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Reclaiming the Soil
An extraordinary story of cultural confusion and the long way home to a black girl’s emotional
roots. David Robbins
The Rosie Motene story is about a young girl born to the Bafokeng nation during the apartheid era
in South Africa. At the time, Rosie’s mother worked for a white Jewish family in Johannesburg who
offered to raise the child as one of their own. This generous gesture by the family created many
opportunities for Rosie but also a trail of sacrifices for her parents. As she grew, Rosie struggled to
and her true identity. She had access to the best of everything but as a black girl she floundered
without her own culture or language. This book describes Rosie’s journey through her fog of
alienation to the belated dawning of her self-discovery as an African.
roots. David Robbins
The Rosie Motene story is about a young girl born to the Bafokeng nation during the apartheid era
in South Africa. At the time, Rosie’s mother worked for a white Jewish family in Johannesburg who
offered to raise the child as one of their own. This generous gesture by the family created many
opportunities for Rosie but also a trail of sacrifices for her parents. As she grew, Rosie struggled to
and her true identity. She had access to the best of everything but as a black girl she floundered
without her own culture or language. This book describes Rosie’s journey through her fog of
alienation to the belated dawning of her self-discovery as an African.
- GenresSouth Africa
195 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2018
6 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 4, 2019
"I grew older and I started to realise that if I rubbed the glass and cleaned it, I was able to see outside".
Reclaiming The Soil is a powerful journey of a black woman brought up in whiteness, not just whiteness but Caucasity, to reclaiming her blackness against all odds.
Rosie Motene grew up as a rich little white girl stuck in a black body with black hair, a black nose, hips and bums. She longed for the full caucasian transformation and hated and renounced all things black; her parents, village, heritage, language, culture, and her clan. Of course, she was never fully accepted by her foster/adoptive family, it is not clear what the legal term was/is, as the Finkelsteins never formalised this guardianship and she in turn, rejected her black people. The strife and heartache was expected. Before I was even on chapter 3, I already knew how this whole saga was going to unfold.
The power in this story is Rosie's acknowledgement of her part in it. The part where she wanted, with all her heart, to shed her black skin and all that which came with it. The poverty and the lack. The shame of her mother's job. Her mother was a domestic for the Finkelsteins. And Rosie treated her with utter disdain. Rosie did everything in her power to fit in with the Finkelsteins. An an adult, Rosie wanted to go back to her people. The journey was a long and painful one but she persevered. She hasn't completed the journey yet but, she still soldiers on. I salute her for that.
Rosie's story put so much in perspective for me. I went to a private boarding school school for 5 years. I lived in the lap of luxury when the township was burning. I stayed amongst children who were fetched in limousines and vacationed in Europe. Children whose parents attended all school activities. Pupils whose school projects were delivered by drivers while I carried mine to class as they were made on an A3 paper with magazine cuttings pasted on them and decorated with glitter pens but, I was proud. Proud that I managed to interpret the Eiffel Tower using paper and glue. At the end of the school term, I packed my bags and made the trek home. Home was a four-roomed matchbox-sized home in Meadowlands. I didn't find anything odd in that. It was my home and I was lucky because my peers had to study in draughty classrooms with half-burnt text books. Classrooms with glass-less windows and desks mounted on bricks. While they hurried home at the end of a school day, I sauntered to the library to indulge in Greek mythology and English classics because Sisi Gladys was preparing my three course supper. And I was grateful. Grateful to be spared the challenges of studying in the township during that period of unrest and instability. This experience taught me to want better for myself. It opened my mind to the world. I saw what was on offer outside of my little Meadowlands world.
I understand Rosie's pain. The effects of apartheid and inequality were genocidal. Rosie was affected badly and she didn't have anyone to turn to. Her "foster" family could never understand her pain. Her natural family did not understand her, let alone what she was going through because she lived in the whites-only world. The language was foreign. The languaging of things was unnatural to their Setswana tongues. The culture was foreign. The food was too expensive. Can you imagine breakfasting on bacon and eggs and Emmental cheese on a domestic worker's salary. Sacrilegious!
Rosie's story is a reminder to society that when races are pitted against each other, it's the children who suffer most. These children grow into lost and wounded adults if not healed. We end up with hurt adults wondering aimlessly through their lives because they don't have a firm grounding in anything. There's nothing concrete grounding them anc they use substances as a salve on porous foundations.
The content could have done with vigorous editing but, the story is too powerfully narrated for THAT to disturb its flow. Some vignettes end up in the air but, some paths in our lives' journeys end abruptly and it's up to us to decipher the lessons. This story has power and redemptive qualities.
Here's to cheering you on Rosie as you continue your journey of reclaiming your soil.
Highly recommended.
Reclaiming The Soil is a powerful journey of a black woman brought up in whiteness, not just whiteness but Caucasity, to reclaiming her blackness against all odds.
Rosie Motene grew up as a rich little white girl stuck in a black body with black hair, a black nose, hips and bums. She longed for the full caucasian transformation and hated and renounced all things black; her parents, village, heritage, language, culture, and her clan. Of course, she was never fully accepted by her foster/adoptive family, it is not clear what the legal term was/is, as the Finkelsteins never formalised this guardianship and she in turn, rejected her black people. The strife and heartache was expected. Before I was even on chapter 3, I already knew how this whole saga was going to unfold.
The power in this story is Rosie's acknowledgement of her part in it. The part where she wanted, with all her heart, to shed her black skin and all that which came with it. The poverty and the lack. The shame of her mother's job. Her mother was a domestic for the Finkelsteins. And Rosie treated her with utter disdain. Rosie did everything in her power to fit in with the Finkelsteins. An an adult, Rosie wanted to go back to her people. The journey was a long and painful one but she persevered. She hasn't completed the journey yet but, she still soldiers on. I salute her for that.
Rosie's story put so much in perspective for me. I went to a private boarding school school for 5 years. I lived in the lap of luxury when the township was burning. I stayed amongst children who were fetched in limousines and vacationed in Europe. Children whose parents attended all school activities. Pupils whose school projects were delivered by drivers while I carried mine to class as they were made on an A3 paper with magazine cuttings pasted on them and decorated with glitter pens but, I was proud. Proud that I managed to interpret the Eiffel Tower using paper and glue. At the end of the school term, I packed my bags and made the trek home. Home was a four-roomed matchbox-sized home in Meadowlands. I didn't find anything odd in that. It was my home and I was lucky because my peers had to study in draughty classrooms with half-burnt text books. Classrooms with glass-less windows and desks mounted on bricks. While they hurried home at the end of a school day, I sauntered to the library to indulge in Greek mythology and English classics because Sisi Gladys was preparing my three course supper. And I was grateful. Grateful to be spared the challenges of studying in the township during that period of unrest and instability. This experience taught me to want better for myself. It opened my mind to the world. I saw what was on offer outside of my little Meadowlands world.
I understand Rosie's pain. The effects of apartheid and inequality were genocidal. Rosie was affected badly and she didn't have anyone to turn to. Her "foster" family could never understand her pain. Her natural family did not understand her, let alone what she was going through because she lived in the whites-only world. The language was foreign. The languaging of things was unnatural to their Setswana tongues. The culture was foreign. The food was too expensive. Can you imagine breakfasting on bacon and eggs and Emmental cheese on a domestic worker's salary. Sacrilegious!
Rosie's story is a reminder to society that when races are pitted against each other, it's the children who suffer most. These children grow into lost and wounded adults if not healed. We end up with hurt adults wondering aimlessly through their lives because they don't have a firm grounding in anything. There's nothing concrete grounding them anc they use substances as a salve on porous foundations.
The content could have done with vigorous editing but, the story is too powerfully narrated for THAT to disturb its flow. Some vignettes end up in the air but, some paths in our lives' journeys end abruptly and it's up to us to decipher the lessons. This story has power and redemptive qualities.
Here's to cheering you on Rosie as you continue your journey of reclaiming your soil.
