Zulu Dog [Hardcover]

Anton Ferreira (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

An honest and compassionate look at post-apartheid South Africa

Vusi, an eleven-year-old Zulu boy growing up in poverty in rural South Africa, is enchanted by the helpless puppy he finds in the bush. He names it Gillette for its razor-sharp teeth and hides it from his mother, who disapproves of bush dogs as pets. His devotion to Gillette only grows stronger after the puppy is mauled by a leopard and loses a leg. But as boy and dog play carefree games, storm clouds are gathering over Vusi's family - ruthless rival taxi owners are trying to drive his father out of business. While Vusi and Gillette learn to hunt together, they meet the daughter of a neighboring white farmer. Gillette becomes the catalyst for their unlikely friendship, which has a decisive impact on the fate of Vusi's whole family - and the larger community.

A starkly realistic story set against the backdrop of the country's tortured racial history, Zulu Dog holds out the hope that a new generation of South Africans can create a better future for their land.

 

Zulu Dog is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist Ferreira's somewhat awkward yet timely first novel centers on 11-year-old Vusi Ngugu, who lives with his extended Zulu family in post-apartheid South Africa. His kin's subsistence lifestyle contrasts dramatically with the privileged existence of the nearby white farmers. One day, Vusi, accompanied by Gillette, the dog he has adopted, ventures onto the land owned by one of the white farmers, "to prove to himself that he is not scared." There he meets 12-year-old Shirley, the farmer's daughter, and the two bond immediately, despite the fact that neither speaks the other's language. The strongest passages center on Vusi and his family, especially Vusi's discovery of Gillette as a pup and their blossoming relationship. Except for a progressive-thinking farmer, Robert Rudolph, many of the sections focusing on white characters become stilted (e.g., "When Shirley gets home that day, she is torn between excitement at the encounter [with Vusi], the fun they had communicating across the language barrier, and trepidation at what her parents would say about a black stranger trespassing on the farm"). Rather forced dialogue from Shirley's father and some of his cronies underscores their bigotry. But the narrative also reveals the economic, social and cultural ramifications of the democratic government under Mandela. Even with the rather heavy-handed message, likable Vusi's coming-of-age tale delivers some affecting scenes and, for readers unfamiliar with South African politics, some eye-opening realities. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-The setting for this story of a boy and his love for his dog is newly independent South Africa with all of its racial prejudice and poverty. Vusi, 11, needs a friend and finds two most unlikely ones-a three-legged dog he names Gillette because his sharp teeth remind him of his father's razor, and Shirley Montgomery, a white girl. Vusi comes from a very poor black family, and his mother makes it clear that there is no spare food for a dog, so he hides his pet. When Shirley runs away to protest her parents' decision to send her to boarding school, all of the neighbors search for her, but it is the dog that finds her, injured and frightened. In somewhat of a fairy-tale ending, Shirley's previously racist father now accepts her black friend, employs the boy's parents, and allows the family to live on his land. Shirley is allowed to remain at home, and the much-needed rains finally come. Still, Ferreira presents an authentic picture of the chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Contrivances aside, readers will enjoy the exciting adventure as Vusi goes on his first hunt with Gillette, a rite of passage in his culture.
Dorothy N. Bowen, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374392234
• ISBN-13: 978-0374392239
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,595,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zulu Dog by Anton Ferreira, January 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Zulu Dog (Hardcover)

I bought this book after hearing an interview of the author on KNPR and thought it would be good to read with my lower level reading high school students. My students loved the book from beginning to end even though they were high school level. This year I read the book with a group of 7th graders, and boys and girls alike loved the book and many want to buy the book for theirselves. As an adult I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it for any one who enjoys a good book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page Turner!, February 6, 2005

By 

Educator, Lifelong Learner (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zulu Dog (Hardcover)

Reading about civil rights in America is tough, especially for kids these days. The events are remote, and the lack of activism in our country makes it hard to imagine what it was like 40 years ago. But this book...Wow! The characters' situations grab you, whether you are relating to the Zulu boy, South African (white) girl, or the dog. There are moments that will make you laugh, and other that we have you holding your breath for 10 pages. And of course, parts that will cause you to weep. The story is very well told, and spares the reader nothing in terms of the vitriol felt by racist So Africans. Highly recommended.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting! A compelling story by a master story-teller!, October 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zulu Dog (Hardcover)

"Zulu Dog" is a must read, not just for children aged 9-12, but for any adult who loves a good story, adeptly told, with memorable characters and compelling plot twists. The author of this wonderfully woven tale is going to be famous!