A Man Who Is Not A Man recounts the personal trauma of a young Xhosa initiate after a rite-of-passage circumcision goes wrong. With frankness and courage, this powerful novel details the pain and lifelong shame this protagonist experiences as a result not only of the physical trauma, but the social ostracism from being labeled 'a failed man.' He decodes the mysteries of this long-standing cultural tradition and calls to account the elders for the disintegrating support systems that allow such tragic outcomes. But it is also through this life-changing experience that the protagonist is forced to find his strength and humanity, and reassess what it really means to be a man.
Thando Mgqolozana (born August 27, 1983, Cape Town) is a South African novelist. His novels include A Man Who is Not a Man (2009), Hear Me Alone (2011), and Unimportance (2014). He was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans (2016) and a Mandela Rhodes Scholar (2006). His is the co-author of Inxeba: The Wound (2018), an Oscar-shortlisted, record breaking film. He is the founder of Abantu Book Festival, a hallmark annual literary event staged in Soweto.
Title: A Man Who Is Not A Man
Author: Mgqolozana, Thando
ISBN: 9781913175023
Binding:
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press
Publication Date: 2021-01-12
Number of Pages: 256
Weight: 0.2501 kg
Highly original. - Nadine Gordimer His straightforward no-frills prose tells an effective story of a botched circumcision and its consequences. - Zakes Mda, Sunday Independent A brave book, triumphant and a testament to the indefatigable will to live. - Mail & Guardian