The Way I See It: The Musings of a Black Woman in the Rainbow Nation

by Lerato Tshabalala

Lerato Tshabalala first came to our attention in 2011 with her 'Urban Miss' column in the Sunday Times, and since then she has by turns entertained, exasperated, amused and confounded her fans and critics alike. Now, with her first book, she looks set to become the national institution she deserves to be. With her customary wit and keen insight into social, political and cultural affairs, Lerato shines a bright - and controversial - light on South African society and the quirky ways of the country. She is brutally honest about her experiences as a black South African in post-apartheid Mzansi, and no subject is too sacred for her to annoying car guards, white-dominated corporate South Africa, cultural stereotypes, economic and racial inequality, and gender politics, among many other topics, come under her careful - and often laugh-out-loud - scrutiny. The Way I See It is written for people who are hungry for a book that is thought-provoking, funny, irreverent and truly South African all at the same time. It is light but full of like a supermodel with an MBA!

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2016

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrary to published media reviews, the book is not lamentations of the author about black service providers. That is one essay in a collection of 17. SEVENTEEN, my people.
5 pages in a 212 pager. Get it!

Lerato writes in a light conversational manner. It felt like a heart to heart with the girls.

The essays felt like a glimpse into my life. A life which only a black South African woman who came of age in post-apartheid South Africa has experienced. A life of one who had to navigate between a posh private boarding school with a normal township life. We did it. It was no biggie. Those experiences became a part of who I am today. Those experiences allowed us to imagine a life better than our parents'.

No subject was too taboo, in my view. Some experiences had a deja vu overlay and some were like "Yeah, she said it!".

I loved her frankness. Her open approach to her experiences. They were not sugar coated nor laced with malice. Yes, we live in challenging times and yet we continue to dream of bigger and better opportunities.

Nothing was left out from dealing with maids as a black woman to sex, social media and finding her place in the Rainbow Nation. Cultural and political barriers which we navigate in our daily lives. Language barriers. Some things are better said in IsiZulu or SeSotho. English sometimes just is not punchy enough!

I loved her delivery. Her laid back narration. Her insight into being YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK.

I highly recommend it.

[Zanele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where a group of three or more South African, corporate, black, middle class women are gathered there are bound to be emotive debates about relationships....sex....nanny drama....lack of transformation in the workplace...making money....EFF or some political analysis...bad service from black service providers...hair...and the list can continue. Reading Lerato's book feels a lot like amusing at a screengrab of these debates. Lerato decided to bravely capture her views on an array of these and similar topics, some of which will make you cringe....yes...both the topics and her raw views.

The cringe effect is what is most exciting about the book. The fact that she calls "a thing a thing" and the uncensored way she does it will upset and offend you when you disagree......however you will scream "batjele gal" when she validates your secret thoughts..hehehe..I had many of these.

Whatever your trip, you can't miss the reality that is South Africa in this book....the disregard in the office...the ambiguity at home....the ignorance on social media.....the costly freedom....the guilt of black success......the absence of colour in privelege......the awkwardness in the extended family.....the living in two worlds......the racism in a grin.

Most entertaining though is the humour in the delivery when you get it.

Grab a read. At best you will question or defend your perspectives or better yet get new ones...at worst you will have one more book to add to your mountains of things!

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost abandoned this book during the first 40 pages. It just wasn’t my thing – not interested to hear all about her sexual experiences etc. However, I decided to persevere and the very next chapter, about race, was excellent – especially The 15 Things White People Should Know about Black People – Reloaded! There were one or 2 chapters after that which didn’t grab me, but on the whole it was interesting and a worthwhile read for me. I am on a mission to familiarise myself with what makes the majority of people in my country tick and operate, and this was a start. I think young South Africans would really enjoy it- for me it was enjoyable overall but I wouldn’t rave about it. For anyone who dislikes swearing, don’t touch it – but she warns you upfront.

[Zozo Mogoera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embrace yourself for my review...

Wow...what a read. I didn't take to this book at first. My first attempt was hurried. I decided to have an open mind the second time around as Lerato was coming to our bookclub review. I am glad I did.

For me this was not just the musings of any black woman but a woman I can compare & contrast my experiences & my outlook with. We both grew up in the township, went to primary school in the township and attended a multi racial (although mine was actually referred to as a non-racial, what ever that meant) high school. So this was personal. I could really relate to most of the experiences in the essays and often found myself reminiscing. There was however 1 story that did not ring true though, for me, that is. The painter who subtly threatened to steal the T-shirt and backpack if she did not give the items to him. Never happened to me or don't know anyone or heard of anyone it happened to.

However, what I realized is that the incidents she mentioned, the people, the books, movies, TV shows, the songs etc. that she refers to are the minimum that everyone in our generation who was atleast half awake, half paying attention and pretending to learn over the years should know.

