[CR7]∎ [PDF] Gratis Waiting for The Rain Laurel Leaf Books Sheila Gordon Books

Waiting for The Rain Laurel Leaf Books Sheila Gordon Books

Download As PDF : Waiting for The Rain Laurel Leaf Books Sheila Gordon Books

Waiting for The Rain Laurel Leaf Books Sheila Gordon Books

This one was required reading for my son's middle school class. Focusing on two boys, one white (Frikkie), one black (Tengo)...from their beginnings as childhood friends to the ways that apartheid begain to separate then, this story is mostly compelling. It definitely held his interest but I'm not sure he would have felt compelled to read it if it was not required. SOme parts lagged and I had to keep asking questions to get him back on track.

From my perspective, I was bothered by the way the author seemed driven to twist the plot to drive home the inequities of apartheid, when a lighter touch would have sufficed.

Tengo wants to learn about the world and seems destined to be a scholar until the "agitators" force his school to become too formidable to attend, with police and security guards everywhere, with taunts from black "agitators" who scorn their peers who decide to attend school. This makes it nearly impossible for Tengo to stay the course.

Along the way, he is taken in by a kindly white family and given an opportunity to go to school. But he can't help being drawin into the ongoing political crisis, especially when relatives of his are being affected.

At times, it seemed that story lines were twsited, almost to the point of sacrificing the integrity of the plot. I found it hard to believe in some elements of the story, although I felt there was an excellent portrayal of the varying political and cultural differences amongst the blacks and the whites, from sympathetic whites to black "agitators" to those who simply wanted things to go on as they had for generations.

There was also plenty of room for discussion about the history in Africa, about apartheid and how things began to change.

Considering that this book was written by a very young author (only 15, I believe), it is amazingly well-written. Judged by the standards of good literature, however, there is clearly room for growth and maturity in Gordon's writing.

For the purposes of a school course on apartheid, discrimination, racism and social inequality, this book suffices.


Tags : Amazon.com: Waiting for The Rain (Laurel Leaf Books) (9780440226987): Sheila Gordon: Books,Sheila Gordon,Waiting for The Rain (Laurel Leaf Books),Laurel Leaf,0440226988,Friendship;Fiction.,Race relations;Fiction.,South Africa;Race relations;Fiction.,Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Fiction,Friendship,Juvenile Fiction People & Places Africa,People & Places - Africa,Race relations,Social Situations - Friendship,Social Situations - Prejudice & Racism,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Young Adult Fiction People & Places Africa

Waiting for The Rain Laurel Leaf Books Sheila Gordon Books Reviews

When South Africa was under the thumb of the apartheid rulers, blacks became deeply distrustful of racist whites of Afrikaaner descent. In many cases, a number of blacks in South Africa who had been friends with whites expressed mistrust of their white counterparts for treating black people as second-class citizens in South Africa.

In this book, Sheila Gordon tells the story of how a black man, Tengo, sees his friendship with a white man, Frikkie, shattered when Tengo denounces the injustices of apartheid and Frikkie fights to keep the social order in South Africa. A good novel illustrating the depths of the impact of apartheid on friendships between blacks and whites.
12 year old son thought is was boring. Had to read it for school...
Rare book and reliable delivery. Thanks.
Purchased this book for my kids for school. They seems to enjoy it some. I have girls, so they didn't really relate well to the story, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
I am wondering if their is an sequel to be expected, as the story left the story unfinished.
I read this book in 7th grade English and loved it so much I decided to buy it years later.
True, sad account of apartheid
This one was required reading for my son's middle school class. Focusing on two boys, one white (Frikkie), one black (Tengo)...from their beginnings as childhood friends to the ways that apartheid begain to separate then, this story is mostly compelling. It definitely held his interest but I'm not sure he would have felt compelled to read it if it was not required. SOme parts lagged and I had to keep asking questions to get him back on track.

From my perspective, I was bothered by the way the author seemed driven to twist the plot to drive home the inequities of apartheid, when a lighter touch would have sufficed.

Tengo wants to learn about the world and seems destined to be a scholar until the "agitators" force his school to become too formidable to attend, with police and security guards everywhere, with taunts from black "agitators" who scorn their peers who decide to attend school. This makes it nearly impossible for Tengo to stay the course.

Along the way, he is taken in by a kindly white family and given an opportunity to go to school. But he can't help being drawin into the ongoing political crisis, especially when relatives of his are being affected.

At times, it seemed that story lines were twsited, almost to the point of sacrificing the integrity of the plot. I found it hard to believe in some elements of the story, although I felt there was an excellent portrayal of the varying political and cultural differences amongst the blacks and the whites, from sympathetic whites to black "agitators" to those who simply wanted things to go on as they had for generations.

There was also plenty of room for discussion about the history in Africa, about apartheid and how things began to change.

Considering that this book was written by a very young author (only 15, I believe), it is amazingly well-written. Judged by the standards of good literature, however, there is clearly room for growth and maturity in Gordon's writing.

For the purposes of a school course on apartheid, discrimination, racism and social inequality, this book suffices.