The Gremlin

Book Review: Melusi’s Everyday Zulu

book review in isizulu

Melusi Tshabalala

Jonathan Ball

Review: Brian Joss

I will soon start using a few isiZulu words in my conversations with other people: they are ngibonga; phapha; popeye; nje and suza.

They come from Melusi Tshabala’s hilarious book, Melusi’s Everyday Zulu and it all started from a FaceBook post.

In the foreword, Tshalala explains why he wrote the book. Somebody else could have done it, he notes, but they didn’t. So he did. “I use my take on the world and my experience as a Zulu man who is navigating his way through twenty-first century Africa to bring words esiZulu to life in an entertaining and engaging way”.

And he has succeeded in spades.

It is entertaining with a serious message and if you think it is a dictionary, it is unlike one you have ever seen before. There are eight chapters covering all aspects of life: politics, reminiscences, current affairs, family, being a Grown-up, musings, everyday life (as a 21st century Zulu man) and everyday advice.

There is a word to suit every occasion and Tshabalala’s explanations will have you chuckling or laughing uproariously. For example, in the chapter Melusi’s Everyday Politics he discusses the word Dlisa which can have many different meanings, depending on its context and is derived  from dla which is to eat in isiZulu. Dla is also ‘spend’ as in the ‘Guptas ate our money’; Dlisa can also be generous: uZuma udlisa amaGupta”.  Another interesting word is isono to sin, or it can be pity. ‘What they’re doing to Patricia de Lille: isono, what she did to the PAC: isono, PAC: isono.

Inkomo is a cow. The plural of inkomo is izinkoma. Inkomo is also the word for people who are particularly bad at something, notes Tshabalala in the chapter Current Affairs: you can be inkomo at running a state-owned enterprise or inkomo at peeing into the toilet bowl: some men, or inkomo at driving; taxi drivers.

But, says Tshabalala, you can be inkomo at anything: sex, your job, school. However, you don’t have to remain one, work at whatever (you’re doing badly). Read up on it, practise and learn from those who are better at it than you. Iqiniso is truth. When iqinso came out that polony was the culprit in the listeriosis outbreak no-one was surprised. Even polony was like, ‘Yeah, it was me. I did it.’ One day’, writes Tshabalala, ‘we’ll look back and realise all our problems, as a nation, are polony-based.  All of them. And that’s the problem’.

Don’t expect Melusi’s Everyday Zulu to be politically correct. It is not and his wry sense of humour reflects the South African way of life, warts and all.

Here are a few comments from fans on Tshabalala’s Facebook page.  Karen Taljaard, ‘There is a Zulu in my head and I love it’. Anita de Bruyn: ‘Greatest thing that could have happened to bring all South Africans together so we can start to really understand each other and work together for a better future for everybody’.

Finally, it’s not surprising that former president Jacob Zuma had trouble with big numbers: Amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesishiyagalolunye. It sounds like something interesting. It’s not, it’s 89. 

And I say, ngibonga, Melusi Tshabalala. If you want to know what those other words phapha; popeye; nje and suza mean, then you will have to buy a copy of Melusi’s Everyday Zulu. You won’t be sorry. It will keep you entertained for hours and you will learn new words that you can try out on your colleagues.

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book review in isizulu

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Review: Learning Zulu

Nyembezi

Mark Sanders: Learning Zulu. A secret history of language in South Africa. Wits University Press 2016.

This is a book, good to read and most informative – not just teachers of language – and not only because it was my wife’s idea of a great birthday present. She was right of course, because this book is about learning the language most spoken in Southern Africa – not just in KwaZulu and our nation, but across the borders in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi – and about lots more. It’s an eye-opener for students learning the language like me, but also for citizens and others, who want to make some more sense of our situation and people. It’s very helpful, because it uncovers layers of vital knowledge and wisdom, which normally are not raised when learning a language – never mind isiZulu.

Mark Sanders is professor of comparative literature at New York University and has written extensively on South African politics, language and race issues in a scholarly fashion, enlightening, surprising and provocative. He’s come a long way from playing a minor role in that controversial musical “ Ipi Tombi ” at his school before it’s put on national stage and became the first “open to all races” concert at the Market Theatre.  However, it did get lots of flack overseas, so that the cast had to proclaim unequivocally: “Our entire cast is against apartheid.” [1]

The author goes far back even when tracing the steps taken “Learning Zulu, starting off with Bishop Colenso and his daughter Harriette, who surpassed her father in the proficiency of isiZulu and got more involved in the local politics and legalities than him when standing up for the persecuted Zulu monarchs in yesteryear.

He contrasts the two different ways of learning this language – either “the right, meet and salutary way” as proposed by the sage and somewhat purist Sibusiso Nyembezi (“Learn Zulu” and “Learn more Zulu”), who states: “ Kudinga ukuba sifunde ngokucophelela .” (It is necessary that we read with great care) (44) or the depreciative and discriminative Fanagalo [2] : “With Fanagalo, as with the language Crusoe teaches Friday, we have an archetype of racist exploitation, and of a dehumanising of blacks by whites…” (24).

In this scholarly research, the professor shows how the initial project of “making good for historical wrong” through learning language becomes somewhat the opposite during apartheid after the ideologues have changed the purpose of language to separate the people into distinct and apart groups. Language becomes the basis for ethnic identity and separate development (Apartheid). This was very different from the initial object of getting into isiZulu. A fascinating example of the “revolt of nature” (Horkheimer).

During his long road to learning Zulu, Sanders searches for the initial owner of his 2 nd hand copy “Learn more Zulu” and finds a German Lutheran Hedwig Eschen born in Germany in 1925 and working on the mission station Emmaus in Natal from 1953. “In 1974 the Berlin Missionary Society seconded her to the Bible Society of SA to help with the translation of the Bible into Swati.” (36) Just as Sanders learnt Zulu when studying Xhosa, so Hedwig learnt Swati as she was learning Zulu. The Swati Bible was published in 1996 and so Hedwig returned to Germany and before she departed, “she donated her books to the South African library.” (ebd.)

He addresses several other dictionaries and grammars e.g. P.W. Wanger (My father’s favourite and not only because it’s in delightful German, but also in such great detail and meticulously rich in examples and insightful diversity of fauna and flora, history, custom etc. Wanger was a Trappist monk from Marianhill 1917) and Doke’s “Textbook of Zulu Grammar”, “ IsiZulu soqobo ” etc.

Sanders goes into Zulu novels, written by his teacher Sibusiso Nyembezi: “The Rich Man from Pietermaritzburg” and especially “ Mntanami, Mntanami ” contrasting them with Alan Paton’s “Cry, the beloved country”, which is translated into isiZulu by the same Nyembezi. Both have the theme of paternal protest, but deal differently with the guilt and debt involved. Whereas Paton attaches strong positive value to rustic paternalism, Nyembezi cries out loud for the coming generation. Paton values the great language abilities of Jarvis – the white protagonist and the “good white man’s exceptionality” as does Nyembezi, but the latter demonstrates in his translation, how this exceptionality remains flawed and somewhat foreign, politically and morally ambiguous to say the least [3] . J.M. Coetzee calls it “Phantom Zulu” and others “Bible Zulu. It remains fascinating, how these novels reflect remarkable differences, subtleties and highlights (51ff), which Sanders picks up, because he is an attentive reader, good listener and able to argue his point too. An excellent example of a teacher if ever there was one.

