Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe [Paperback]

Judith Garfield Todd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2007

Selected as one of The Economists Best Books of 2007! For more than three decades, Judith Todd has been at loggerheads with successive governments of Zimbabwe. After being jailed and then exiled by Ian Smith's regime, she returned to her country in 1980 and soon realised that, far from being the solution to Zimbabwe's ills, Robert Mugabe and Zanu (PF) were increasingly becoming the problem. As the country slid into social and economic decline, Todd's position as director of a local development agency gave her a unique vantage point from which to observe the increasing arrogance and cruelty of Zimbabwe's leaders and the suffering and struggles of ordinary citizens. Peopled with household names from diplomats and politicians to international correspondents and liberation leaders, Through the Darkness takes readers from the family ranch outside Bulawayo to Buckingham Palace, from the bowels of Zimbabwe's prisons to the inner sanctums of Mugabe's cabinet. It is also the story of the country's silenced people - their courage, their irrepressible humour, their hopes and their feelings of betrayal. Drawing from journals, letters and documents, this is a fascinating personal account of life in Zimbabwe

Editorial Reviews

Review

Books of the year 2007 Pick of the bunch A harrowing tale of courage and betrayal by a white heroine of the liberation struggle against Ian Smith who has been punished (and stripped of her citizenship) with extraordinary vengefulness by Robert Mugabe for speaking out about the regime's abuses of power. --The Economist

About the Author

Judith Todd was born and raised in the former Rhodesia and became a prominent citizen of the new state of Zimbabwe. She is a daughter of Sir Garfield Todd, erstwhile prime minister of colonial Southern Rhodesia and later appointed as a senator by Mugabe. As director of the Zimbabwe Project Trust, she worked for many years with members of the former liberation armies, the so-called war veterans. In 2003 she became one of the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans stripped of their citizenship by the Mugabe regime. She now lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Struik Publishers (July 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 177022002X
• ISBN-13: 978-1770220027
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Share the pain with Judith..., October 24, 2007

By 

Jack C. Maddox (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe (Paperback)

I am a New Zealander who lived/worked in Rhodesia for many years and left as the 'war' began. Judith Garfield Todd fills in all the blanks from that period to 2006 with clarity; sharing the brutality of a country torn apart by the despot - Mugabe. Judith gives us the verbatim eulogy for her Mother and Father matter-of-factly, but being delivered by native Zimbabwean was deeply moving. The breath of fresh air, sanity, and dignity of her treatment by the NZ authorities was very gratifying. Recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the rise and fall of this Central African Country which used to be referred to as the food-basket of Africa. I enjoyed it through the tears. Jack.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A difficult read, February 24, 2008

By 

zvirbulis - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe (Paperback)

I picked up this book since it was recommended in the Economimst.

As noted elsewhere, reading the book is very slow going, due to the large number of characters and organizations mentioned - is difficult to keep track of them all.

However, it is a first hand look at was going on in Zimbabwe, and there are plenty of harrowing and gripping portions of the book, but is not a particularly cohesive narrative.

In any case, it struck me as a rather dry narrative, difficult to read but with some fascinating first hand accounts of life in Zimbabwe.

1.0 out of 5 stars A Diary, Not a Book, July 10, 2011

By 

JSmalls - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe (Paperback)

Do we honestly need another book published that should have remained someone's personal diary? This is not a great book. What would have been interesting, however, is an exploration of why there was a lack of a vocal white liberal class during Rhodesia's history and how Todds played a key role to develop one. A broader examination of this constituency from Todd's perspective probably would have made for a better work.