3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Apartheid is one of the most defining aspects of the history of South Africa. Many South Africans who were born before Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country experienced it all. Louiesa Mynhardt, who grew up in South Africa during that era, tells her story through Memoirs of a Play-white.
The book has seven chapters. Louiesa has written her memoir in third person. This enables the reader to have an expansive view of every experience and event in the memoir. The first five chapters give the experiences that shaped her personality and career. She dedicated the last two chapters to the two main aspects that led to the end of racial segregation in South Africa i.e. entertainment and the first democratic elections.
The author has a very close connection with her mother, Doris. The first chapter of the book gives a detailed account of her mother’s life. Louiesa was born in Kliptown on December 30, 1957. They moved to Nancefield when she was nine years old. She has two stepsisters, Daphne and Shirley. Doris is an alcoholic. However, she did not neglect her role of teaching her children good morals. Louiesa chose to follow her mother’s advice. Thus, she worked hard in school and later became a successful professional in the banking industry. Most of her fond memories are about her time in school. She went to Nancefield Primary 2. She also notes the times she worked at OK Bazaars where she was considered a “Play-white” because she enjoyed the privileges of the white employees although she was not a White. She was the family’s breadwinner.
I liked the comprehensive coverage of each chapter in the book. The author takes the reader through every important event and experience from her past. She covers different stages of her life including her childhood, education, and career in the banking industry. In addition, she gives the factors that shaped her life. They include poverty, her mother’s addiction to alcohol, teachers, employers, friends, traitors, politics, and apartheid. She also mentions the places that she visited in South Africa and beyond. She took her mother for holidays in Singapore and Malaysia. The book has photographs of various items, people, and places that make the memoir very interesting.
The book does not have many errors. I noted very few errors that cannot distract the reader from enjoying the book. However, the last chapter about the first democratic elections contains information about some of the author’s experiences while working at the Standard Chartered Bank of South Africa. I believe such memories would fit perfectly in chapter five, which covers her Standard Chartered Bank employment. I hope to read the next book in the series to find out more about her life in the post-apartheid period. Overall, I give the book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning about the apartheid era in South Africa.
******
Memoirs of a play-white
View: on Bookshelves
Like Jgideon's review? Post a comment saying so!
