Themba:: A Boy Called Hope

by Lutz van Dijk, Dr. Karin Chubb (Translator)

Recently made into an award-winning film, Themba (meaning hope) tells the story of a young South African boy who realizes his dream of playing for the national soccer team but must come to terms with AIDS that has infected both his mother and himself.

Genres: Young Adult

166 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

bis 1992: Lutz van Dick

Reviews

[Boomerang · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a teenage boy who likes playing football and you want to get him to read, try this book.
It's about a boy in South Africa who is mad keen on football and makes it to the premier league. Along the way there's heartbreak and pain, a lot of growing up and discovery about who to trust and how to look after yourself.
It says the author runs a charity for AIDS victims in South Africa and inevitably, there are characters in the novel who suffer from this disease and are unwittingly affected - bringing a healthy dose of reality to teenage boys who tend to think they are immortal and will never catch a sexually transmitted disease - let them be warned as they dream of bending it like Beckham.

[Thando Sithole · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far so good