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Harvest of Thorns
A time of turbulence and turmoil is illustrated through the coming of age of Benjamin Tichafa, a young man torn between two worlds, between two sets of beliefs, between old and new.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
42 people are currently reading
1378 people want to read
About the author
Shimmer Chinodya
12 books47 followersborn in Gweru in 1957 and was educated at Goromonzi High School and the University of Zimbabwe, where he studied literature and education. He gained an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa, USA, in 1985, a year after he had attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University.
He is the author of several books including Harvest of Thorns, for which he won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1990. His short story "Can We Talk", included in Can We Talk and Other Stories, was shortlisted for The Caine Prize for African Writing in 2000.
Other works by Shimmer Chinodya:
Dew in the Morning (1982) (Available in the AWS in 2001)
Farai's Girls (1984)
Child of War (published under the name of B. Chirasha) (1985).
Chinodya has worked extensively as a curriculm developer, materials designer, editor and screen writer. He has been awarded various fellowships abroad and from 1995 to 1997 was the Distinguished Visiting Professor in creative writing at St. Lawrence University, New York. He lives with his wife and family in Harare.
He is the author of several books including Harvest of Thorns, for which he won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1990. His short story "Can We Talk", included in Can We Talk and Other Stories, was shortlisted for The Caine Prize for African Writing in 2000.
Other works by Shimmer Chinodya:
Dew in the Morning (1982) (Available in the AWS in 2001)
Farai's Girls (1984)
Child of War (published under the name of B. Chirasha) (1985).
Chinodya has worked extensively as a curriculm developer, materials designer, editor and screen writer. He has been awarded various fellowships abroad and from 1995 to 1997 was the Distinguished Visiting Professor in creative writing at St. Lawrence University, New York. He lives with his wife and family in Harare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 13, 2020
Never underestimate the power of fiction to educate and inform. This novel is important in informing and educating young Zimbabweans about the liberation struggle. Although the characters are fictional the stories are derived from real lived experience. A great read and comical at times.
December 25, 2014
One of the greatest struggles anyone goes through, is simply to figure out who they are. There is nothing simple about this process, weighing past experience, where you come from, and your family. Shimmer Chinodya identifies the growth of oneself in a more hostile environment, the liberation wars of Zimbabwe in the late 1970's. The main character Benjamin revolts against his families' norms, of living a content quiet life, collobrating with the oppresive system of Rhodesian Apartheid. Benjamin looks to find himself, leaves his school and joins the Zimbabwean liberation armies. The book serves as Benjamins recollection of his identity, his experience in the bush fighting, his personal relationship developed during the struggle, the family he has abandoned, and the oppression he fights. Wrapped into Benjamin's identity is the story of his parents, moving to Harare, their hardships with their new life, their adoption of Christianity, their worries over their son. Benjamin survives to see a free Zimbabwe, but now finds his world and identity unresolved. He is a husband, a father, a soldier, a philospher, and a forgotten hero. Benjamin returns home to juggle his new life and forge a better future for his infant country. Harvest of Thorns story is not only endearing, but accurate and informative. This story fits well into the historical context of the plot, accurately describing the struggle of Zimbabwe's independence, colonialism in Zimbabwe, and the forgotten hero's of the independence movement. The reader must dig deep into their own experience to find themselves at the end of the novel and wonder who or what has made them the person they are today. For this credit, it is clear Shimmer Chinodya's self-reflection into his native country have created a magnificent story.
March 12, 2019
did we ever heal from the wounds of the chimurenga. did we ever compensate the peasant who lost cattle, chicken and their food in this revoluion. did the foot soldiers get a fair share of the spoils of the revolution considering some joined the war without having finished or even started school. did the traitors ever got fair justice. how did the girls who were raped ever heal. we might never get the full answers but this is the reality of benjamin tichafa's generation. shimmer did a brilliant job.
January 14, 2015
A riveting story of colonial Zimbabwe and how the struggle for independence affected one family that was also embroiled in its own struggles. How the struggle for Independence feeds off the Tichafa family struggles is mesmerizing stuff. Another great one from a great writer. Thanks VaChinodya.
November 4, 2013
I didn't know what to expect from this one, but, wow. What a powerful book.