Here’s an example of his insightful musings: “One learns, and then one thinks that one knows. Is it possible, in all rigor, to speak or write without claiming to know, or even to know better? There have been times when I have, imagining I know more of the language than them, assumed toward my race-kin the air of superiority and election hardly different from what one discovers in Colenso and other missionaries of his era. Learning Zulu seeks to emphasize learning – and that means relinquishing the profession to better knowledge if it connotes moral superiority. One may attempt to make good, but finally one cannot make oneself good. That is in the hands of the other.” (63 cf. 67)

And another for good measure: “This fear – a projected fear of being deprived of one’s language – is something that Khumalo appears to disavow, but he has already uttered the word ukuncima, as if the one whom “Nyembezi” has made good, threatens to become, if not his better, perhaps then his rival. Is this outcome generalizable – to all the fears of a deprivation of substance, and their allied mutual fearful projection, of fathers and sons afraid of mutual annihilation that besets these Cold War books, which leads to the phantasy of the murder of the father and the murder of the son?” (68)

Johnny Clegg – the “White Zulu” or “The White Zulu Man” (81) and his Zulu mix and music from “Juluka” and “Suvuka” fame is contrasted with the above-mentioned musical by introducing his “secret history” (82) e.g. studying under the very David Webster, who presented Sanders teacher in Jozini, Musa Mthembu, with a “bed as parting gift” (85) and wrote in his diary before his infamous assassination something well worth considering by all those, who want to learn Zulu and learn it well: “It is clear to me that my Zulu needs a ton of improvement. It must go very high on my list of priorities.” (86)

The book takes another fascinating tur, when Sanders addresses the “100% Zulu Boy” (96), who is now our president accused, but declared innocent of rape of his deceased friend’s daughter. In this chapter Sanders addresses the quandary arising, if we try to be 100% Zulu – even if not along the lines of Antjie Krog’s “Begging to be black” (96) – and the president tells us, what it really means to be a Zulu man especially in relationship with women and girls. Questions about Zulu identity and inter-personal relationships are answered by him in a way, that makes one sceptical of the exemplary role of being Zulu and talking Zulu well.

The president on his part argued that he and his Zulu tradition and culture were on trial. The victim – herself a declared lesbian – dared to contradict and question these values as outdated and illegal even. The issues were complex and not only because one of the opposing parties was obviously lying in the face of the other, while the other was just as obviously being taken for a ride. Who was who and what was the truth? The Afrikaans judge, who switched to isiZulu as he passed judgement, switched codes and played on certain symbolism himself keeping the attempts at explanation, interpretation and evaluation very academic and rather ambiguous. Sanders brings in Foucault for clarification: “being a point at which sex becomes a subject’s truth, object-choice can be used as a verifiable fact in order to test whether a subject is telling the truth.” [4] (104)

The fact that the victim’s mother was brought in, because she was legible for compensation and reparation by the offending “uncle” ( Malume ), didn’t make things easier to understand. “The codes of ilobolo and i nhlawulo reduce everything to a set of heterosexual assumptions, functioning within a patriarchy, but more importantly – like the idea that if one is raped one must be a lesbian – they tend in practice to leave aside, or negotiate away, the matter of consent.” (109) In the end, Zuma put his Zulu education on the line. Waetjen and Mare evaluate this as a feeble excuse on his part and his cheap attempt to demonize a “vindictive woman” by declaring it a Zulu cultural commonplace to equate leaving a woman in a state of arousal as being “tantamount to rape” (112) [5] . Perhaps De Beer puts it best: “That is not Zulu tradition, it is Zuma’s tradition.”

The final chapter of this 200 pages book deals with the xenophobic attacks of 2008, which also had a very “Zulu” spin, touch and flavour. Sanders put’s this as a problem and wants to find out, whether this was inherently Zulu or just projected on to them as a suitable “black sheep in the family” cf. Inkatha. He describes, how foreigners are tested in public and on the road by letting them utter “Shiboleths” of archaic and somewhat obscure Zulu custom. Making “Zulu the language of xenophobia. Zulu is being used to discriminate against, and to deprive.” (117)

Sanders shows how 2 very influential editors in Zulu national Daily’s (Professor O.E.H.M. Nxumalo in Ilanga and Ngeso LikaVolovolo in the Isolezwe ) took their stands addressing this issue again and again as these attacks on foreigners unfolded across the nation. This is a very fascinating bit of research on current affairs and reveals issues hidden to those, who can’t read Zulu daily magazines and are not privy to the insiders take on domestic matters in the Zulu landscape and ethnic enclaves and backrooms. Sanders shows that he’s got a good sense of humour, but also that he really does want to “Learn Zulu” to make things good – and not just sweep black spots of “secret history” under the carpet of “political expediency.”  In the end, he comes to a surprising judgement. Just read and see!

My highest accolades go to Sanders and I really do recommend this book to all, who want to make it good and continue learning the language of “Ubuntu” and the path to the other through this or that language.

[1] Chapter 3 goes into this history in greater detail, (74ff) but these words by Matthew Bodibe are quoted on page 77.

[2] Fallitaal, Tsotsitaal (69)

[3] “In an excellent essay on Paton, Tony Morphet shows how that fear (inherited from our forebears WW) arises from unacknowledged feelings of guilt connected to a history of colonial dispossession.” (56)

[4] “If the truth of culture is produced by the expert, say the ethnographer, just as it will have been produced by “customary law”, then propositions about culture, like those about sex, become subject to procedures of verification.” (107)

[5] The fact that Zuma compared himself to Jesus going to Calvary is not just megalomaniac, but idolatrous.

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book review in isizulu

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This novel focuses on the life experiences of Siphikeleli. Brought up by Velazeke Mahlathini, he is unaware that his biological father is a known criminal and social miscreant, Bhekezabantu Buthelezi, who had an affair with Siphikeleli's mother MaMthembu. Siphikeleli encounters numerous challenges in life, including his girlfriend Thobile, who does not want to be with him anymore. Even though he seems to have so much on his plate, these challenges are eventually resolved. More significantly, his promise to Thobile, that only death will keep them apart, is fulfilled.

book review in isizulu

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Umphefumulo ongenacala: Zulu novel (Zulu Edition)

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Umphefumulo ongenacala: Zulu novel (Zulu Edition) Paperback – January 31, 2014

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  • Print length 140 pages
  • Language Zulu
  • Publisher Pelmo Books
  • Publication date January 31, 2014
  • Dimensions 6 x 0.32 x 9 inches
  • ISBN-10 192064718X
  • ISBN-13 978-1920647186
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pelmo Books; 1st edition (January 31, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Zulu
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 140 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 192064718X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1920647186
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.32 x 9 inches
  • #271,022 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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Isizulu: Scholars Isizulu Dictionary (Revised Edition)

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How to Write a Book Review: Awesome Guide

book review in isizulu

A book review allows students to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas. Check out this guide from EssayPro - book review writing service to learn how to write a book review successfully.

What Is a Book Review?

You may prosper, “what is a book review?”. Book reviews are commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the novel. And to check if the students have actually read the book. The essay format is highly important for your consideration, take a look at the book review format below.

Book reviews are assigned to allow students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or passage. They are a form of literary criticism that analyzes the author’s ideas, writing techniques, and quality. A book analysis is entirely opinion-based, in relevance to the book. They are good practice for those who wish to become editors, due to the fact, editing requires a lot of criticism.

Book Review Template

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

  • Introduction
  • Describe the book cover and title.
  • Include any subtitles at this stage.
  • Include the Author’s Name.
  • Write a brief description of the novel.
  • Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
  • Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.
  • Use about 3 quotations from the author’s novel.
  • Summarize the quotations in your own words.
  • Mention your own point-of-view of the quotation.
  • Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.
  • In brief, summarize the quotations.
  • In brief, summarize the explanations.
  • Finish with a concluding sentence.
  • This can include your final opinion of the book.
  • Star-Rating (Optional).

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How to Write a Book Review: Step-By-Step

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

how to write a book review

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

  • What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
  • Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
  • Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
  • Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
  • Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
  • What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

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Dive into literary analysis with EssayPro . Our experts can help you craft insightful book reviews that delve deep into the themes, characters, and narratives of your chosen books. Enhance your understanding and appreciation of literature with us.

book review order

Writing Tips

Here is the list of tips for the book review:

tips for book review

  • A long introduction can certainly lower one’s grade: keep the beginning short. Readers don’t like to read the long introduction for any essay style.
  • It is advisable to write book reviews about fiction: it is not a must. Though, reviewing fiction can be far more effective than writing about a piece of nonfiction
  • Avoid Comparing: avoid comparing your chosen novel with other books you have previously read. Doing so can be confusing for the reader.
  • Opinion Matters: including your own point-of-view is something that is often encouraged when writing book reviews.
  • Refer to Templates: a book review template can help a student get a clearer understanding of the required writing style.
  • Don’t be Afraid to Criticize: usually, your own opinion isn’t required for academic papers below Ph.D. level. On the other hand, for book reviews, there’s an exception.
  • Use Positivity: include a fair amount of positive comments and criticism.
  • Review The Chosen Novel: avoid making things up. Review only what is presented in the chosen book.
  • Enjoyed the book? If you loved reading the book, state it. Doing so makes your book analysis more personalized.

Writing a book review is something worth thinking about. Professors commonly assign this form of an assignment to students to enable them to express a grasp of a novel. Following the book review format is highly useful for beginners, as well as reading step-by-step instructions. Writing tips is also useful for people who are new to this essay type. If you need a book review or essay, ask our book report writing services ' write paper for me ' and we'll give you a hand asap!

We also recommend that everyone read the article about essay topics . It will help broaden your horizons in writing a book review as well as other papers.

Book Review Examples

Referring to a book review example is highly useful to those who wish to get a clearer understanding of how to review a book. Take a look at our examples written by our professional writers. Click on the button to open the book review examples and feel free to use them as a reference.

Book review

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is a novel aimed at youngsters. The plot, itself, is not American humor, but that of Great Britain. In terms of sarcasm, and British-related jokes. The novel illustrates a fair mix of the relationships between the human-like animals, and wildlife. The narrative acts as an important milestone in post-Victorian children’s literature.

Book Review

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’ consists of 3 major parts. The first part is all about the polluted ocean. The second being about the pollution of the sky. The third part is an in-depth study of how humans can resolve these issues. The book is a piece of non-fiction that focuses on modern-day pollution ordeals faced by both animals and humans on Planet Earth. It also focuses on climate change, being the result of the global pollution ordeal.

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How To Write A Book Review?

What to include in a book review, what is a book review, related articles.

How to Write a Summary of a Book with an Example

17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

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What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

  • A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
  • A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
  • A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.
His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.
This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.
This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.
I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.
The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.
Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.
An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.
Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.
The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.
As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.
This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.
Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.
Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.
Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.
In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.
♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.
Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.
“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!
This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.
The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.
Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.
I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.
The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.
I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.
I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”
Holy hell, what did I just read??
➽ A fantasy military school
➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history
➽ Shamans and gods
➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters
➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors
That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.
Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).
Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?
In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.
Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.
The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.
Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.
Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”
Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.
All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.
The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.
Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.
In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.
To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5
SUBJECT: 4/5
CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5
RELEVANCE: 3.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5
“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.
Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.
This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.
I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.
And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.
She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.
I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

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IMAGES

  1. iTHEMBA LAMI (NOVEL) IsiZulu 9781868731381

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  2. Isizulu Sethu Grade 10 Learner's Book

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  3. Via Afrika isiZulu Home Language Grade 6 Learner's Book

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  4. The Isizulu: A Revised Edition of a Grammar of the Zulu Language; With

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  5. isiZulu Handbook And Study Guide

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  6. New Generation Isizulu Esicwengekile Grade 7 Learner Book

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COMMENTS

  1. Book Review: Melusi's Everyday Zulu

    Jonathan Ball. Review: Brian Joss. I will soon start using a few isiZulu words in my conversations with other people: they are ngibonga; phapha; popeye; nje and suza. They come from Melusi Tshabala's hilarious book, Melusi's Everyday Zulu and it all started from a FaceBook post. In the foreword, Tshalala explains why he wrote the book.