Highly recommended.
August 10, 2019
Where do i begin ?
The editing was awfull, like really awfull
This needed a lot of reread prior to publishing, too many repetitions that were not adding up to the story, everything sounded superficial, i failed to feel her pains and tears. Her story deserved to be told and shared but it was poorly executed. I wanted to appreciate this book, but i couldn't because of a huge lack of structure in the chapter construction. Really this was a missed opportunity for miss Motene to reach the world and to share her experiences.
The editing was awfull, like really awfull
This needed a lot of reread prior to publishing, too many repetitions that were not adding up to the story, everything sounded superficial, i failed to feel her pains and tears. Her story deserved to be told and shared but it was poorly executed. I wanted to appreciate this book, but i couldn't because of a huge lack of structure in the chapter construction. Really this was a missed opportunity for miss Motene to reach the world and to share her experiences.
February 24, 2020
I found this book very interesting and I enjoyed it so much that I completed it fasr. It took me on a historical journey and brought me closer to experiences of the past but from different view. It's a book that is worth sharing so every one who reads can find something to walk away after reading from the story.
I've learned a lot from this book and am inspired more than anything.
It is definitely my of my favourite books so far in 2020.
I've learned a lot from this book and am inspired more than anything.
It is definitely my of my favourite books so far in 2020.
December 2, 2018
This book gave me so much to think about. Did the white family who adopted her not ultimately make her life and choices more difficult!!! Did her ‘superior white’ education make up for the awful racism she experienced at school! I had the feeling that with her personality and talent she may have ultimately succeeded without being ‘adopted’.
Growing up in apartheid South Africa, I had no experience of people of other races at school and sadly even at university. In my career as a librarian later I was privileged to work in a totally ‘mixed race’ school. On reflecting on her life and choices, she was sadly a victim of a disgusting system .
Growing up in apartheid South Africa, I had no experience of people of other races at school and sadly even at university. In my career as a librarian later I was privileged to work in a totally ‘mixed race’ school. On reflecting on her life and choices, she was sadly a victim of a disgusting system .
August 4, 2019
Rosie's story is an emotional one
She is a successful woman in her own right
She has a fighting spirit
She is a successful woman in her own right
She has a fighting spirit
December 14, 2019
The moment I picked up the book, I simply rolled my eyes and said this is just another coconut trying to justify her privileges, little did I know that I would simply go on an emotional roller coaster ride that has been Rosie Motene’s life.
Reclaiming the Soil by Rosie Motene gives the reader an in-depth look into the life of a black child who is simply struggled with identity but who refused to acknowledge her melanin skin and culture.
As much as her adoptive family loved and cared for her as they did with their own children, there were times that the Rosie would simply see that she is not one of them hence she spent most of her adult life trying to conform or fit into what “ they” especially the “mother figure” thought was right for her.
“ALL MY LIFE I have lived under a one way glass bell that you designed for me. You could see me but I was only allowed to see out when it suited you. When you needed some entertainment you shook the bell, shone a bright light through a small-orchestrated hole, which had the ability to be closed at any point.” Read an extract from The Glass Bell chapter.
The book somehow makes one belief in the power of family and how true a mother’s unconditional love is.
One of the best thing about this book is that it teaches the reader that regardless of where your path/destiny may lead you to, your roots and culture will always haunt in the back of your mind.
As much as this is a great story, there is a lot of redundancy and some chapters look as if the scribe had lost her train of thought.
While I understand that this is a self-published book and it is a debut book for Rosie.
However, a few of the grammatical errors in this book does carry the potential to set a reader off from further reading this interesting storyline.
Reclaiming the soil is certainly an interesting book and would make a good present for Christmas reading list.
Reclaiming the Soil by Rosie Motene gives the reader an in-depth look into the life of a black child who is simply struggled with identity but who refused to acknowledge her melanin skin and culture.
As much as her adoptive family loved and cared for her as they did with their own children, there were times that the Rosie would simply see that she is not one of them hence she spent most of her adult life trying to conform or fit into what “ they” especially the “mother figure” thought was right for her.
