livsliterarynook's review
4.0
Emma Mashinini's story is one of courage, of defiance and of heartbreak. By the end of the book I was crying. This is the second time I've read this book and despite the fact its for my studies, it gets to me every time.
Emma Mashinini tells the tale of her upbringing where her parents went through a split whilst she was in her teen years. She spoke about her early marriage and her time as a housewife that did not work on. Then she spoke about being a single, working mother and the hardships she faced. She also spoke about her achievements as she rose through the ranks in the work place to become a shop steward, to represent her fellow workers. She eventually went on to set up her own union CCAWUSA (Commerical, Catering, and Allied Workers Union of South Africa) and the struggles she faced there. She spoke with great love towards her family and her second husband, Tom Mashinini. Then she also touched on her traumatic detention period and dealing with the aftereffects of this imprisonment on her mental and physical health.
The autobiography is short, but it gives a real flavour for Emma's life and the struggles that she and many other black people faced in apartheid South Africa. It makes my heart hurt to think about it, but I think more people need to be aware of these kinds of books, to read this kind of books and understand the struggles other people went through.
Emma Mashinini tells the tale of her upbringing where her parents went through a split whilst she was in her teen years. She spoke about her early marriage and her time as a housewife that did not work on. Then she spoke about being a single, working mother and the hardships she faced. She also spoke about her achievements as she rose through the ranks in the work place to become a shop steward, to represent her fellow workers. She eventually went on to set up her own union CCAWUSA (Commerical, Catering, and Allied Workers Union of South Africa) and the struggles she faced there. She spoke with great love towards her family and her second husband, Tom Mashinini. Then she also touched on her traumatic detention period and dealing with the aftereffects of this imprisonment on her mental and physical health.
The autobiography is short, but it gives a real flavour for Emma's life and the struggles that she and many other black people faced in apartheid South Africa. It makes my heart hurt to think about it, but I think more people need to be aware of these kinds of books, to read this kind of books and understand the struggles other people went through.
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