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The South African Story
Ron McGregor is a South African tour-guide and writer. This book - now in it's 3rd edition - was written in response to popular demand for a book about South Africa that isn't too weighty or academic. Until recently, there was no such single book, so Ron sat down and wrote it. And, because it was written to entertain as much as to educate, he stuck to his raconteurial style. It's an easy read, but not a shallow one.
Maps and diagrams to accompany the text were produced by graphic-designer Lisa, Ron's wife.
This is not just another guide book - it's a collection of the tales that the author tells as he crosses the country with his travelers. Much of it is historical fact. One reader remarked, "It is the best narrative of South African history I have ever read. It should be in every school curriculum, and compulsory reading for the diplomatic corps!"
However, it's far more than mere history. History doesn't just happen, it happens for a reason - many reasons. Geography, climate and vegetation all play their roles in determining the fates of nations, so these are also covered. There's folklore, and legend, food and drink, and even a guide to vocabulary.
And, of course, there are heroes. From Paul Kruger and Winston Churchill, to Jan Christian Smuts and Nelson Mandela, some formidable actors have graced the South African stage, and they have their chapters in these pages.
From the Dawn of Mankind to the Darkness of Apartheid, and our current faltering steps into the light of liberation, the South African Story tells it all. There's no other book quite like it.
Maps and diagrams to accompany the text were produced by graphic-designer Lisa, Ron's wife.
This is not just another guide book - it's a collection of the tales that the author tells as he crosses the country with his travelers. Much of it is historical fact. One reader remarked, "It is the best narrative of South African history I have ever read. It should be in every school curriculum, and compulsory reading for the diplomatic corps!"
However, it's far more than mere history. History doesn't just happen, it happens for a reason - many reasons. Geography, climate and vegetation all play their roles in determining the fates of nations, so these are also covered. There's folklore, and legend, food and drink, and even a guide to vocabulary.
And, of course, there are heroes. From Paul Kruger and Winston Churchill, to Jan Christian Smuts and Nelson Mandela, some formidable actors have graced the South African stage, and they have their chapters in these pages.
From the Dawn of Mankind to the Darkness of Apartheid, and our current faltering steps into the light of liberation, the South African Story tells it all. There's no other book quite like it.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
471 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2013
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 3, 2014
McGregor has a way with writing: pleasing, with a nice flow, mixing interesting facts and figures with stories of the people living and working n the country. Mixing history with nature and economy in a very entertaining way, the South Africa Story is THE perfect book to read when you are planning to visit South Africa (as I plan to do in august 2014).
I continually switched to Wikipedia to read up some more on what Ron has written in a certain chapter and have ordered books like "Commando!" by Deneys Reitz to further my reading.
Did I miss something? Not much if any, a bit on the favorite sports and leisure of South Africans, on culture, museums and theater maybe and what I would love to hear is on South African humor, if that has a special twist to it (mixing Afrikaner, English and black culture). Pieter Dirk Uys is even in Holland a well known name.
I continually switched to Wikipedia to read up some more on what Ron has written in a certain chapter and have ordered books like "Commando!" by Deneys Reitz to further my reading.
Did I miss something? Not much if any, a bit on the favorite sports and leisure of South Africans, on culture, museums and theater maybe and what I would love to hear is on South African humor, if that has a special twist to it (mixing Afrikaner, English and black culture). Pieter Dirk Uys is even in Holland a well known name.
December 8, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book and gave me a good overview of my favourite country and the country I grew up in. I found it especially interesting to learn about the birth of Afrikaans!
I do wonder why he never said anything about how all the Indians landed up in Durban though!
I do wonder why he never said anything about how all the Indians landed up in Durban though!
November 10, 2014
Interesting set of vignettes about various aspects of the history of South Africa.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews