Customer Reviews

Tomorrow Is Another Country: The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change

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An excellent read if you know at least a little about South African History. It's a "who's who" of the inside story of Africa's "Negotiated Revolution" and could count as a "cliff hanger" if we all didn't already know the outcome of the story. But for anyone who would like to know how the worlds most remarkable political transition was pulled off without a bloody coup, who all of the players were, and why one the worlds most brutal and racist governments kept the world's most enigmatic man alive; then this is the read for you.

Tomorrow is Another Country is the sequel to the Mind of South Africa. It described the transition from apartheid state to the Rainbow Nation. Allister Sparks is a South African journalist (and is currently teaching at Duke University) who sought to get "the real story" before the actors started to forget. He found collaboration from all sides so everyone would know the sacrifices made by both sides to form the new South Africa.

An excellent balance between being comprehensive and being readable, Tomorrow is Another Country is not a difficult read but not nearly as inspiring as Nelson Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom. It does however capture more of the Afrikaaner experience, something Long Walk to Freedom often fails on doing.

This is an outstanding book with many original and personal accounts of what brought South Africa to a negotiated abandonment of minority rule. Objective and beautifully written.

" There are many who expect that the new South Africa will be just one more hopeful transition that will soon turn to ashes, that the country will sink into the economic decay and political oppression which seem to be Africa's destiny. I am not one." -Allister Sparks
In Tomorrow is Another Country: The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change, Allister Sparks explores the history of South Africa, giving vivid insight and detail from apartheid to non-racial democracy. As a well-known respected reporter and journalist, Sparks has created a riveting story, not only educating people on the upbringing of new South Africa, but also showing a non-biased perspective while providing "behind-the-scenes" information on what was really occurring at such a pivotal time in this nation's history.
Allister Hadon Sparks was born on the tenth of March, 1933, in Cathcart, South Africa. He was the son of H. Montmorency, a farmer, and Bernice Sparks, a nurse. He attended school at Queen's college in South Africa. He was a reporter and editor for various newspapers for a number of years. In 1990, Sparks wrote The Mind of South Africa, a prequel to Tomorrow is Another Country. For his remarkable writing, journaling, and reporting he has been deeply rewarded. His awards include the Pringle Award (1965), Joint International Editor of the Year by World Press Review (1977), Valiant for Truth Media Award by British Order of Christian Unity (1982), Louis M. Lyons award by Nieman Fellows
Sparks has written this book as a positive narrative for South Africa. He is extremely optimistic for the nation and expects it will be a role model for the other countries and nations surrounding it. Having been born and raised in South Africa, Sparks has great pride and hope in his country. Even so, what most stands out in his writing is his ability to provide an un-biased account of the story, letting the reader create their own perspective and opinion of the events and people in the book.
There is little criticism against Tomorrow is Another Country. There are two main criticisms that are stated in various reviews. James Hamill says, "(Allister Sparks) may be too optimistic for some tastes but he is a definitive new South African wholly committed to the success of the new country."3 Because Allister Sparks has so much pride and faith for his country, his confidence for their future can be considered as too optimistic. There are many people who believe that although South Africa has created a new constitution and government, their prior conflicts and battered history will continue to cause problems in their country, and keep them from successfully moving forward. Sparks could be considered as to idealistic and not realistic enough for the future of South Africa. Another criticism stated by Adam Hochschild of The New York Times is "one Mr. Sparks shares with most journalists who reported on South Africa's historic negotiations. They rarely mention that the final agreement was as much economic as it was political." Some critics think this piece of information is missing from the book, and influences the final agreement made. If the reader knew this it could change their final opinion and overall outlook on the agreement.
This book is recommended for anyone interested in South Africa's history, and evidence to support their supposed* optimistic future. The book easily flows and is not exceedingly factual. After reading this book the reader will be knowledgeable on the subject and be able to make their own assessment of the situation, while creating their own opinion based on what they read. No matter if it's for leisure or for a project, this book is definitely worth reading.

This probably is the definitive account of the transition from apartheid to democracy. Sparks has the journalist's ability to feature the personal side of the players (i.e. how much Ramaphosa enjoyed fly fishing) while also doing the hard analysis about what worked and didn't work. This is a great, quick read.

I read this prior to traveling to South Africa on vacation and found it superb.

Allister Sparks tells a story in a brief, a reporter kind of a way, where he leaves out the details and gives you the key facts plus an explanation of them. By the time you finish the book you'll get a picture of the past and present of South Africa. You'll probably be clued in as much as people who leave there.