Breaking Bread: A Memoir

by Jonathan Jansen

Professor. Pundit. Public nuisance. In his columns, books and on social media, Jonathan Jansen is prolific, and he likes to speak his mind about schools and universities, race, politics and our complex South African society.
He has brought incisive analysis, compassion and a sense of humour to some of the most controversial issues in our country for many years. And now, in this memoir, Jansen goes back to his early growing up in a loving, fiercely evangelical family on the Cape Flats, being put on the road to purpose by an inspiring school teacher and becoming the first of his generation to go to university. Journey with Jansen as he finds his passion for teaching high school and becomes a leading academic and thinker amid great transformation in post-apartheid South Africa.
His gift for story-telling and his interactions with people from different walks of life offer moving insights into the intricacies of South African society, insights that are filled with wisdom and leadership lessons. Jansen's patchwork of memories tells a bigger story than that of his own life. It's a tale of learning the value of 'breaking bread' with others, of finding mutual recognition in our different fears and faiths, our fumbles and fortitude, our hurts and our hopes.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2024

About the author

Professor Jonathan Jansen is the Vice Chancellor of the University of the Free State, South Africa, where he has earned a formidable reputation for transformation and for a deep commitment to reconciliation in communities living with the heritage of apartheid. He is an educationalist, a former Dean of Education at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, who holds an impressive collection of degrees and awards, including the position as President of the South African Institute of Race Relations. He was born in the Western Cape, South Africa, and has lived in various parts of South Africa and in the United States. He is married with two children.