No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa [Library Binding]

Beverley Naidoo (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

When things become unbearable at home, twelve-year-old Sipho escapes to Johannesburg, where he has heard that gangs of children live on the streets. Surviving hunger and the bitter-cold winter nights is hard enough -- but learning who to trust in the "new" South Africa proves even more difficult.
Based on real-life stories of young black South Africans living on the streets, this powerful novel evokes the difficulties of changing from an old society to a new one where all young people can live in peace and safety.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The South African author who illuminated the struggles of apartheid in two previous novels for children (Journey to Jo'burg; Chain of Fire) is back with a powerful novel about the plight of a 12-year-old black boy who runs away from an abusive home and becomes a street child in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Sipho soon finds that the life of street children, or malunde, is grim-scrabbling a few coins, begging, sleeping under cardboard boxes and sniffing glue. It would have been easy for Naidoo to foreshadow all the troubles Sipho has, then preach about the immorality of the situation. Instead, she writes effortlessly from the boy's point of view, so that his confusion, eagerness and naive wishes unfold naturally. Naidoo's evident knowledge of her subject and her humane approach allow a rare and moving glimpse into the hidden world of the malunde, and Sipho's eventual rescue from the streets lends a complex note of optimism to an otherwise woeful story. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8. Sipho's idyllic country life ends when his nurturing grandmother dies and he returns to his mother's shack. Shocked to discover he now has a stepfather who is brutal and abusive, Sipho lasts for six months before running away to the mean streets of Johannesburg. He is taken in by a rather tame gang and taught the ropes of survival by the good-natured Jabu. Money for food and arcade games is almost painlessly earned by helping to carry groceries. Joseph, Jabu's opposite, tries to steer Sipho to ruin by offering him iglue (glue) to sniff. After a traumatic episode with a vigilante group, he is rescued from the harsh streets by a white shop owner who grudgingly gives him shelter in response to the pleas of his daughter. Unfortunately, the man's malevolent son chases the boy away. Sipho finds Jabu and salvation at a shelter that seems too good to be true. An understanding nun takes him home to visit his mother and new baby sister. With the stepfather conveniently offstage (looking for a job), it appears that all will be well for this family. Naidoo's latest offering will disappoint those expecting a convincing look at the street life of homeless South African children. Her palette seems limited to black and white characterizations (steadfast Jabu, glue-sniffing Joseph, drunken stepfather, etc.). Changes are driven by plot and are not true to character. Jabu seems content with his street life?so why would he suddenly decide to sign on at the shelter? For a more convincing look at the strife and turmoil in South Africa, choose Hazel Rochman's Somehow Tenderness Survives (HarperCollins, 1988).?Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060275065
• ISBN-13: 978-0060275068
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,521,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent choice for Young Readers, July 12, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (hong kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa (Paperback)

NO TURNING BACK is indeed a book that tells more than a story. It is a book that transcend space and culture. This book speaks for all the teens. No matter where they are, teenagers do share the same needs: the need to be loved and cared.They are all vulnerable kids subjected to the evil forces of the society, especially in South Africa where the relationship between the White and the Black was that tense. But deep inside they are just kids, their voices can be heard in NO TURNING BACK.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Turning Back is a great read, June 29, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Sandusky, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa (Paperback)

A well-written, exciting, informative, and poignant tale of a young boy growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa. Young Sipho runs away from home to escape an abusive stepfather and lives on the street. Eventually taken in by a white family, Sipho learns he's only there to provide cheap labor to the father's business. Sipho runs away again. Great tale about love, forgiveness, friendship, and guilt.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strong start, Slow finish, November 30, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa (Paperback)

This is a novel about a boy in South Africa who runs away from home because of his abusive stepfather. In the beginning it is about the boy's life on the streets and his adventures with the Malude. This part of the book is interesting and exciting, but the second half of the book gets boring, because he starts to live with a family, just like a regular kid. Overall I thought that this book was not that interesting, and I would not recomend it.