Observations of an Immigrant From Africa

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Observations of an Immigrant From Africa

Name: Observations of an Immigrant From Africa
Author: Gideon Naudé
ISBN: 978-1479393398

MAKING THE CUT IN THE USA

by Gideon Naudé ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2014

An immigrant’s tale of life in South Africa and the United States that effectively draws on his day-to-day experiences and...

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A South African immigrant tells his life story and reflects on the differences between his native country and the United States.

In this unusually structured memoir, surgeon Naudé (Trauma Secrets, 1998) offers a broad retrospective of his immigrant experience. He divides it into two sections: one focused on his personal life and the other on his many strongly held opinions. He structures the second section as a series of dialogues among himself, his children and two invented characters, “liberal Sarah and right-wing Jack, loosely patterned on some of the children’s friends,” who provide context for the author’s views. The children ask questions that prompt Naudé to reminisce about his background as a white, Afrikaans-speaking South African, his medical training in South Africa and abroad, and his experience adjusting to the differences he found in the United States. Many anecdotes fall into somewhat familiar categories for immigrant literature, including language and dialect barriers; for instance, he learns that nurses in American hospitals aren’t called “sister” as they are in other countries. He also provides numerous prescriptions for what he sees as American culture’s faults, advocating punishing children for misbehaving instead of treating them for ADHD and ending affirmative action. On the whole, however, he looks positively on his decision to leave one country for another. His years in South Africa coincided with several decades of apartheid, which he touches on in the narrative (“It was one of the many instances where I, as a white South African, was acutely aware of the injustice of apartheid”) but doesn’t explore in depth. This isn’t a story of global politics, however, but a highly personal story of one man’s life. The book’s narrow focus may limit the book’s appeal, but it’s appropriate to the material and makes its dialogue structure a successful narrative technique.

An immigrant’s tale of life in South Africa and the United States that effectively draws on his day-to-day experiences and cultural views.

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2014

ISBN: 978-1479393398

Page Count: 366

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER
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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.