White Zulu

Filled with rich history and scenery of South Africa and the Zulu heritage this book is well worth reading. The story is inspired by the life of Athol Wallace. It is the story of two young men one a white boy Jock (Tsotsi) and one a Zulu boy Papin. They grow up together at a motel in the Mountains of South Africa among the rugged terrain, the dangers and the wild creatures that lived there.

These two grow up together close as brothers doing everything together. Then as they get older the comments from the hotel guests using the word Zebra for them. They don't worry about it and ride their horses, sit on their rock, visit the Zulu compound and become blood brothers.

Then Jock is sent away to boarding school. When Jock goes to school, Papin follows the car until it is out of site, then he writes Jock letters at school which are important to Jock. They are still close until an incident at school and it changes things. Jock hurts his friend Papin and he leaves to start his life somewhere else.

The two boys lead different lives away from each other for a few years. Jock as an army lieutenant and Papin as part of the Resistant force they called Terrorist.
The story set around the hotel follows each in his life and comes back around. It is a story of two young men that are brothers but not by blood. both of them part English and part Zulu but neither quite feeling they fit in either society.

The ending is wonderful, I loved the ending.

Thanks to Jill Wallace for writing such an interesting story, to Tsotsi Publications for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Zebra was a great read. I was a child during the 70s and never completely understood what was happening in Africa. This brought it into focus and explained it in a,very personal way. Excellent book.

A good description of what life was or could have been during the apartheid years in South Africa. When a Zulu and a white boy become friends it is not as easy as it might sound. Life takes them in different directions, and they will have to choose sides. There are many side characters in this book, including war and a hotel, but it will all be tied together at the end. Even though life my throw many things at you, humanity is what many of us have in common and this can be seen in this book even though there are many horrible things going on in this book.