The author is a white foreigner who has settled in Africa. He has lived in Africa longer than his bride, who has never lived anywhere else, because he is that much older. He is an empathetic bridge...view moreThe author is a white foreigner who has settled in Africa. He has lived in Africa longer than his bride, who has never lived anywhere else, because he is that much older. He is an empathetic bridge-builder, unhappy with the status quo in which enclaves can harden into ghettos. He detested apartheid but still sees its legacy in attitudes and architecture.
He is not particularly well-to-do on white standards but is, of course, much better off than most South Africans. Middle middle class, not even upper middle class, and certainly not upper class. His empathy is just too strong, so he has sacrificed over the decades to promote causes and worked as a change agent, an activist. So he wanted to practice what he preaches about rapprochement and the need to get that Rainbow Nation out of TV studios and into real life on the street.
He is hardworking and at times daring too. He speaks more than one language and is well educated. He is biblically literate, so he uses a lot of metaphors from that source. This draws him close to readers of all races in South Africa and also to those of different monotheistic religions because he taps mostly their common source, the Old Testament.
He follows the news closely and writes commentary on a regular basis, so he mixes both touching testimony from his personal life with philosophical positivity. Even when it doesn't go well, he looks for learning points. Where there is pain, there is gain.
This book is written under a pen name to assure anonymity. This is built-in protection for the one he cherishes. She deserves praise but can’t be named. Because it’s a true story about someone who wasn’t true.view less