Country of My Skull
"Ever since Nelson Mandela dramatically walked out of prison in 1990 after twenty-seven years behind bars, South Africa has been undergoing a radical transformation. In one of the most miraculous events of the century, the oppressive system of apartheid was dismantled. But how could this country - one of spectacular beauty and promise - come to terms with its ugly past? How could its people, whom the oppressive white government had pitted against one another, live side by side as friends and neighbors?"--BOOK JACKET. "To begin the healing process, Nelson Mandela created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by the renowned cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Established in 1995, the commission faced the awesome task of hearing the testimony of the victims of apartheid as well as the oppressors. In this book, Antjie Krog, a South African journalist and poet who has covered the work of the commission, recounts the drama, the horrors, the wrenching personal stories of the victims and their families. Through the testimonies of victims of abuse and violence, from the appearance of Winnie Mandela to former South African president P. W. Botha's extraordinary courthouse press conf
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Afrikaans poet and SABC reporter Antjie Krog covers South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission for two years. She blends survivor testimony, perpetrator confession, and her own reckoning with apartheid.
Yes. Country of My Skull is Antjie Krog's nonfiction account of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in the late 1990s. Krog reported on the hearings for South African public radio. The book combines reportage, memoir, and poetry.
Yes. The 2004 film In My Country, directed by John Boorman and starring Juliette Binoche and Samuel L. Jackson, is loosely based on Country of My Skull. The film fictionalizes elements of Krog's reporting.
Country of My Skull was written by Antjie Krog, published in 2002 by Three Rivers Press.
Country of My Skull is 312 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Country of My Skull takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Country of My Skull is a standalone novel by Antjie Krog, not part of a series.
Country of My Skull is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.