“ALL MY LIFE I have lived under a one way glass bell that you designed for me. You could see me but I was only allowed to see out when it suited you. When you needed some entertainment you shook the bell, shone a bright light through a small-orchestrated hole, which had the ability to be closed at any point.” Read an extract from The Glass Bell chapter.
The book somehow makes one belief in the power of family and how true a mother’s unconditional love is.
One of the best thing about this book is that it teaches the reader that regardless of where your path/destiny may lead you to, your roots and culture will always haunt in the back of your mind.
As much as this is a great story, there is a lot of redundancy and some chapters look as if the scribe had lost her train of thought.
While I understand that this is a self-published book and it is a debut book for Rosie.
However, a few of the grammatical errors in this book does carry the potential to set a reader off from further reading this interesting storyline.
Reclaiming the soil is certainly an interesting book and would make a good present for Christmas reading list.
March 19, 2019
This was such an important story... about the impact of apartheid on people’s lives and the long shadow it casts. Heart breaking. The book was ruined though by the quality of writing, lack of editing, poor grammar and spelling.
February 9, 2020
Quite a good read and it talks about real african family dynamics and the abuse we suffer at the hands of people whom we think love us. Talking of Berry Heart she is a real lionesss who does not condone abuse and racism at all
November 26, 2020
This book is badly written. Firstly, the grammatical errors are appalling. Secondly, there's no flow. It's hard to connect with the writer. I could not bring myself to finishing the book. I've never regretted buying a book until this one.
February 4, 2022
Gosh I hate this one star review but the only thing well written about this book is the title. Terribly written and constructed as a whole which is really unfortunate because it detracts from what could potentially be a beautiful story
October 14, 2018
Excellent memoir by Rosie Motene.
March 8, 2019
This is a necessary book that talks about interracial 'adoption', abuse, family, reconciliation and finding one's root. Rosie skillfully shares her life with us.
July 3, 2019
Authentic and entertaining.Raised by a white family, the author describes how she was materially blessed but somehow spiritually/mentally sometimes impoverished.
January 7, 2023
A good story, a great one even, but so poorly edited that it distracted me from the substance of the book.
December 27, 2019
1.5 stars (?maybe????)
This book is incredibly hard to rate because while the concept is GOOD and I’m extremely intrigued by the author’s story but the writing is B A D. I know this book was self published but it honestly seems like no one edited it. There are distracting spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the book. The author goes on incredibly drawn out and unimportant tangents. The whole book is written similarly to a stream of consciousness with random thoughts and stories. Overall, the authors tone was immature and capricious and made it very hard to sympathize with her and her journey. I truly wish someone else had written the story of Rosie Motene’s life because this had way too much potential.
This book is incredibly hard to rate because while the concept is GOOD and I’m extremely intrigued by the author’s story but the writing is B A D. I know this book was self published but it honestly seems like no one edited it. There are distracting spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the book. The author goes on incredibly drawn out and unimportant tangents. The whole book is written similarly to a stream of consciousness with random thoughts and stories. Overall, the authors tone was immature and capricious and made it very hard to sympathize with her and her journey. I truly wish someone else had written the story of Rosie Motene’s life because this had way too much potential.
April 18, 2021
This is a story about coming back home to yourself and your roots. At some point while reading my heart was aching for Rosie and even more for her mother. I can not imagine what it must mean to love your child to a point of being okay with her having her adopted by a white woman because “she will give you a better life than I could” - Rosie was indeed put at an advantage, but it wasn’t worth the pain and the traumas the later has to face and heal from. I loved this book because I could never not be a fan of black women writing themselves back into their roots but most importantly, recognizing that they have a voice and using that to tell their own stories without any (white) gaze.
However I did come across a few spelling errors (particularly one name lacked consistency. It was different on each page where it was mentioned). So I’m left here thinking, who edited it?
However I did come across a few spelling errors (particularly one name lacked consistency. It was different on each page where it was mentioned). So I’m left here thinking, who edited it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews