Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story

Product Information

Not understanding how far away the city is, the two set off down the road with hardly any food or water. I will recommend this book to any young reader and not forgetting older ones who would be able to learn about hardships non whites were facing. The opulence of the white “”Madam’s”” house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease. To develop the children's understanding further, children could take part in a hot seating activity to explore the characters in depth and to gain a full perspective of living in South Africa around this time. As Mma is preparing to go back to Jo'burg, Naledi is happy that she was able to save her sister's life and for all that she learned on her journey.

It is a really simple and heartfelt story that contains powerful subject matter for children to explore and discuss in the classroom. It is a simple story line that has potential to open many discussions and topics for children to further explore in the classroom. What makes this book an international piece of literature is that it is about another country, South Africa, written and published in English. As well as inspiring powerful writing on characters from a different era, it has helped to draw discussions with some of today’s issue as we have made comparisons with the student uprising ‘Times of Fire’ described in the novel and the riots that took place in London in 2011. This edition of Beverley Naidoo's classic story includes a special "Why You'll Love This Book" introduction by Michael Rosen, former Children's Laureate.The wealth was all in the hands of the 'Whites', while the labour was done by the 'Blacks' who worked long hours for little pay and lived under apalling conditions. Summary: A short, but engrossing journey of two siblings Naledi and Tiro, who journey from Johannesburg to Jo'Burg because their baby sister has become very ill. The opulence of the white 'Madam’s' house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face - that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.

They are successful in finding their mother, who is able to get her youngest to a doctor in time to save her life. It was only at university in Cape Town that I too really became aware of the inequalities we and generations before had to endure. It's possible I'm overreading these elements, because I was aware going into it that the book was written by a white woman from South Africa.

Naledi and Tiro's family is so poor that they can't afford to go to the doctor when Dineo falls sick. As a student, she began to question the apartheid regime and was later arrested for her actions as part of the resistance movement in South Africa. The story seemed somewhat unbelievable, as if the author wanted to show us about South Africa and this was simply the method she chose to use. Their mother is able to get time off, beginning the next day, to take her children home and help Dineo.

Here, they meet a girl named Grace, who helps them find their mother and offers to let them sleep at her house for the night. Both the truck driver and Grace take responsibility for the children’s well being once they come in contact with them.When they come to another village, they walk quickly so as to not attract the attention of the police because policemen in this area are often corrupt.

In a social studies or history class, Journey to Jo’Burg could be used to compare and contrast the history of South Africa with that of the U. Now Beverley Naido herself was born and raised in South Africa (in 1943), and yes, the author has readily admitted never having been taught to question Apartheid (and the general racial intolerance towards Black South Africans) either in school or at home. The children's mother, Mma, lives and works in Johannesburg most of the year because it is the only place where she can find work to support her children. As they try to take a bus to get to their mom, they are yelled at for trying to get on a ''Whites Only'' bus.

As well as clear character descriptions and vivid imagery, there are many themes running through the story as it deals with racism and prejudice along with family, love and determination. There is really nice character development and vivid imagery which lends itself to readers creating drawings or paintings, allowing them to interpret their own parts of the book. Naidoo has a history of standing up for equal rights and speaking out against apartheid, and that's wonderful, of course, but I still don't know how I feel about white people writing stories for PoC. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF. Ah, I went to Oxfam again yesterday and got Born A Crime, Trevor Noah (3 euro, excellent condition).