Stones for My Father

Gr 5—7—This meticulously researched novel about a white Afrikaner girl caught up in the Boer War at the turn of the 19th century brings to light a hitherto overlooked aspect of South African history. Corlie Roux is living with her harsh mother and younger brothers on an isolated farm in what was the South African Republic (now Mpumalanga). As the war reaches their farm, they flee, but are captured and interned in a concentration camp. The privations, hunger, and disease leading to the death of many children, including Corlie's brother, are described in some detail. Kent tackles the challenge of depicting the complex relationships between Afrikaner colonists and English imperialists, and also the relationships of both these groups to the indigenous Africans. The narrative is occasionally overwhelmed by background detail and multilingual information (English, Afrikaans, and Zulu). Although the author does an admirable job of explaining the meanings of words in context, a glossary and pronunciation guide would have been helpful. Kent uses the racist terms that Afrikaners would have used to describe indigenous Africans and Indians, while softening them with descriptions that are more respectful. There is no explanation of their deeply insulting nature. Corlie's relationship with a Zulu boy and her concern for him and his family portrays an independent-minded and unusual girl, and the powerful scene in which he is taken away and she tries unsuccessfully to get her mother to save him captures the reality and tragedy of South African racism. Corlie's own life takes an unexpected turn when she learns about her origins and has to fend for herself in the direst of circumstances. Corlie will comfortably find a place alongside the heroines in Patricia Reilly Giff's historical novels.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City