  2. IsiZulu Language Learning (31 books)

    Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa (24% of the population), and it is understood by over 50% of its population. [4] It became one of South Africa's 12 official languages in 1994. [5] According to Ethnologue, it is the second-most widely spoken of the Bantu languages, after Swahili. Like many other Bantu languages, it ...

  3. New short fiction: Fred Khumalo's debut isiZulu short story

    The JRB presents new fiction from novelist and memoirist Fred Khumalo. This a first for both The JRB and Khumalo: it is Khumalo's debut short story in isiZulu, and the first time we've featured a story entirely in a language other than English. Khumalo's books include Bitches' Brew, Touch My Blood, #ZuptasMustFall and Other Rants and, most...

  4. Nakanjani G. Sibiya (Author of Shosholoza)

    Nakanjani G. Sibiya. Born. Gcotsheni, Eshowe, South Africa. Genre. Fiction. edit data. Nakanjani G. Sibiya has authored several volumes of isiZulu short stories, novels, drama and co-authored or edited numerous anthologies of short stories and poetry. His debut collection of short stories, entitled Ikusasa Eliqhakazile, won the JL Dube Award ...

  5. PDF U Zulu: Umlando Nobuqhawe BukaZulu (The history and heroism of ...

    Book Reviews lends credence to the supposition that the book was never critiqued, particularly by seasoned scholars in the field of history. Subjecting it to high levels of intellectual and ... The Isizulu version of the book might accommodate the majority of South African citizens. However, a large segment of the global community might be ...

  6. These new books teach Zulu using comics

    Last year, #Trending introduced you to illustrator Siya Masuku, who's using illustrations to help children (and adults) learn isiZulu. Soweto-born Masuku uses his educational book Siyafunda (We Are Learning), which features 25 lively animals for each sound in the isiZulu alphabet, to teach children in a fun way.

  7. Review: Learning Zulu

    Mark Sanders: Learning Zulu. A secret history of language in South Africa. Wits University Press 2016. This is a book, good to read and most informative - not just teachers of language - and not only because it was my wife's idea of a great birthday present. She was right of course, because this book…

  8. The Isizulu: A Grammar of the Zulu Language

    The Isizulu: A Grammar of the Zulu Language ... Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book! Community Reviews. 4.00. 2 ratings 0 reviews. 5 stars. 1 (50%) 4 stars. 0 (0%) 3 stars. 1 (50%) 2 stars. 0 (0%) 1 star. 0 (0%) Search review text. Filters. No one has reviewed this book yet. Be the first. Join the discussion ...

  9. ZULU Language Learning: Isizulu

    The Book Contains: Picture book details All 26 ZULU Alphabets accompanied with a picture that describes the first words/sight words for respective alphabet; A Perfect Bilingual Early Learning & Easy Teaching ZULU Books for Kids; The book features English phonetics, the commonly used word in ZULU words English phonetics and its associated ...

  10. Ngigcina Isethembiso (isiZulu novel)

    Ngigcina Isethembiso (isiZulu novel) This novel focuses on the life experiences of Siphikeleli. Brought up by Velazeke Mahlathini, he is unaware that his biological father is a known criminal and social miscreant, Bhekezabantu Buthelezi, who had an affair with Siphikeleli's mother MaMthembu. Siphikeleli encounters numerous challenges in life ...

  11. IsiZulu children's book reading (and review ...

    Book review with your Zulu aunty Book: "Intombazane Enemibuzo engu-21" by Boitumelo Mothupi📚 Just finished reading "Intombazane Enemibuzo engu-21" and I'm a...

