My Son's Story

"Sonny is a teacher of mixed race. He and his wife are ... sympathetic to the plight of the 'real blacks, ' yet ambitious that they may someday be accepted by the whites. Sonny's political education begins when he's fired for helping black children demonstrate in their township. Jailed for promoting boycotts and participating in illegal gatherings, Sonny meets and falls in love with a blond, blue-eyed woman who works for a human-rights organization. Sonny's adolescent son, Will, tells the story of his father's political and erotic development, the resentments and betrayals that ensue." Newsweek. "This is a 'thoughtful, poised, quietly poignant novel that not only recognizes the value and cost of political commitment, but also takes account of recent developments of South Africa and Eastern Europe in a way that Gordimer's previous work did not.'" Christ Sci Monit. "A schoolboy playing truant bumps into his revered father coming out of a cinema with a woman."