Customer Reviews

Biko

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4 star:		(6)
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This is much more than a simple biography of Steve Biko, the leader of the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa and one of the seminal figures in the anti-apartheid movement, it is an insider's look and condemnation of the System. Though Biko died young and apartheid has faded into memories for most people who had the misfortune of living in it, his is an excellent example of the horroific prejudices to which people, even in these enlightened times, can be subjected. This book uses incredible detail and many essential sources to tell a lively, powerful, and important story. I watched Cry Freedom several years ago and was inspired tolearn more about the subject, and I would recommend the same path, because the movie really brings the characters and issues to life. I would caution people who only want to learn the basics about the history of apartheid or Biko, that this is a very indepth and detailed book, that can be difficult to follow if you are not familiar with the subjects, so I might recommend a slightly more elementary book for a first experience.

I first learned about Steven Biko after seeing the movie "Cry Freedom" (which, by the way is an excellent movie). The film motivated me to learn more about Mr. Biko and the Black Consciousness movement. The book drags a bit in some spots, but for the most part it is a very interesting book. It really opened my eyes to the blacks' struggle during the years of apartheid. Steven Biko was an amazingly intelligent man and deserves to stand among the ranks of other passive resistance leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi.

Despite the dramatic shift in the political climate of South Africa since his death, Biko's words and beliefs are every bit as relevant today. His Black Consciousness movement was as much a political force against apartheid as it was an indictment of self-inflicted notions of inferiority. This book powerfully tells the story of Biko's life, his beliefs and the circumstances of living in banishment in South Africa. In the absence of any physical memorial for Biko, this book is a powerful rememberance to a man who should not be forgotten, and a tribute to an author who bravely brought us Biko's story.

...Its one thing to pump the masses with political ideology, changing the way people think is another story altogether - and for that he (Biko) paid with his life, at the hands of the ruthlessly prescient architects of apartheid.

Defining black consciousness in the South African context and working towards reversing centuries of social engineering this is Biko's story and his life - ably demonstrated by Donald Woods, his friend and confidante.

If there's just one book you read on the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, make it this one... Biko was to black consciousness what Muhammed was to Islam. Enough said.

I first learned about Steve Biko and Donald Woods after watching the movie "Cry Freedom" in my Global History class. Donald Woods has a powerful way of writing, his points are concise, and they hit you with a serious impact of the situation he speaks of. I had never been so intent on reading a book as I was with this one.

I first learned about Biko in the movie "Cry Freedom." It was a great movie. After I saw the movie I wanted to learn about him so i read this book. It is a great book that i think everybody should read.

This book is an excellent source for seeing the experience of apartheid from which the theory of black consciousness emerged. Biko lucidly articulates both the people and the regime he found himself in conflict with, and parallel's between his appraisal and his idea's are made clear. A must read for anyone who wants to get a full understanding of black consciousness.

The book not only features the story told by Donald Woods but has extensive court interviews with Biko showing his true ideas that scared the racist government of South Africa so much that they had him killed.

Excellent book.

Woods wrote this book to show the world how desperate the need for change was in south Africa. There is a vast seperation between the black natives and the whites in south africa, up until recently the country lived under a currupt white goverment which did not allow blacks to live in white towns as anything other then slaves, forcd them into awful getto which had awful living conditions, taught them in school only what they needed to know to serve the whites, and constently terrorised their neighborhoods. Steve Biko stood up peicefully, not demanding radical change, but understanding that he must change what has happened to his people. Black Contiousness was his approch. He wanted the natives of south africa to learn their own history at school and not the whites, he wanted them to have pride in themselves and understand their own humanity. Steve Biko was band and very liking killed for saying this. Blacks who stood up in South Africa always seemed to die in police custodity one way or another. After his death Woods was inspired to write this book, he was band in South Africa and risked his life to escape the country with his book. This is a must read for anyone who is not educated about the hardships of South Africa or Africa as a whole.

In my 9th grade global insights class, we saw the movie Cry Freedom, that I thought was boring. But after reading this book I found out how interesting Biko was.