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Blinde Sambok
Riana Scheepers, bekroonde skrywer van onder meer Dulle Griet, Die heidendogters jubel en die gewilde Katrina-boeke, neem die leser met hierdie boek na 'n jeugwêreld op 'n plaas waar saans na oustories om 'n misvuur geluister word. Maar altyd is daar in die jong Gideonette de la Rey se lewe die bedreiging van die blinde sambok, die bliksemstraal wat in 'n oomblik alles kan verander.
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Riana Scheepers
33 books20 followersShe received her PhD from the University of Cape Town. She writes children's books, short fiction, and poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2021
Herewith starts my 2021 challenge of rereading old school texts! Blinde sambok was my grade 8 Afrikaans prescribed text, so it made sense to start with it.
I first read this book in 2007 (which is a good 14 years ago) and could not remember anything about the plot except that someone dies. That's the great thing about forgetting books: you get to read like it's your first time and you get to experience the characters and plot as brand new experiences.
Our story starts at the very beginning - the premature birth of our main character, Gideonette de la Rey. She recounts the event herself and describes her first encounter with her father which sparked her strong sense of determination. For the rest of the story, we follow Gideonette's adventures on her farm and the reader soon realizes that her main goal in life is to live it fully without being held back by silly gender stereotypes an expectations. She was set on having the same experiences and skills (if not better) than boys. Along the way, she faces some obstacles, both physical and emotional, but she overcomes them all with great courage and integrity.
Blinde sambok was actually a bit of a surprise to me. The protagonist, a proper Afrikaans 'boeremeisie', has such a strong feminist personality, yet as a grade 8 girl, I never recognized or appreciated that underlining theme of the story. It's actually a great inspiring text for young girls who feel like they need to fit into society's or their family's idea of what a girl should be like. She teaches us to challenge the traditional stereotypes and gender roles but without making it overbearing or forceful. As an adult, I can read it now and admire the message; as a child, I could've been inspired or encouraged to just ignore the typical remarks of 'girls should wear dresses', 'girls shouldn't play rough' or 'only boys should swear'. And maybe I did feel inspired as a 14-year-old, maybe the book did speak to me in some way and maybe it had some small role to play in my attitude towards gender roles today. Who knows what went through my mind back then? All I can say is that I'm impressed with my school's choice of literary study that year!
I think Blinde sambok would make a great read for any young girl (and boy) who needs a small push towards their own individuality.
I first read this book in 2007 (which is a good 14 years ago) and could not remember anything about the plot except that someone dies. That's the great thing about forgetting books: you get to read like it's your first time and you get to experience the characters and plot as brand new experiences.
Our story starts at the very beginning - the premature birth of our main character, Gideonette de la Rey. She recounts the event herself and describes her first encounter with her father which sparked her strong sense of determination. For the rest of the story, we follow Gideonette's adventures on her farm and the reader soon realizes that her main goal in life is to live it fully without being held back by silly gender stereotypes an expectations. She was set on having the same experiences and skills (if not better) than boys. Along the way, she faces some obstacles, both physical and emotional, but she overcomes them all with great courage and integrity.
Blinde sambok was actually a bit of a surprise to me. The protagonist, a proper Afrikaans 'boeremeisie', has such a strong feminist personality, yet as a grade 8 girl, I never recognized or appreciated that underlining theme of the story. It's actually a great inspiring text for young girls who feel like they need to fit into society's or their family's idea of what a girl should be like. She teaches us to challenge the traditional stereotypes and gender roles but without making it overbearing or forceful. As an adult, I can read it now and admire the message; as a child, I could've been inspired or encouraged to just ignore the typical remarks of 'girls should wear dresses', 'girls shouldn't play rough' or 'only boys should swear'. And maybe I did feel inspired as a 14-year-old, maybe the book did speak to me in some way and maybe it had some small role to play in my attitude towards gender roles today. Who knows what went through my mind back then? All I can say is that I'm impressed with my school's choice of literary study that year!
I think Blinde sambok would make a great read for any young girl (and boy) who needs a small push towards their own individuality.
October 20, 2013
'n Lieflike, lieflike boek! En beslis nie net vir kinders nie.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews