‘There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know it. Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better term, we call these moments “magical” and when we remember them they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.’ For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one such ‘magical’ moment. The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom. It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again. Less known is the story of how it all began and developed. Scatterling of Africa is that origin story, as Johnny Clegg wrote it and wanted it told. It is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

A BEST NEW BOOK from *Vanity Fair *The Root *Vulture *People *The Washington Post *Christian Science Monitor *Los Angeles Times *Essence A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Pick! A New Yorker Best Book of the Year! A lyrical, moving novel in the spirit of Transcendent Kingdom and A Burning—and the most awarded debut title in South Africa—that tells the story of a multiracial family when the Immorality Act is passed, revealing the story of one family’s scattered souls in the wake of history. In 1927, South Africa passes the Immorality Act, prohibiting sexual intercourse between “Europeans” (white people) and “natives” (Black people). Those who break the draconian new law face imprisonment—for men of up to five years; for women, four years. Abram and his wife Alisa have their share of marital problems, but they also have a comfortable life in South Africa with their two young girls. But then the Act is passed. Alisa is black, and their two children are now evidence of their involvement in a union that has been criminalized by the state. At first, Alisa and Abram question how they’ll be affected by the Act, but then officials start asking questions at the girls’ school, and their estate is catalogued for potential disbursement. Abram is at a loss as to how to protect his young family from the grinding machinery of the law, whose worst discriminations have until now been kept at bay by the family’s economic privilege. And with this, his hesitation, the couple’s bond is tattered. Alisa, who is Jamaican and the descendant of slaves, was adopted by a wealthy white British couple, who raised her as their child. But as she grew older and realized that the prejudices of British society made no allowance for her, she journeyed to South Africa where she met Abram. In the aftermath of the Immorality Act, she comes to a heartbreaking conclusion based on her past and collective history – and she commits her own devastating act, one that will reverberate through their entire family’s lives. Intertwining her storytelling with ritual, myth, and the heart-wrenching question of who stays and who leaves, Scatterlings marks the debut of a gifted storyteller who has become a sensation in her native South Africa—and promises to take the Western literary world by storm as well.

Moving country remains the hugest thing weve ever experienced/ accomplished/ drowned in. Its an act of seemingly utter insanity, which negates all ones most primal connections to the cosmos. I find myself quoting Keats more often, Happiness is sharpened by its antithetical elements. Experiencing a new chapter of life is life-altering and isnt given enough credence. Each day we are grateful to taste a figuratively different menu, yet simultaneously we miss the staple diet stemming from our roots. I recall emailing a psychologist colleague of mine a few months after my arrival here, Am I experiencing a schism of the self? I asked. She replied, No, just re-inventing the self. I kept that pinned on my notice board at work for the first year to reflect on. _______________________________________________________________ Scatterlings Synopsis The book kicks off with the author's innocent and carefree childhood growing up on a farm in South Africa, my awakening (conscientising into an awareness that all is not right, being born into an apartheid era), life in SA and the epiphany to immigrate to NZ. The chapter Bouncing off Planet Africa' encompasses the grieving and healing process of migration. This section should be extremely beneficial to all migrants as part of the adaptation and acculturisaton process. The Scatterling tapestry chapters follow with migrants stories of their passion, pain, love - and hate - of Africa. For this section a remarkable cross section of stories; people of various cultural backgrounds and groups from Southern Africa including: cross cultural marriages; gay marriages; the lobola story between a Zulu woman and an American man; people who were marginalised and affected by apartheid, or survived the war in Zimbabwe, etc., plus Afri-expat tales from places such as Peru, USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kenya, Zimbabwe, UK, Oz and NZ have been gathered and incorporated. There is a section with contributions, including a Somali Refugee, a rootless African American (due to slavery) and people of colour uprooted in South Africa due to the apartheid areas act. Expats talk about hurdles and obstacles regarding migration, and about the wonderful sense of freedom from the shackles of apartheid and from fear, violence and criminality. They also offer some tips and advice to wannabes, while others hanker for home so much and return to face the challenges of a violent land. The contributors echo the same parallel threads, yet different and unique, each through their own personal lens. A short chapter offers children the opportunity to share their stories in Out the Mouths of Babes, which is both insightful and humorous. An historical/political time line follows from Khoi Khoi to current with articles and information, demographics and some statistics covering the establishment of humanity in the ancient continent; the conflicts, the horrors of apartheid and current exasperation due to ongoing heinous crime, stress, corruption and structural disintegration, juxtaposed against optimism and hope. Articles (all with the authors blessings) are included by well know South African writers, politicians, projectionists and figure heads, the likes of Helen Zille, Clem Sunter, Max du Preez and several young emerging African columnists the likes of Mabaso, Mtimkulu and Shuudi.) There is a section on migrants poetry, followed by Southern African recipes and food tales as immigrants identify with food as part of the cultural adaptation and period of grieving. A short existential epilogue concludes the book.

A poacher vanishes, two young girls go missing, a tourist disappears... magic or murder? Evil is at play in a South African game reserve. A poacher vanishes into thin air, defying logic and baffling ace tracker Mia Greenaway. Meanwhile Captain Sannie van Rensburg, still reeling from a personal tragedy, is investigating the disappearance of two young girls who locals fear have been abducted for use in sinister traditional medicine practices. But poachers are also employing witchcraft, paying healers for potions they believe will make them invisible and bulletproof. When a tourist goes missing, Mia and Sannie must work together to confront their own demons and challenge everything they believe, and to follow a bloody trail that seems to vanish at every turn.

Have you ever dreamed about joining the Peace Corps? Unemployed and aching to really make a difference in the world, Theresa Munanga applied to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. When she left for her assignment in Kenya, she had no idea what the three years from 2004-2007 would hold. No Hurry in Africa follows the author as she teaches computer skills to Kenyans, some of whom have never seen a computer before, in areas where electricity comes and goes, and where four computers serve to teach up to forty students per class. Riveting journal entries and emails home introduce Kenya as a beautiful country, yet a country of contrasts: where people walk miles out of their way to direct you to your destination. Where men can have multiple wives. Where women wash clothes by hand and carry babies on their backs. A country with friendly, hard working people, but also a country with a lack of safe drinking water, poverty, corruption, and less than adequate medical services in the remote areas.

In Scatterlings Martin Shaw walks the myth-lines of seven stories based in and around his homeland of Dartmoor, England. Rather than the commentaries on such tales being primarily balanced against other literary sources, Shaw uses what actually occurs on these walks as the main source of information on the tales. The swoop of raven, the swamp, the thinking that moves through him, all form a knot of relationship between the land and the story. As he walks he tells the story of the place back to itself. This is a highly unusual move for a mythologist, an aspiration to use speech as form of animistic relationship, of binding, of praise to a place. In a time of rapid migrations and climatic movement, Shaw asks: how could we be not just from a place but of a place? When did we trade shelter for comfort? what was the cost of that trade? What are the stories the west tells itself in private? Scatterlings also takes us on a wonder through the wild edges of British culture, a story of secret histories: from the ancient storytelling of the bardic schools to medieval dream poetry, from the cunning man to animal call words, to Arabian and steppe Iranian influence on English dialect. Through its astonishing journey, Shaw reveals to us that when you gaze deep enough into the local you find the nomad, and when you look deep enough into the nomad you find the local. Scatterlings is a rebel keen, a rising up, to bend your head to the stories and place that claim you.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A 2023 ROLLING STONE RECOMMENDED BOOK Shortlisted for the 2017 Legislative Assembly of Ontario Speaker's Book Award Nominated for the 2018 Heritage Toronto Award - Historical Writing: Book “The preeminent account of the late singer's life.” —Rolling Stone The definitive, full-access story of the life and songs of Canada's legendary troubadour Gordon Lightfoot’s name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness. His music defined the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and ‘70s, topped charts and sold millions. He is unquestionably Canada’s greatest songwriter, and an international star who has performed on the world’s biggest stages. While Lightfoot’s songs are well known, the man behind them is elusive. He’s never allowed his life to be chronicled in a book—until now. Biographer Nick Jennings has had unprecedented access to the notoriously reticent musician. Lightfoot takes us deep inside the artist’s world, from his idyllic childhood in Orillia, the wild sixties, and his canoe trips into Canada’s North to his heady times atop the music world. Jennings explores the toll that success took on his personal life—including his troubled relationships, his battle with alcohol and his near-death experiences—and the extraordinary drive and tenacity that pulled him through it all. Rich in voices from fellow musicians, close friends, Lightfoot’s family and the singer’s own reminiscences, the biography tells the stories behind some of his best-known love songs, including “Beautiful” and “Song for a Winter’s Night,” as well as the infidelity and divorce that resulted in classics like “Sundown” and “If You Could Read My Mind.” Kris Kristofferson has called Lightfoot’s songs “some of the most beautiful and lasting music of our time.” Lightfoot is an unforgettable portrait of a treasured singer-songwriter, an artist whose work has been covered by everyone from Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand and Nico to Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Gord Downie. Revealing and insightful, Lightfoot is both an inspiring story of redemption and an exhilarating read.

