Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter

A 1996 NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Poignant' KIRKUS REVIEW

'A rich impression of the warmth and colour of Zimbabwean family life' PENELOPE LIVELY, Booker Prize-winning author of MOON TIGER

Written as a letter from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter, a student at Harvard, Zenzele evokes the moving story of a mother reaching out to her daughter to share the lessons life has taught her and bring the two closer than ever before. Interweaving history and memories, disappointments and dreams, the novel tells the tales of Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence and the men and women who shaped it: Zenzele’s father, an outspoken activist lawyer; her aunt, a schoolteacher by day and secret guerrilla fighter by night; and her cousin, a maid and a spy.

Rich with insight, history, and philosophy, Zenzele is a powerful and compelling story that is both revolutionary and revelatory – the story of one life that poignantly speaks of all lives.

'Richly textured' ESSENCE MAGAZINE