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Between Black and White: GROWING UP BROWN IN APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA
A society divided by law. A young man determined to do what was right. A profound search for meaning in a bizarre maze of legalized racism.
Born in the tumultuous dawn ofApartheid in South Africa. Ganesan Abbu was marked as different. Indoctrinated into a life which placed White citizens at the top of the social ladder and where Africans people were regarded as omens of dread and distrust, the sensitive boy slowly awoke to the horrible system of injustice. His conscience demanded he side with demonized Black people. However, his Indian heritage, that denied him a tribal status in Africa, would ensure that he would always be regarded as an not white enough during apartheid and not black enough after it ended.
Unhappy that his parent’s generation were content to blindly follow the rules, Ganesan threw himself into the growing political unrest to protest the government’s constant crimes. And despite his convictions and active participation in the resistance, he was never sure if he would ever feel like he belonged in the land of his birth.
In an already marginalized world, could he hold onto his ideals and still find a place which he can truly call home?
Pondering the nuances of identity, language, and racism, Ganesan Abbu offers up a thoughtful and conversational memoir full of raw confessions of his own struggle during Apartheid. And as he fights to understand the underlying truths of loyalty and prejudice, readers will come to comprehend the sharp sting of otherness and the peace of having a place in the universe.
Between Black and White is an immersive memoir. If you like gritty honesty, fascinating self-reflection, and inspiring journeys, then you’ll love Ganesan Abbu’s rocky path to fulfillment.
Buy Between Black and White to celebrate diversity today!
Born in the tumultuous dawn ofApartheid in South Africa. Ganesan Abbu was marked as different. Indoctrinated into a life which placed White citizens at the top of the social ladder and where Africans people were regarded as omens of dread and distrust, the sensitive boy slowly awoke to the horrible system of injustice. His conscience demanded he side with demonized Black people. However, his Indian heritage, that denied him a tribal status in Africa, would ensure that he would always be regarded as an not white enough during apartheid and not black enough after it ended.
Unhappy that his parent’s generation were content to blindly follow the rules, Ganesan threw himself into the growing political unrest to protest the government’s constant crimes. And despite his convictions and active participation in the resistance, he was never sure if he would ever feel like he belonged in the land of his birth.
In an already marginalized world, could he hold onto his ideals and still find a place which he can truly call home?
Pondering the nuances of identity, language, and racism, Ganesan Abbu offers up a thoughtful and conversational memoir full of raw confessions of his own struggle during Apartheid. And as he fights to understand the underlying truths of loyalty and prejudice, readers will come to comprehend the sharp sting of otherness and the peace of having a place in the universe.
Between Black and White is an immersive memoir. If you like gritty honesty, fascinating self-reflection, and inspiring journeys, then you’ll love Ganesan Abbu’s rocky path to fulfillment.
Buy Between Black and White to celebrate diversity today!
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2023
13 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 28, 2023
Love This!
An excellent read on the life of a medical student & later doctor who has Indian origins, growing up in South Africa. The challenges he overcame & came out strong from it.
An excellent read on the life of a medical student & later doctor who has Indian origins, growing up in South Africa. The challenges he overcame & came out strong from it.
November 24, 2025
Reading this book is a relatable immersion, even though the situation is probably worlds away from your life’s experiences. You will feel honored that the author is sharing his real human experience with you in a way that allows you to place yourself into the mind and heart of this child , young man, student, and doctor trying to balance his obligations to his family, profession, community, country, as well as the future of humanity. You will feel the fears, triumphs, hopes, optimism, and disappointments as you would have if you were born into this profound time in world history. Reading this book was so much deeper than trying to understand by watching the news!
December 25, 2025
Very interesting and engrossing read...i could relate so well to all that Dr Abu wrote about. It was an emotional journey for me too..It was almost unbelievable that so many atrocities had taken place under an oppressing regime. It's ALWAYS a dilemma to be brown in SAv...between Black and White..A real life experience portrayed so eloquently and simple to understand.
Well done. From A M
Well done. From A M
February 4, 2024
Thank you...
Thank you Dr. Abbu for telling the story of your life. I learned a lot from you about the events that took place in South Africa. For me, it was an eye opener.
Thank you Dr. Abbu for telling the story of your life. I learned a lot from you about the events that took place in South Africa. For me, it was an eye opener.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews