July's People by Nadine Gordimer
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(Paperback)
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
- Pub. Date: July 1982
- ISBN-13: 9780140061406
- Sales Rank: 59,400
- 176pp
Synopsis
For years, it had been what is called a "deteriorating situation." Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family - liberal whites - are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July - the shifts in character and relationships - gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
The New York Times Books of the Century, reviewed June 7, 1981 - Anne Tyler
On a superficial level, this is a wonderful adventure story. . . .On a deeper level. . .[the book] is much more than another survival story. . . .July's People . . .is so flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible.
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A reviewerby Anonymous
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December 18, 2007: 'july's people' is a stunning work of turning the tables on the positions of power in south africa. july, the dutiful and loyal servant to a white family in the suburbs of johannesburg becomes the instrument of escape from the roaming gangs of blacks who have finally realized their power in numbers and have thrown off the earlier restrictions of the 'gandi-like' non-violent approach of the older generation of mendela, biko, etc. the white family becomes completely dependent on july and his surly young friend who have the keys to the bakki, once owned by the white man for hunting. it is the bakki, driven by july that takes them to the safty of his village. the keys and who has posession of them becomes the symbol of power. the sense of utter selflessness and powerlessness that once was july's experience, now becomes the the experience of the family. the ambiguous ending is truly brilliant.
A compelling storyby Anonymous
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November 04, 2005: A challenging work on race relationship in Apartheid South Africa from the colour-blind angle that allowed light to settle on the sweet energy of a progressive South Africa . The dream of a rainbow nation must have cannot be dissociated from this book. Gordimer joined the ranks of Achebe, Tisi and Patton in contributing to the jolting nature of Africa' s jolting literature. In different ways, JULY'S PEOPLE also reminded me of DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, A BLADE OF GRASS, which are African novels with wake up call story lines.
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