January 9, 2026
Raised by two parents born during the dawn of an independent Zimbabwe, my life has been filled with anecdotes of what it was like to grow up during the afterbirth of a new nation. Reading this book has given me a deepened understanding of the context that preceded this new age they were born into. While I’ve heard of what it meant to live during the time of the Bush War, through my parents’ stories passed down to them by their own parents, this book really gave me a deepened understanding of the human cost of the Bush War. A real image of the context that birthed the comrades who fought, and the paths which led them to dedicate their lives to Chimurenga. A story that speaks to the condition of Zimbabwe that produces the Benjamin we meet in chapter one.
I loved the way this book was written. Chinodya strikes an interesting balance between solemnity and humour, between hyper descriptive writing and succinctness, with the occasional break in style to allow us to peer deeper into Benjamin’s mind. Every choice felt intentional and kept me engaged.
From our introduction to a man who would not speak of the war, struggling to regulate his emotions. To the ridicule of Clopas’ English at work. Shamiso’s desperation to rear a child. To the tale of a ritualistic religiosity that so easily engulfed a group already disillusioned with their place in society. Many rejecting involvement in a broken political system, finding escapism in their church. The unsustainability of a life built on rules, rather than personal fellowship with God. How this impacted their children's upbringing, all feeding into Benjamin's subsequent choice to join the struggle. This book masterfully tells an array of truths about the state of a country in transition through its description of the everyday experience of the Zimbabwean, through the lens of the lives of Benjamin and his family.
In the Bush, we see many begin the process of radicalisation in being made truly aware of their own condition of living. Elsewhere, how many had forged their lives within these confines, unable to conceptualise a life outside of white domination. This book spoke to the harsh reality of war, the children whose whole realities were war, and the many who wouldn’t live to taste freedom.
The reality of the isolation of war really hit me hard; a story of men in arms who simultaneously exist as young boys stripped of real community. The tale of internal conflict within the Zimbabwean community, a people who had to weigh up their commitment to the struggle for freedom, and their commitment to feed and protect their families. All striving to make the best of their life in a land taken by the white man.
We close where we began, dropped within the conflict of a real Zimbabwean family navigating the complexity of familial connection, while forging a path forward in a new regime. Definitely one of the most important books I’ve ever read.
I loved the way this book was written. Chinodya strikes an interesting balance between solemnity and humour, between hyper descriptive writing and succinctness, with the occasional break in style to allow us to peer deeper into Benjamin’s mind. Every choice felt intentional and kept me engaged.
From our introduction to a man who would not speak of the war, struggling to regulate his emotions. To the ridicule of Clopas’ English at work. Shamiso’s desperation to rear a child. To the tale of a ritualistic religiosity that so easily engulfed a group already disillusioned with their place in society. Many rejecting involvement in a broken political system, finding escapism in their church. The unsustainability of a life built on rules, rather than personal fellowship with God. How this impacted their children's upbringing, all feeding into Benjamin's subsequent choice to join the struggle. This book masterfully tells an array of truths about the state of a country in transition through its description of the everyday experience of the Zimbabwean, through the lens of the lives of Benjamin and his family.
In the Bush, we see many begin the process of radicalisation in being made truly aware of their own condition of living. Elsewhere, how many had forged their lives within these confines, unable to conceptualise a life outside of white domination. This book spoke to the harsh reality of war, the children whose whole realities were war, and the many who wouldn’t live to taste freedom.
The reality of the isolation of war really hit me hard; a story of men in arms who simultaneously exist as young boys stripped of real community. The tale of internal conflict within the Zimbabwean community, a people who had to weigh up their commitment to the struggle for freedom, and their commitment to feed and protect their families. All striving to make the best of their life in a land taken by the white man.
We close where we began, dropped within the conflict of a real Zimbabwean family navigating the complexity of familial connection, while forging a path forward in a new regime. Definitely one of the most important books I’ve ever read.
September 13, 2020
Benjamin like many who went off to fight in the war is presumed dead until he returns. We are taken through his somewhat tumultuous life and learn of the stories of those in his life. We get to know how he became the man he was, from costing his younger brother Peter his leg to becoming a father. We live Benjamin’s boyhood though him, puberty during boarding school, rebellion and joining the freedom fighters. We are introduced to Mr and Mrs Chitafa, his parents. The cultural and societal views of marriage and having children. They have to do a lot of ‘searching and sacrifice’ until finally, they are blessed with a beautiful baby boy.
We explore the transition of the country then known as Rhodesia during colonisation, during the liberation struggle and post war/ post colonisation. With that is a change of the landscape, the people, values and society. There is a power struggle between culture and religion, could you be both a child of God and a child of the soil? A line is drawn in the sand and people are expected and forced to choose sides. ‘You are either for us or against us’.
