The Middle of Somewhere: A Story of South Africa

All over Rebecca's village everyone is talking about the bulldozers. She and her friends wonder if the government will really send bulldozers to destroy their homes to make way for a new whites-only town. The government says they must move and promises a modern new village -- but Rebecca's parents and her granny say this is their home and they will never leave.

One day Rebecca sets out for school only to learn that her best friend's family has moved away in the middle of the night. The villagers who are left must take a brave stand, and Rebecca's family may be torn apart. Soon Rebecca and her family and friends find help from a surprising source -- and learn that the eyes of the entire world are on their tiny village.

A childhood spent playing under the velvety leaves of the jacaranda tree is threatened for nine-year-old Rebecca and her best friend, Noni. Their village in the veld of South Africa is an area designated for development by whites as soon as the black residents can be relocated. Many of the residents urge the families to resist relocation, fearing that the promises of larger homes and jobs are lies. Noni's family leaves; Rebecca's family stays. Rebecca's anxieties take on reality when her father is arrested at a demonstration against the relocation. The story ends on a hopeful note with the father's release from prison, closely coinciding with Nelson Mandela's release, and with the potential return of Noni and her family. Although written for a somewhat younger audience than Gordon's Waiting for the Rain (Orchard, 1987), this story captures the same real feeling for the South African land, people, and language. Apartheid, with its sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant prejudice, is revealed from a young girl's perspective in this rich family story. --Sylvia V. Meisner, Allen Middle School, Greensboro, NC
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