A Short History of South Africa

De: Gail Nattrass

Narrado por: Sarah Jane Woodward

South Africa is popularly perceived as the most influential nation in Africa - a gateway to an entire continent for finance, trade and politics, and a crucial mediator in its neighbours’ affairs.

On the other hand, post-Apartheid dreams of progress and reform have, in part, collapsed into a morass of corruption, unemployment and criminal violence. A Short History of South Africa is a brief, general account of the history of this most complicated and fascinating country - from the first evidence of hominid existence to the wars of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries that led to the establishment of modern South Africa, the horrors of Apartheid and the optimism following its collapse, as well as the prospects and challenges for the future.

This highly listenable account is the culmination of a lifetime of researching and teaching the broad spectrum of South African history.

Nattrass’ passion for her subject shines through, whether she is elucidating the listener on early humans in the cradle of humankind or describing the tumultuous 20th-century processes that shaped the democracy that is South Africa today.

©2017 Text: Gail Nattrass; Published edition: Jonathan Ball Publishers (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Accurate and interesting description of our history.

It starts from the very beginning before RSA even had a name and covers a huge portion of our history. informed me about a lot of key figures in our history and the roles they played, good or bad, that I didn't even know about. a bit bias with how some individuals are described who did not deserve the praise and worship given, lacking on a lot of black history but makes up for it by explaining how records were destroyed when people of colour played important roles a to obscure their importance which is an accurate description of our country and how people of colour are generally treated around the world, really. I loved how it goes into detail about the lives of many white historical figures and how they helped shape our country in some really terrible and decent ways, but somehow it also seems to just glide over the personal lives of black figures, especially some of our current leaders. absolutely butchered some of the names and pronounciation of a lot of black people and places that it was a bit difficult to understand whom/where was being discussed every now and then.... Overall if you are an outsider or even a Citizen and are interested in learning about the history of our beautiful and complicated Nation, it does so really well, you'll get to learn about more than you even thought and that makes the book a must read. Elon must is a racist POS, though and I'm ashamed that he is my countryman and that he even gets an undeserved but quick praise.

Good general introduction

It was very well read - a good narrator choice. The story was interesting but quite compressed. Not the most inspiring book though.

Very informative summary.

Seems like a great background though it paints a rosy picture of the Dutch and British colonization.

Biased and misleading

This book cannot be taken seriously and was probably edited by the ANC before release