Born in Chains: The Diary of an Angry 'Born-Free'

by Clinton Chauke

What is it like to be born dirt-poor in South Africa? Clinton Chauke knows, having been raised alongside his two sisters in a remote village bordering the Kruger National Park and a squatter camp outside Pretoria.

Clinton is a young village boy when awareness dawns of how poor his family really there's no theft in the village because there's absolutely nothing to steal. But fire destroys the family hut, and they decide to move back to the city. There he is forced to confront the rough-and-tumble of urban life as a 'bumpkin'. He is Venda, whereas most of his classmates speak Zulu or Tswana and he has to face their ridicule while trying to pick up two or more languages as fast as possible.

With great self-awareness, Clinton negotiates the pitfalls and lifelines of a young crime and drugs, football, religion, friendship, school, circumcision and, ultimately, becoming a man. Throughout it all, he displays determination as well as a self-deprecating humour that will keep you turning the pages till the end.

Clinton's story is one that will give you hope that even in a sea of poverty there are those that refuse to give up and, ultimately, succeed.

Genres: South Africa, Africa

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2018

Reviews

[Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read. Clinton writes eloquently. There is a particular passage resonates deeply with me. He writes ‘I studied the whole year without paying the university, so I was in debt. I was very hungry for success. But, during that year, I was physically hungry, too. It was difficult to study and do well when you had an empty stomach and, added to that, we’re not going to see your results at the end of the semester. I knew that I was paying the price of fitting into previously white spaces that had suddenly become accessible for all. This is the problem that born-frees face today: we try so hard to access these white spaces, but staying in them seems like mission impossible. In the end, I had to write two supplementary exams. This didn’t sit well with me, moving from being a top achiever to a supplementary student. I was very frustrated.’

[Fleur · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book and it was certainly interesting and insightful. However, for me the writing was lacking and the editing was just poorly done. Chauke is clearly not a writer and that is okay, I do not expect him to write like Ta-Nehisi Coates, but I think a good editor would have been able to push him to be more explanatory and smooth out his writing. As it is now it kind of skips from one anecdote into the other, often failing to connect the dots. One had to assume a connection between the stories, but it was hardly shown and therefore reading some chapters was very tedious work. The anecdotes hardly ever reached their full potential as instruments to make a point, because the analysis was either missing or very short. It stayed descriptive instead of it becoming explanatory. Nevertheless, it is still an amazing accomplishment for someone so young to write a book in a language that is not their first and as I said before the subject-matter is very interesting. There are hardly any books written by young black South Africans and Chauke's voice is one we need.

[Magda w RPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really admire Chauke’s ability to see past what’s obvious or convenient to believe. I’ve enjoyed learning about his thoughts on poverty, education, politics, religion and South Africa. To have such mature reflections in one’s early 20s is very impressive. He’s an important voice of his generation because as he says in the introduction his story is similar to that of many young black South Africans.

The first half of the book is more difficult to read with a lot geographical information, anecdotes and thoughts that seem out of place or aren’t explained properly. As the book progresses the writing gets better. I understand that he’s not a journalist or a writer and I don’t know whether he’s had many opportunities to work on his writing. I do blame the editor for not polishing and structuring the book better, though.

[Frans · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As black person, all you have to do is worry about finding a 'mature partner', securing a home loan, making babies, managing debit orders, tolerating your racists boss, going to church and listening to lies, and getting a life policy". This is a very introspective view of a young black South African coming to terms with the "system" , which to me has been very relevant and relatable to a degree. While I don't agree with Clinton in totality (some of his views may be very subjective), I enjoyed every chapter of the book. So thank you Clinton for sharing your thoughts and "keep on keeping on!"

[Bilal Nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful journey into the mind of a young Black South African man.

Editing could have been better and some parts feel like a geography lesson with no point of reference.

We are not told when, how long and where he started to write the book. How did the idea come to him?

Liked that he ended on a note of reconciliation despite the anger.

[Phumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Strong voice. Alot of the stories within the different chapters were really enjoyable to read, e.g. His take on religion. Wish it was less narrative, especially in the beginning but it is understandable due to the structure of the book

[Nkamang Tsotetsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read. Educative, giving hope and reminding one to not only complain and self-pity but strive through hardship for better life.

[Expat Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clinton's story is a story that needs to be told- the harsh realities of life in South Africa if you've been oppressed by the systems in ways most people can't even begin to imagine.

Clearly articulated and skillfully told, Clinton's life will be an eye opening read for many 'born-frees'. Books like this deserve more popularity in the African literature space.

However, the editing is poor and many parts of the book read like a textbook. A better editor should've been able to guide Clinton into writing in a more lyrical- or at least, easy to digest- format. I think the author has potential but under the guidance of another publisher.