Ougat: From a Hoe into a Housewife and Then Some

by Shana Fife

By the time Shana Fife is 25 she has two kids from different fathers. To the coloured people she grew up around, she is a jintoe, a jezebel, jas, a woman with mileage on the pssy. She is alone, she has no job and, as she is constantly reminded by her family, she is pretty much worthless and unloveable. How did she become this woman, the epitome of everything she was conditioned to strive not to be?
Unsettlingly honest and brutally blunt, Ougat is Shana Fife’s story of survival: of surviving the social conditioning of her Cape Flats community, of surviving sexual violence and depression, and of ultimately escaping a cycle of abuse. Exploring themes of sexuality, marriage and motherhood, rape, drugs and depression and cultural identity, Shana describes – with the self-deprecating humour her followers love so much – what it means to be a coloured woman, who gives coloured womanhood meaning and, ultimately, how surviving life as a coloured woman means being OK with giving a giant ‘fck you’ to the norm.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook

232 pages, Paperback

Published June 29, 2021

Reviews

[Caryn Welby-Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Shana Fife’s writing since her groundbreaking blog and her writing style is so beautiful, so fluid, so easy-to-read. Even though the subject matter is painful, and I had to pause reading at times because it was difficult and triggering. I also found that the memoir is more than just the story of one individual and the abuse she suffered, it’s the story of a community and how much ingrained misogyny and toxic masculinity affects all of us. This was an important book and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

[Iman Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Ougat in about a day. Shana’s story was very gripping and painfully relatable at times (girl from the Plain over here). I caught myself laughing out loud a few times only to be met with Lyle’s abuse/someone’s dismay for Shana, two sentences later. I’m so glad he’s dead. I’m also so glad Shana shared her story. Thank you, thank you.

[Restless Ramblers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book about scumbags, really not a reflection of the Colored community as a whole. The main male character, is the ultimate scumbag, the type to be avoided at all costs. Scumbag no.2 is the author. She had a choice, growing up in what appears to be a fairly decent family (albeit with its own warts), and being afforded good schooling and exposure. She deliberately chose the low road, through the choices she made, but also persisting with poor choices, and to stick with the scumbags she surrounded herself with. She passively endured and even enabled and condoned the disgusting behaviors and circumstances she chose for herself.
I hoped, as I read along, that she would ‘come to her senses’ and change her ways, but was extremely disappointed to note the same filthy disgusting language, lifestyle and blaming others, in the name of the liberated woman persisted to the end.
This is not the representative voice of the ‘Colored’, nor of the liberated woman.

[Lauren Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional roller-coaster read. One moment I am chuckling the next I want to hit Lyle with a baseball bat. Beautiful description of our colored culture even the toxic traits, makes the book even more relatable.
Very gripping read.

[Naadira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gripping read. I think mostly because of how raw and truthful it is. Many times while reading I actually questioned: Did she actually write these things? How did it make her family feel? Looking back, its really about how everyone made HER feel and how no one really cared because of generational and cultural expectations. There's so much that this novel brings up for discussion, which I hope is discussed.

Honestly, it's something we may all be able to relate to as South African women- regardless of race- perhaps all women. .

I did cry in the last 2 pages before the epilogue.

I loved this. Thank you Shana for making so many of our voices heard, even if just a small part.

[Anita Arendsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard-hitting. Admirably vulnerable. Keen insight into life in South Africa for women, particularly women in the Western Cape. I admire the author's brutal honesty and candour.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shana grew up in Mitchell’s Plain, the gang ridden town in the Cape Flats. She was even one of the more privileged kids, she got to go to a fancy private school and get a good education. But in this school, she is too “coloured”, and at home she is now too fancy or “white”. Always trying to figure out where she fits in. The culture of abuse in her family doesn’t really help either. As she said, new money and old habits are a terrible combination.

Shana was lucky enough to go study further and get a good education. Again, her choices she made ended up badly – 25 years old with two kids with two different dads. To get out of this cycle of abuse, depression, bad choices, drugs, alcohol and abusive boyfriends, Shana needs to make a big change. It’s not easy and no matter how much education you have, you must use that knowledge and have lots of courage to better yourself.

