Across the Border: Surviving the Secret War in Angola

by Norman McFarlane

Norman McFarlane was just out of high school when he was conscripted for national service and sent to Angola. Like so many other ordinary troopies, he was thrown into the horror, deprivation and banality of war. He recounts his loss of innocence in Angola, the subsequent ‘camps’ and his journey towards confronting his post-traumatic stress disorder. Told with disarming honesty and humour, he gives voice to a generation of white South African men forced into a grisly, life-defining experience.

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2022

About the author

Norman McFarlane worked in human resources in the retail motor industry and ran a software company before becoming a full-time journalist in 2007. He has written for a number of publications over the years, including Wine Magazine, Classic Wine, Farmer’s Weekly and Bolander Lifestyle. He has won numerous journalism awards, including the 2008 Sanlam Business News Award.