Review: Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another one of the books I read in 2005 that I want to go back and re-read if I can ever find my copy...

Here is my original review:

"When I first picked up this book I really was hesitant. I didn’t want to read another person’s whiny rants about this or that injustice. But, it came highly recommended so I decided to give it a go.

The story is about a black South African Zulu Priest from the Umzimkulu Valley who travels to Johanesburg to find his sister, son and brother to discover why they no longer write home. His journey takes him along a path of heartache for his loved ones and presents to him the choices of love and forgiveness vs. hatred and rebellion. Out of these trials, Stephen Kumalo discovers love and acceptance from unlikely persons and places.

What I love most about this book is that it tells the story from a perspective of peace and acceptance instead of anger and hatred. There is no point in me trying to say Mr. Paton was right or wrong in his views, that’s the point of his writing a book: so that you can read it and hear his words and decide for yourself. I will say that the book is captivating and well written. What’s more: it presents a unique perspective on everything since it was written by an author who was black, from South Africa, held the moral, political and economic views of his subjects and had a message to place into his work. The best books are like this.

I give the book a solid five stars and consider it a candidate for classic fiction. I’ll be buying a nice hardback for my library."

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