Shana explores lots of themes in this memoir, from marriage, sexuality, feminism, abuse, drugs, being coloured and being a mother. Always looking for love and acceptance, just not in the right places. This brutally honest and raw story of Shana and how she survived the world of toxic masculinity and ingrained misogyny, is a book that will stay with you for a while.

My thoughts: I used to work in Mitchell’s Plain and reading this made me smile a lot. I listened to the audiobook, and I always love it when the author herself narrates the book. This was such a heartbreaking and honest book; I didn’t want to stop listening.

[Gerson Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Ougat: From a Hoe into a Housewife, and Then Some by Shana Fife

This memoir follows Shana Fife’s life as a Coloured South African woman 🇿🇦, growing up on the Cape Flats and navigating all the labels, abuse, and cultural expectations that came with it. She writes openly about her childhood 👧🏽, her relationships 💔, and the stigma she faced as an unwed mother 👩‍👧. The book confronts issues like domestic abuse, relationship abuse, societal shaming, and the weight of cultural norms. It’s raw, dark, and at times very heavy ⚡️— especially the parts that describe both physical abuse and her mental state during those years 🖤.

For me, it was a quick but compelling read ⏳✨. What stood out was how relatable many of her experiences were — there were clear similarities with Black African culture 🌍, which made her journey resonate even more. While parts of the book were scary 😔 and painful to get through, I also found it important and necessary. It showed how our circumstances can sometimes trap us in cycles of victimhood ⛓️, but also how they can push us toward growth and healing 🌱.

What I appreciated most was seeing that, despite all the trauma and struggles with her family and relationships, she does reach a sort of happy ending 🌈. That gave the story balance and left me feeling hopeful for her 🙌🏽. Overall, Ougat is a brave, unflinching memoir — a story of survival and resilience 💪🏽. I’d recommend it, and I’d give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

[Goitse Mmoloke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biography gives an insight into the lives of the coloured community, mostly found in South Africa, and was written by one of them-Shana Fife. The author takes us through how she was raised and how social ills such as abuse are kind of normalized in her community. The biggest challenge she came across was having 2 kids, both from different fathers and the worst was being with a narcissistic boyfriend. As I kept on reading, I was convinced her last lover, before she got married, was just sick. Let me not spoil it for you incase you get to read it.

[Diana Boynton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought my copy after a book launch where I was totally taken by Shana , her wry humour and straightforward manner. This book was just that , was eye popping frank and tough to stomach. I had imagined life on the Flats to be tough, and this book transported me to that reality. To Shana, the bravest lady, I salute you !

[Nicole Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. Shana is brutally honest and transparent in the tellings of her life. I honestly wanted to teleport through the book and choke Lyle (to death). My heart was filled with so much joy when she met Riyaadh. This book is evident that we still have a very long way to go as Women especially as Women in the Coloured Community.

[aqeelah ❀༉˖ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books don’t need a review. They need a moment of silence. This is one of them.

Shana Fife’s raw, unflinching, no-punches-held-back memoir unpacks the dark realities of gender, sexuality and Coloured culture.

It’s brutal. It’s explicit. It’s filled with so much truth but also SO MUCH SUFFERING.

And as a Coloured woman, I felt it all so deeply.

[Hayley Malan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping from page 1. This book was sad, funny, heartbreaking, relatable and brilliantly written. Loved that I recognised every single Cape Town slang word and it honestly felt like I was listening to a friend sharing her story with me. Thank you for sharing your story Shana.

[Yolandi Vorster · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a refreshingly honest book. Interesting insight into a different culture that we merely get glimpses of in our day to day lives. The fact that the author is so similar in age to us makes the book feel more intense. The feminist approach read throughout was refreshing. Sy se dit soos dit is!

[Zahraa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried myself to sleep. This book spoke to me It's a must read

[Cassey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2.5 read rounded up.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, Shana has a way of captivating your attention while discussing heavy topics that should be brought up to raise awareness around GBV!

[Nicole Vellios]

DNF

[Neems · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh and honest. Shana's writing her truth and I applaud her for doing it - and doing it well.

[Kirstin Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a raw, unfiltered look into the life of a proudly coloured woman in South Africa and I loved it. The relatable memories of her childhood made me laugh. There are some moments of darkness which made me gasp and cry. You can't help by feel yourself going through the motions with Shana.