We see the liberation movement, as it was. The war names signalled a new beginning but also served to protect their families from being tracked and tortured. The guerillas were not just bodies on the front line, they were people with lives, lives that mattered. With the war came so much uncertainty, so much death that was not only physical but spiritual. We are reminded of the trauma, young men and women forced to grow quickly. Thrown into the struggle, no chance to acclimatise or prepare. Shimmer shows how being at war did not negate the need for human contact, sexual feelings and need, the search for normalcy.
Clopas Tichafa returns to visit his family after hearing that his son has returned, after he had long abandoned them. He expects to be welcomed back with open arms, he has so much audacity. Shimmer writes so descriptively, painting a picture with words. I felt like I was part of the story, that a lived it. In the end we have a family reunited, the birth of a new child seemingly washing away all the death and the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 26, 2019really really good. reminds me of ismail kadare at times, in the way you have these deeply sympathetic characters but it always feels like there's something just missing. like you don't REALLY get it, even though you know and care about what's happening you weren't there so you don't know. i don't really want to talk about it in terms of other african postcolonial lit cos that seems sort of reductive so i won't. it's good.
April 5, 2021
Excellent work of literature that gives one an insightful and vivid picture of the 2nd Chimurenga liberation struggle in Zimbabwe. The writer uses a lot of repetition to emphasize the struggles of this battle for freedom- the loss of comrades and cadres, the murder of families in cold blood, broken dreams of child soldiers, broken families and finding love and hope in a movement surrounded by much despair. So much to take away from this great work of art- the pain and sacrifice of the freedom fighters will forever stay. The trauma will always haunt and follow those who witnessed and participated in this grotesque war, and those who did not may never fully understand the emotional dynamics in their expanse
May 26, 2018
Thoroughly meh. This book falls into the postcolonial genre that juxtaposes the birth of a nation-state and national consciousness with the tensions with a family. Given that this type of book is frequently written by male authors, the familial tension in question tends to be sons rebelling against strict fathers while blaming their mothers for not shielding them from their fathers. While this book is reasonably well-written and has some good passages (including the scene where they execute a collaborator), I don’t find this plot particularly interesting. The notion of the formation of the nation-state as a family romance and rebellion makes sense and has been explored elsewhere (see scholarship on the French Revolution as Oedipal family romance). I think this narrative would be better told by juxtaposing women’s coming of age and consciousness within families with nation state formation. Rather than being about a triumphant band of brothers you choose over the family, the story would be about how the family and the nation state betray you both before and after identity formation.
July 7, 2016
This book is somehow powerful and painful. The writer expresses through Benjamin the hopes and aspirations of many who went out in the war in the name of independence only to come back and find himself jobless and behind his peers in all aspects. All he has are harrowing stories of his experiences in the fight against the white minority, who somehow remain in their homes in their jobs with all their privileges... and he comes back to the same house, not much has changed.
The story is engaging and emotive esp for someone from Zimbabwe who can totally relate. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Zimbabwe. In the book, we experience the struggle from a soldier's perspective rather than from politicians who where far from the madding encounters of the bush, far from the dangerous front, far from the Selous scouts, far from the enemy-copters.
The story is engaging and emotive esp for someone from Zimbabwe who can totally relate. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Zimbabwe. In the book, we experience the struggle from a soldier's perspective rather than from politicians who where far from the madding encounters of the bush, far from the dangerous front, far from the Selous scouts, far from the enemy-copters.
September 23, 2012
The Chicken Thief (2011; 340) by Fiona Leonard has been described as a political thriller of sorts. Set in an unnamed African country, it provides a different take on the struggle for independence in a southern Africa country. Though the country is unnamed, there were several flagpoles which point to Zimbabwe: for instance, the president had been in power for a long time (about twenty-five years in the story), there was a bush war that led to independence, they shared boundaries with Namibia and South Africa and other idiosyncrasies.
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2012...
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2012...
July 20, 2016
Good read; not quite timeless though. I wished it had been made international - too many Shona words which could affect understanding of key story facts for a non-Shona speaker. Great for African literature students though
January 12, 2019
This was such an aching tale, and so masterfully written. The shifts in perspective and time, what was discussed at length and what was left out, it sometimes made me put down the book so I could contemplate how *smart* they were. Highly recommend.
