocodile Man might expect from the world. The crocs in the river would be filled with hate and perhaps even envy at his trickery. The relatives of his former victims would look upon his transformation with suspicion. Those unaware of his past might see him as an eccentric exhibitionist. Those who dare to engage with him may marvel at his scaly past, but would remain wary of his dormant crocodile temperament.

And then there are those who know better than to blow the brains out of a walking metaphor. Those who want to open the man's croc-skin bag and read his diary. I have. And it is more absurd, unlikely, entertaining and intriguing than this review. Somewhat tattered and stained in places, full of madness and rage, sometimes spiteful, sometimes remorseful, often hilarious, always brutally honest, as one might expect from a man who has lived the life of a crocodile and dreamed crocodile dreams.