BANNED/DISQUALIFIED/"NO LONGER APPROVED" BY THE AUTHOR ACADEMY AWARDS On February 12th, I received an email from the Author Academy Awards, signed by "The Author Academy Awards Committee" saying that submissions for my books were received and that they were being reviewed. Later that day, I received another email stating, "Hello Alice. First the best news. You're IN! The Author Academy Awards selection committee has approved your submission. Your book will be listed on the Author Academy Awards site when voting officially opens in March." Signed by Kary Oberbrunner. With this, I received graphics to use for voting purposes for the two categories my three books were nominated in, Best General Non-Fiction and Fantasy. The purpose of the graphics is to attract votes. On February 27th, I received an email that voting will kick off on March 3rd, following a global livestream hosted by the Author Academy Awards. On March 3rd, I tuned into the livestream hosted by, amongst others, Kary Oberbrunner, while eagerly anticipating the kick off. During the livestream, Kary Oberbrunner mentioned an author from South Africa with a controversial book, "making waves," and has "already" gained haters, or lovers. I want to make it clear that I have had no contact with any of the organizers regarding the content of any of my books, or have in any way discussed controversy, "making waves," "haters" or "lovers." This came up without me being aware of it, and I was rather stunned. I couldn't help but question whether they were approached by those currently on a crusade to silence the truth about South Africa. With voting having kicked off, my campaign began to canvass for votes for all my books, just as the other nominated authors were doing. After all, the outcome relies on votes garnered for the books nominated. On March 5th, I received another email from the Author Academy Awards, signed by Emily Myers which read as follows: "Hi Alice, We hope you are well. Under further review of the content of your books submitted for our Author Academy Awards, you are no longer approved to be included in the contest. Have a nice day, Emily Myers Customer Support Manager." Not only was "My Turn - South Africa" removed from the awards competition, but so were "Afterlight" and "Passage of Time" which are purely fictional, fantasy novels. My Turn- South Africa recounts the emotionally charged and tragic details of what is happening in present-day South Africa. It is the story of racism run rampant. Land is being taken. Whites are being targeted for brutal torture and murder. The statistics document this to be true, but little is known of this travesty in our world. The reason? The crimes are not committed by whites against blacks, but vice versa. This scenario finds no traction because it does not fit the politically correct view of what racism is known to be. Alice VL provides alarming statistics and sobering documentation to bolster the claims that white people in South Africa, particularly white land-owners and farmers, face unremitting danger. Gripped by fear, each is left to wonder, is today "my turn" to be tortured and murdered? The author seeks to be the voice of the minority in South Africa yearning for justice under a government that seems utterly disinterested in providing it. Instead, the government turns a deaf ear to the cries of the persecuted minority while at times even lampooning their plight.

Global Pop examines the rise of "world musics" and "world beat", and some of the musicians associated with these recent genres such as Peter Gabriel, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Johnny Clegg. Drawing on a wide range of sources - academic, popular, cyber, interviews, and the music itself - Global Pop charts an accessible path through many of the issues and contradictions surrounding the contemporary movement of people and musics worldwide. Global Pop examines the range of discourses employed in and around world music, demonstrating how the central concept of authenticity is wielded by musicians, fans, and other listeners, and looks at some of these musics in detail, examining ways they are caught up in forms of domination and resistance. The book also explores how some cross-cultural collaborations may fashion new musics and identities through innovative combinations of sounds and styles.

Have you ever wondered what Charles Darwin would have had on his iPod? Or exactly how Cartman from South Park fits into the Theory of Evolution? The Rough Guide to Evolution delves into all of this and more, from the life and works of the eminent scientist to the impact of evolutionary thinking on modern times. Read about the evolutionary history of life on Earth, the stark evidence for evolution - including feathered dinosaurs - and how Darwin's breakthrough is still denied by creationists, who have repeatedly tried to ban evolution from the classroom. Providing a complete and authoritative overview of one of the most controversial topics of our age, the guide is an accessible one-stop-shop for all things Darwinian, while listing resources for those keen to dig deeper into our murky beginnings. Find out exactly how Charles Darwin and The Origin of Species have affected human life in the 150 years since its publication - everything from Darwinian tourism to the evolution of The Simpsons - as well as some new angles that make The Rough Guide to Evolution a must-have for die-hard Darwin fans. Rediscover Darwin's earth-shattering explanation for the diversity of life with The Rough Guide to Evolution.