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The Resource We are not such things : the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation, Justine van der Leun

We are not such things : the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation, Justine van der Leun

Creator
Author
Summary
  • Recounts the story of a young American anti-apartheid activist and Fulbright scholar who was murdered by black residents of Cape Town, who ultimately were granted amnesty and worked with the woman's parents to create an educational foundation for justice
  • The story of Amy Biehl is well known in South Africa: The twenty-six-year-old white American Fulbright scholar was brutally murdered on August 25, 1993, during the final, fiery days of apartheid by a mob of young black men in a township outside Cape Town. Her parents' forgiveness of two of her killers became a symbol of the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa. Journalist Justine van der Leun decided to introduce the story to an American audience. But as she delved into the case, the prevailing narrative started to unravel. Why didn't the eyewitness reports agree on who killed Amy Biehl? Were the men convicted of the murder actually responsible for her death? And then van der Leun stumbled upon another brutal crime committed on the same day, in the very same area. The true story of Amy Biehl's death, it turned out, was not only a story of forgiveness but a reflection of the complicated history of a troubled country. This book is the result of van der Leun's four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, and compassion. The reader comes to understand that the issues are universal in scope and powerful in resonance, revealing how reconciliation is impossible without an acknowledgment of the past--a lesson as relevant to America today as to a South Africa still struggling with the long shadow of its history.--Adapted from dust jacket
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
First edition.
Extent
528 pages
Isbn
9780812994506
Instance
Label
We are not such things : the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation
Title
We are not such things
Title remainder
the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation
Statement of responsibility
Justine van der Leun
Creator
Author
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
  • Recounts the story of a young American anti-apartheid activist and Fulbright scholar who was murdered by black residents of Cape Town, who ultimately were granted amnesty and worked with the woman's parents to create an educational foundation for justice
  • The story of Amy Biehl is well known in South Africa: The twenty-six-year-old white American Fulbright scholar was brutally murdered on August 25, 1993, during the final, fiery days of apartheid by a mob of young black men in a township outside Cape Town. Her parents' forgiveness of two of her killers became a symbol of the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa. Journalist Justine van der Leun decided to introduce the story to an American audience. But as she delved into the case, the prevailing narrative started to unravel. Why didn't the eyewitness reports agree on who killed Amy Biehl? Were the men convicted of the murder actually responsible for her death? And then van der Leun stumbled upon another brutal crime committed on the same day, in the very same area. The true story of Amy Biehl's death, it turned out, was not only a story of forgiveness but a reflection of the complicated history of a troubled country. This book is the result of van der Leun's four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, and compassion. The reader comes to understand that the issues are universal in scope and powerful in resonance, revealing how reconciliation is impossible without an acknowledgment of the past--a lesson as relevant to America today as to a South Africa still struggling with the long shadow of its history.--Adapted from dust jacket
Cataloging source
IEN/DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Van der Leun, Justine
Dewey number
305.8009687355
Illustrations
maps
Index
no index present
LC call number
DT1974.2
LC item number
.V35 2016
Literary form
non fiction
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Biehl, Amy
  • South Africa
  • Murder
  • Anti-apartheid activists
  • Fulbright scholars
  • South Africa
  • Guguletu (Cape Town, South Africa)
Label
We are not such things : the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation, Justine van der Leun
Instantiates
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Dimensions
25 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
528 pages
Isbn
9780812994506
Lccn
2015045138
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Other physical details
maps
System control number
  • (OCoLC)922909403
  • (OCoLC)ocn922909403
Label
We are not such things : the murder of a young American, a South African township, and the search for truth and reconciliation, Justine van der Leun
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Dimensions
25 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
528 pages
Isbn
9780812994506
Lccn
2015045138
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Other physical details
maps
System control number
  • (OCoLC)922909403
  • (OCoLC)ocn922909403

Subject

Library Locations

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      42.992271 -71.458785

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