Joonie

by Rayda Jacobs

Heartwarming yet tough, this unforgettable story centers around a brave, young black girl named Joonie from Grassy Park, South Africa. When both her uncle and local priest attempt to take sexual advantage of her, Joonie refuses their advances. For all her fortitude, however, Joonie is slow to learn from the past—especially with respect to relationships—and she soon finds herself single and pregnant. A journey of self-discovery, this narrative chronicles Joonie’s coping with a shocking revelation about her identity in a foreign country and celebrates her indomitable spirit.

249 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

Rayda Jacobs was a South African writer and filmmaker.

Reviews

[Julia]

i can't remember when last i read a book in one day. nothing better than a saturday of reading.

can't believe i haven't read any of this local author's books. i definitely want to read more.

this was an easy read, so it didn't take me too long. i loved the characters, the story, the style of writing, everything. very enjoyable - a typical saturday afternoon read. :)

[Sherryn Sauer]

As with all of her books, I could not stop until I was finished. And yet again I stayed up until the early hours with this one. I am amazed at the stories that Rayda Jacobs comes up with but they all hit so close to home. So there's nothing else but for you to fall in love with her work. And being from Cape Town it really does hit you hard. Not sure what I'll do when I've read all her books. Definitely recommend this

[Ashley -Tayla Wasserfall]

One of my favourite books of all time.

[Ricado]

Rayda Jacobs gives us the character Joonie a woman whose life is filled with tragedy, but with a triumphant soul and a defiant spirit. A book i was unable put down and had to just finish it. Rayda Jacobs is one of those remarkable South African writers and slowly becoming one of my favorite authors. a book that would easy become one of your favorites and must read authors.

[Al]

While this book has drawn a few negative reviews I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
It never lost it's momentum and the storyline was good.
If you enjoy reading local books (especially set in Cape Town) give this one a try.

[Zaheera Walker]

Real, raw and relatable. You're going to need a box of tissues, well I did.

[Geruza Bumba]

"Was every woman's story the same?" Joonie asks on page 177.

Rayda continues to lay bare the uncomfortable in the brave and witty style she’s known for.

Readers are taken on an adventure with Joonie, Baby Jo and Ma as they navigate life in apartheid South Africa, life as a migrant, life with a man and motherhood.

Readers should be warned that themes of mental disorders and domestic violence are explored which some may find triggering.

In the end, Joonie finds her resting place and we look back with her on a life well-lived.

Filled with many unexpected twists, this is a compelling read which I could not put down.

[Marion Roux]

Joonie fascinates and frustrates, but you have to love her feminine feistiness

[John Stotesbury]

This is a re-read after a gap of several years, but it's still my impression that Jacobs has underplayed her previous dexterity as a writer chronicling the search for identity undertaken by South Africans in the so-called mixed-race or "Coloured" community. Perhaps it really is aimed at a young adult (female?) readership, but it doesn't clearly signal itself as such, since its narrator, Joonie, tells the reader at one point that she is now 50 years of age. Its (more marginal?) significance may lie in its engagement with the confusion of personal value in the late 1980s, when apartheid "immorality" laws had been abandoned, and an enclosed, suppressed community was starting to reach out to a wider world represented by the multiculturality of the USA.

[Tiah]

My feelings on this book are too complex to resort to stars.

[Alex Klaff]

good read, kept me interested all way, sad somewhat but otherwise enjoyed it.