Book picks similar to
The Year of Facing Fire by Helena Kriel
biography
india
south-africa
africa
Africa Bites: Scrapes and escapes in the African Bush
Lloyd Camp - 2016
And thrilling. Often, that's the same thing!Lloyd Camp takes you on an evocative journey through some of the wildest places in Africa as he re-lives colourful vignettes from his adventurous childhood and long career as a safari guide. This is a charming, funny, thoughtful and often hair-raising series of short stories that illustrate Lloyd's enthusiastic delight in leading his clients into the wilderness areas of Africa. Forthright yet light-hearted, Lloyd's suspenseful narrative emphasises both his love of the African bush and the courage and resilience of the Africans that he encounters in his odysseys. In the vein of Peter Allison's "Whatever you do, don't Run", these camp-fire tales are the perfect accompaniment to your own journey into Africa or simply as a series of highly engaging stories from the comfort of your own armchair at home.
Akhada: The Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat
Saurabh Duggal - 2016
In 2000, after the Olympic Games closed with much fanfare in Sydney, legendary wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat watched, dejected and heartbroken, as the prize reserved by his state government for winners of Olympic medals in wrestling was left unclaimed. Determined to never see this instance repeated, Phogat decided to do the unthinkable. Much to his neighbours’ curiosity he spent two days digging a pit in his courtyard and asked his young daughters and nieces to join him there at the break of dawn one day. Little did they know that this unusual command from him would change their lives forever.Yet, each of their wins in the ring, every ambition he had for them, came at great personal cost. In the small village of Balali in Haryana, a state infamous for its practice of female foeticide and low literacy rates, Phogat had to battle not just deep social stigma and an apathetic government, but also a disapproving family and personal tragedy, to train the girls in his sport. Due to his efforts, the girls have all gone on to win medals and acclaim at the national and international levels, including at the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.Akhada tells the remarkable story of a man of tremendous fortitude, of a father who fought against all odds to give his daughters a future they could not have dreamed for themselves.
Dr. Ambedkar : Life and Mission
Dhananjay Keer - 1990
To highlight the importance of the role played by Ambedkar in improving the conditions of untouchables, and the constructive and leading role he played in building modern India, this timeline of events is of great help. The book talks about the crowning achievements of the man in drafting the constitution of India, and the uplifting work he remained loyal to, all his life. The author has added a genealogical table of the Ambedkar family, Ambedkar’s educational career, a list of his basic writings and a bibliography. This chronology will serve as one of the best reference works to those who are interested in Dr. Ambedkar’s influence on the advancement of the downtrodden.
Stealing Water: A Secret Life in an African City
Tim Ecott - 2008
But just six months after arriving, the family was bankrupt and evicted from their home. Funny, witty and affecting, this is a very different African memoir about how the worst of times can become the most valuable period of a person’s life. (Warning - may contain strong language)
Dark Continent My Black Arse: By Bus, Boksie, Matola... from Cape to Cairo
Sihle Khumalo - 2007
Celebrating life with gusto and in inimitable style, he describes a journey fraught with discomfort, mishap, ecstasy, disillusionment, discovery and astonishing human encounters; a journey that would be acceptable madness in a white man but is regarded by the author s fellow Africans as an extraordinary and inexplicable expenditure of time and money.As Sihle's famous counterpart Paul Theroux, author of Dark Star Safari, comments, Dark Continent, My Black Arse is uniquely an African travel story: the story of 'an African travelling on his own money and motivation, from one end of Africa to the other'. An inspiring story, it carries the following warning: Reading this book might cause you to resign from your boring job, leave your nagging / ungrateful / insecure partner, stop merely existing and start living the life you have always longed and yearned for.