  12. (PDF) Reading and the orthography of isiZulu

    IsiZulu is one of the 11 official South African languages and falls under the Nguni cluster. Like other African languages, isiZulu has agglutination patterns, meaning that it is often modified by ...

  13. Incwadi Yenkonzo Nezingoma: Zulu Methodist Hymn Book

    Write a review. Share Tweet. CODE: 689755004479652. Options: iSiZulu. Price in points: 199 points. Reward points: points. Shipping time and rates: ... This is a Christianly teaching book, written in iSiZulu language. Le ncwadi yi fundisa ku xula izingoma. Hymns and orders of service for various occasions. Not limited to Methodist use only.

  14. isiZulu

    September 18, 2018 September 29, 2018 Jennifer Malec Leave a Comment on [The JRB Daily] Fred Khumalo to publish a book of short stories in isiZulu—uManzekhofi Nezakhe Kwasukela Books, a new publisher dedicated to isiZulu fiction, has announced Fred Khumalo's isiZulu debut, uManzekhofi Nezakhe.

  15. Literature in African Languages: Books

    The books listed below are available at the E.G. Malherbe Library (Dbn) and the Cecil Renaud Library (Pmb) Some examples of literary dictionaries and encyclopedias are: Encyclopedia of African literature. Shelf number: Dbn: R 809.896 ENC; Pmb: R 809.8896 GIK. Scholar's Zulu dictionary : English-Zulu, Zulu-English.

  16. IsiZulu Books

    WE ARE ONE — R 150. MPUMI AND JABU'S MAGICAL DAY — R 150. CORY IN THE UNIVERSE — R 180. KWEZI: COLLECTORS EDITION 1 ISSUES 1-3 — R 160. GOD'S DREAM — R 150. SHUDU FINDS HER MAGIC — R 120. 1 2 3 … 10. This Ethnikids collection includes children's books written in Isizulu.

  17. Umphefumulo ongenacala: Zulu novel (Zulu Edition)

    How customer reviews and ratings work Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don't use a simple average.

  18. Cyril Lincoln Sibusiso Nyembezi

    Books. Inkinsela yaseMgungundlovu. Cyril Lincoln Sibusiso Nyembezi. Shuter & Shooter, 1994 - South Africa - 204 pages. "Le noveli ixwayisa ngobugebengu. Ixoxa ngoNdebenkulu ethi yena usiza abantu ngokubathengisela izinkomo zabo kubelungu bezindali nabamasilaha kanti uyabagebenga."--Back cover.

  19. Isizulu: Scholars Isizulu Dictionary (Revised Edition)

    Isizulu: Scholars Isizulu Dictionary (Revised Edition) 9780796033314. Estimated delivery 3 - 7 days dependent on stock availability. R 167.00. Available on backorder. Add to cart. ISBN: 9780796033314 Categories: Brescia Grade 10, Brescia Grade 11, Brescia Grade 7, Brescia Grade 8, Brescia Grade 9, Brescia House School, School Book Lists.

  20. My First Zulu ( isiZulu ) Alphabets Picture Book with English

    Editorial Review. We love that the book is not cluttered, most books have too much information listed in one page. Not in this series, here everything is simple and clean. If you are looking for an easy and simple way to teach children the basics of Zulu ( isiZulu ), this is the book series to go with. There are no distractions information is ...

  21. How to Write a Book Review: Definition, Structure, Examples

    The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. Introduction. Describe the book cover and title. Include any subtitles at this stage. Include the Author's Name. Thesis. Write a brief description of the novel. Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.

  22. Shaka Zulu: The Biography of the Founder of the Zulu Nation

    A fascinating book about a fascinating man and culture. I was left with the feeling that, had Shaka been living in, say, Europe and been white he would have been heaped with long lasting praise as an innovator, master tactician, talented General and empire builder - he would be spoken of in the same terms as Napoleon or Alexander The Great or the armies of Rome.

  23. 17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

    It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking. Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry's Freefall, a crime novel: In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it's a more subtle process, and that's OK too.