Heidi Holland is an eminent liberal journalist from the old South Africe – she is usually well-informed and has a keen eye for the injustices and absurdities of the apartheid system. Still, when in the 1980s she decided to write a book on her and many South Africans' hero Nelson Mandela, she found it so hard to find relevant information and material, that instead she settled for a piece on the ANC. And it shows: The book is pretty Mandela-centred, aöthough it is not a complete biography. And it covers many interesting aspects of the ANC's history, but certainly not everything that is necessary to get at least a rudimentary idea of what made and makes this organisation tick the way it does.

So, the book is not an exghaustive source of information for any relevant or interesting topic. On the plus side, it is well written and an easy, interesting read for all those who have some basic knowledge of the ANC. These readers may also discover amusing anecdotes and revealing episodes in Holland's work.

What makes the second edition of this book even better is an added chapter with thoughts on Mandela's mistakes and shortcomings – you seldom get to read about these, certainly not from a liberal and well-informed mind as Heidi Holland's.

To sum it up: A good read for anyone with a basic familiarty and interest in the apartheid history of South Africa.

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Geschrieben von Thorsten

Kategorie: Bücher

Veröffentlicht: 01. August 2017

Susanne Nitsch erzählt das Leben Katharina von Boras, der späteren Frau Martin Luthers aus der Ich-Perspektive. An verschiedenen Stellen merkt man, dass der Text eigentlich ein Vortrag ist, der nicht immer ganz elegant auf die Schriftform umgesetzt wurde. Zuweilen irritiert auch die bemüht historisierende Sprache, die eine große Distanz zwischen Erzählerin und Leser*in schafft – etwas, das durch das Stilmittel der direkten Ansprache und der auktorialen Erzählerin ja eigentlich gerade verhindert werden soll.

Das Buch ist kurz und knapp und weit entfernt von jedem wissenschaftlichen Anspruch. Es gibt keine Quellenangaben und keine kritischen Würdigungen, nichts geht in die Tiefe und vieles ist interpoliert oder adaptiert. Immerhin fallen keine offensichtlichen Fehler auf und auch die weniger mediagenen Aspekte Luthers werden angesprochen.

Kein Buch, um etwas über Frau von Bora oder gar Herrn Luther zu lernen, aber eine ganz nette Lektüre für zwischendurch.

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Geschrieben von Thorsten

Kategorie: Bücher

Veröffentlicht: 28. Juli 2017

I don't usually do graphic novels which means that I may be a rather incompetent critic of these works.

The Contract With God Trilogy is really more a Dropsy Avenue Trilogy, relating the history and the stories of a fictitious but quite realistic Street, more specifically of one house in the Bronx. The pictures are charmingly drawn and at their best convey the characters' innermost feelings.

Yet, the stories are often a bit shallow and tend to wallow in clichees. It may be because I am not used to graphical novels, and I must admit that I flew over many of the pages much quicker than would have been good - but to me, this novel is pleasing to read but not a real thought-provoker.

Certainly a nice gift for people with a connection to the Bronx, but not something I woould recommend for average Europeans.

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Geschrieben von Thorsten

Kategorie: Bücher

Veröffentlicht: 01. August 2017

Diane Ravitch is a historian of the (US) school system. While this does not immediately qualify her as an advisor on how to best organise schools, it does ensure that she has a thorough knowledge of the system's inner workings. Also, she has served on several (mostly conservative) think-tanks on educational matters and advised the Bush (II) administration on education reforms. She knows a lot about the subject – and what is more: she has completely changed her beliefs, thus proving that she also thinks and re-thinks her positions.

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Geschrieben von Thorsten

Kategorie: Bücher

Veröffentlicht: 19. Juli 2017