We Are Not Such Things : A Story in Search of Truth and Reconciliation read online TXT, PDF, DOC
9780812994506 English 0812994507 A gripping investigation--in the vein of the podcast Serial --that reopens the murder of a young American woman in South Africa, an iconic case that calls into question our understanding of truth and reconciliation, loyalty, justice, race, and class 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. 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. We Are Not Such Things is the result of van der Leun's four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, and compassion. The bizarre twists and turns of this case and its aftermath--and the story that emerges of what happened on that fateful day in 1993 and in the decades that followed--come together in an unsparing account of life in South Africa today. Van der Leun immerses herself in the lives of her subjects and depicts a stark, moving portrait of a township and its residents. We come to understand that the issues at the heart of her investigation are universal in scope and powerful in resonance. We Are Not Such Things reveals 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. Praise for We Are Not Such Things "What an achievement! This absorbing account of the pursuit of the truth about an infamous and symbolic crime is consummate in its reach and penetration. The great undying issues in moral forensics are here: forgiveness, reparation, restorative justice, the role of untruth. The human portraiture, the included capsules of relevant history, the evocation of real life in the townships of the Cape--all are superbly done." --Norman Rush, author of Mating "This is a murder story told with the dramatic tension of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and the precision of the very best nonfiction reporting. Each page bursts with fresh insights into the contradictions of modern-day South Africa as well as the elusiveness of finding the absolute truth." --Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy and Logavina Street "A fascinating, clear-eyed journey into the disheartening political reality of contemporary South Africa. In her pursuit of the facts behind a decades-old murder, she shatters convenient narratives about the end of apartheid and the nature of justice." --Jill Leovy, author of Ghettoside "This is a troubling, deeply felt piece of work. Van der Leun's excellent reportage reveals that things are not what they seem in South Africa." --James McBride, author of Kill 'Em and Leave "Grants the reader an extraordinary and profound privilege: the capacity to inhabit fully a place, a history, a moment, a human heart." --Jeff Hobbs, author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, In the vein of the podcast "Serial, "agripping investigation that reopens an iconic South African murder case and calls into question our understanding of truth and reconciliation 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. Justine van der Leun, a journalist living in South Africa, 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 on 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 more reflective of the complicated history of a troubled country. "We Are Not Such Things" is the result of van der Leun s four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, compassion, and forgiveness. The bizarre twists and turns of this case and its aftermath and the story that emerges of what happened on that fateful day in 1993 and in the decades that followed come together in an unsparing account of life in South Africa today. Van der Leun immerses herself in the lives of her subjects and depicts a stark, moving portrait of a township and its residents. We come to understand that the issues at the heart of her investigation truth and reconciliation, loyalty, justice, race, and class are universal in scope and powerful in resonance. "We Are Not Such Things" reveals 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.", In the vein of the podcast Serial, a gripping investigation of an iconic murder case in South Africa that has come to exemplify the process of Truth and Reconciliation
9780812994506 English 0812994507 A gripping investigation--in the vein of the podcast Serial --that reopens the murder of a young American woman in South Africa, an iconic case that calls into question our understanding of truth and reconciliation, loyalty, justice, race, and class 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. 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. We Are Not Such Things is the result of van der Leun's four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, and compassion. The bizarre twists and turns of this case and its aftermath--and the story that emerges of what happened on that fateful day in 1993 and in the decades that followed--come together in an unsparing account of life in South Africa today. Van der Leun immerses herself in the lives of her subjects and depicts a stark, moving portrait of a township and its residents. We come to understand that the issues at the heart of her investigation are universal in scope and powerful in resonance. We Are Not Such Things reveals 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. Praise for We Are Not Such Things "What an achievement! This absorbing account of the pursuit of the truth about an infamous and symbolic crime is consummate in its reach and penetration. The great undying issues in moral forensics are here: forgiveness, reparation, restorative justice, the role of untruth. The human portraiture, the included capsules of relevant history, the evocation of real life in the townships of the Cape--all are superbly done." --Norman Rush, author of Mating "This is a murder story told with the dramatic tension of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and the precision of the very best nonfiction reporting. Each page bursts with fresh insights into the contradictions of modern-day South Africa as well as the elusiveness of finding the absolute truth." --Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy and Logavina Street "A fascinating, clear-eyed journey into the disheartening political reality of contemporary South Africa. In her pursuit of the facts behind a decades-old murder, she shatters convenient narratives about the end of apartheid and the nature of justice." --Jill Leovy, author of Ghettoside "This is a troubling, deeply felt piece of work. Van der Leun's excellent reportage reveals that things are not what they seem in South Africa." --James McBride, author of Kill 'Em and Leave "Grants the reader an extraordinary and profound privilege: the capacity to inhabit fully a place, a history, a moment, a human heart." --Jeff Hobbs, author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, In the vein of the podcast "Serial, "agripping investigation that reopens an iconic South African murder case and calls into question our understanding of truth and reconciliation 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. Justine van der Leun, a journalist living in South Africa, 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 on 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 more reflective of the complicated history of a troubled country. "We Are Not Such Things" is the result of van der Leun s four-year investigation into this strange, knotted tale of injustice, violence, compassion, and forgiveness. The bizarre twists and turns of this case and its aftermath and the story that emerges of what happened on that fateful day in 1993 and in the decades that followed come together in an unsparing account of life in South Africa today. Van der Leun immerses herself in the lives of her subjects and depicts a stark, moving portrait of a township and its residents. We come to understand that the issues at the heart of her investigation truth and reconciliation, loyalty, justice, race, and class are universal in scope and powerful in resonance. "We Are Not Such Things" reveals 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.", In the vein of the podcast Serial, a gripping investigation of an iconic murder case in South Africa that has come to exemplify the process of Truth and Reconciliation