It's general knowledge things, news that made serious headlines or memes that made serious rounds. The books and movies are classics that everyone should have read or watched. "To kill a Mocking Bird, Diary of Anne Frank, Shawshank Redemption, Star wars (yes), or the author Harper Lee, Roald Dahl or Chinua Achebe. I therefore found myself googling every personality or movie or any word I did not know or was unsure about. I had to google Vernon Koekermoer (vile creature), found myself on Wikipedia reading through the plot of the movie 'Green Mile", hell I had to google the lyrics of Sammy's Sunday evening dedication song to his ex on Metro Fm, Destiny by Dave Hollister...itjoo hope Tryphina forgave him. Some I am even embarrassed to admit I had to Google. E.g The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Brighton Ngoma.

I used my dictionary a lot, as I realized hore Lerato is a clever writer, she subtly uses words yo make her point or a joke. So if you don't understand the phrase, you will truly miss the depth of the point she is making e.g if you don't know the Napoleon Syndrome, you'll never understand that the stud in the essay was also dealing with "short people complex". If you have not watched Star Wars, you'll not understand the mind tricks the dude was using.

So I used up lots of data on this book, atleast the book itself is one of the more affordable ones on our bookstore shelves.

Reading this book, I wish I had made it a point to travel in my younger days when I was still more open to positive influence. I am going to make it a point to know my wines (not just drink what my friend brings, no questions asked) & know my cheeses (more like eat more cheeses (is cheeses even correct), just because I can, why not. No more calling Garlic Baguette, garlic bread...hell it even says baguette on the packaging.

The dialogue scenes were hilarious and spot on. I could just see Trevor Noah incorporating these in his shows, infact from this whole book, Trevor Noah can trump up a helluva show.

But mostly, I realized that these were not just musings, they were intended to stimulate self: reflection. She was saying "this is what I think or how I see it, what about you?, do you share my view or do you disagree? Have a view, have an opinion!!.

There's however one typo I can't forgive her for: The 2014 Highest paid CEO's. Because of the typo, the #2 on the list, Nico Durante earned more than #1. R188 mil instead of R118 mil. This should have raised the eyes of the editor, who like me would have googled this stat to just make sure & would have obviously spotted the error. Just saying, what are editors for?

All in all, a clever written book, thought provoking and I hope it will inspire all its readers to yearn for more, to question more bust most of all to find every reason to be patriotic citizens despite our South African issues. Just to irritate Lerato "I am a South African", I hope soon, it will be "I am an African"

[Deborah Theunissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightfully honest look at the beautiful people of South Africa, that I am very proud to call home. There is no taboo subject and although our author has a bit of a potty mouth, I really enjoyed her down to earth honest opinions and insights into a very unique culture that is growing in the new South Africa. We can all learn from her candour to make this a better place and change where we need to.

[Lydia Nkutha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reluctant to buy the book because of the negative publicity, but the book is actually not a bad read. I like that it's written in a simple way, and there's a lot of truth to it.

[Blessing Chisvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually loved it! Loved her style of writing thought she was sitting there telling me these stories when I read the book. Well done

[enyanyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, especially while traveling in South Africa.

[Ruvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining (many a good laugh to be had), yet thought provoking at the same time. This book makes some serious points but is not to be taken too seriously at the same time. I love the author’s candid style and lack of inhibition to tackle those topics which don’t usually make for politically correct discussion.

[Alison Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My true rating is 3.5 stars.
Sassy, fresh, shocking.
Want to read about how life really is lived in SA?
My full review on : https://wordpress.com/post/thebooksmi...

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ! Very honest content. I'm now a big fan of Lerato Tshabalala!!

[Lerato Thabede · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the honesty in this book.

[Mapule Mokoto · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think most of the book has what I already knew, it wasn’t at all informative - it’s just the kind of stuff you have casual conversations about with friends and it’s almost as though some chapters in the book were borrowed from such conversations, it wasn’t necessarily personal or unique

It was relatable but not exciting at all

[Zoleka Mbilini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Loved Lerato’s style of writing. Every chapter was relatable. Definitely a modern narration of South Africa. Laughed at some truths and frowned at the generalisation.

[Joy Smog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrary to popular belief, the book is not a dedication to poor services provided by black-owned businesses. Tshabalala addresses a variety of issues from her perspective in a witty, humorous, filterless, unapologetic, zero-f***s given kind of way. She does warn us of cussing and constant digression in the book (and she doesn't hold back honey!). I suppose she was not gunning for a prestigious literature award anyway. Race, friendships, situationships, money, family characters and much more are topics she delves into. I guess the controversy surrounding this book is a reminder that we should always use our own discretion when reading any review (or piece of writing for that matter!). Yes we see you Sunday Times!

[Gerda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this South African book for South Africans about South African issues

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be required reading for all South Africans. No sacred cows here. Eye-opening in parts.

[Yyj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loooooved this book!!! I identified so much with the authors experiences & shared many of her opinions!! I cannot wait to read future books from her.