February 16, 2015
to understand Zimbabwe you must read this book ...
November 15, 2015
A strong story about the Rhodesia Bush War and the becoming of Zimbabwe. Recommended by our guide.
February 27, 2016
well, i have never ,well i have but this book is more than source of bravery and strength as well as determination . very strong characters though.
March 24, 2024
Harvest of Thorns is an important novel by one of Zimbabwe's most talented young writers. It marks a milestone in the history of Zimbabwe's war of liberation as documented and recounted by its writers and story-tellers.
Harvest of Thorns tells the story of a young man, Benjamin Tichafa, who grows up in the turbulence of the 1960s and, typically of his generation, experiences an adolescence dominated by political events in the country. These place an unusual strain on the relationship between what is personal and what is public. Benjamin finds himself torn in the conflicts between Christianity and Nationalism, between the demands of parental discipline and the attractions of new ideas and beliefs. Isolated and troubled, he is provoked into leaving school to join the freedom fighters. He makes his way to Mozambique where, in the crucible of a war which leaves nobody untouched, the young Benjamin develops into manhood and a remarkable maturity.
This is the prime strength of Harvest of Thorns: that it provided so fine a blend of private and public reality, and sets the writer's perception of people and situations firmly in the broad context of social and political complexity. At the same time, Shimmer Chinodya's own maturing style shows a rich blend of humour and metaphor, boldly presented with beguiling clarity.
Harvest of Thorns is a novel of great significance which will give those who read it a greater understanding of the road along which Zimbabwe has travelled, as well as indicate many of the directions ahead.
Much of this book is brutal and horrific, but it sketches an overall image of the war and is sympathetic to all parties. It doesn't turn anyone into a saint and I enjoyed the lovely and hopeful ending
Harvest of Thorns tells the story of a young man, Benjamin Tichafa, who grows up in the turbulence of the 1960s and, typically of his generation, experiences an adolescence dominated by political events in the country. These place an unusual strain on the relationship between what is personal and what is public. Benjamin finds himself torn in the conflicts between Christianity and Nationalism, between the demands of parental discipline and the attractions of new ideas and beliefs. Isolated and troubled, he is provoked into leaving school to join the freedom fighters. He makes his way to Mozambique where, in the crucible of a war which leaves nobody untouched, the young Benjamin develops into manhood and a remarkable maturity.
This is the prime strength of Harvest of Thorns: that it provided so fine a blend of private and public reality, and sets the writer's perception of people and situations firmly in the broad context of social and political complexity. At the same time, Shimmer Chinodya's own maturing style shows a rich blend of humour and metaphor, boldly presented with beguiling clarity.
Harvest of Thorns is a novel of great significance which will give those who read it a greater understanding of the road along which Zimbabwe has travelled, as well as indicate many of the directions ahead.
Much of this book is brutal and horrific, but it sketches an overall image of the war and is sympathetic to all parties. It doesn't turn anyone into a saint and I enjoyed the lovely and hopeful ending
November 1, 2019
It was a good read. The high rating made me read this. Back in Secondary school, in the early 1990s, I had read "A Child of war", by Ben Chirasa. I did that in a day. I was so intrigued by that story. Having learnt it is the same author with that other pseudonym, I decided I had to read this one too. Generally, it is informative and without doubt an important work about the Zimbabwean war for independence. The courtship of the main character's parents made me laugh all the time reading that - the letters, etc. My criticism of the book would be about those 2 or 3 chapters that are written like a dream, thoughts, or the contents of poems presumably written by the lady Ropa, whom Benjamin had met at the recruitment/ training camp. I failed to see the coherence or the flow with the main story. About the title, I thought the book would be greatly about what Benjamin would experience after his return from the war, but that chapter of his life was only slightly touched on. The story leaped into the thorns itself - his war experiences. The back story was great. Although I am not from Zimbabwe, having grown up in Africa, I can identify with some of the problems faced by the population. Highly recommended for anyone interested in life in African countries during their liberation struggles.
August 9, 2020
#HarvestofThorns by Shimmer Chinodya is one of my favourite novels. I love this novel for several reasons: My dad fought in the liberation war and he died when I was young so I never had the opportunity to hear his stories about the war.
About the book: the book’s main character, Benjamin Tichafa , leaves school to fight in the Liberation war. The book follows his transition back into society after the war. Shimmer Chinodya focuses on both the individual and societal implications of independence and new governance in newly independent Zimbabwe.
About the book: the book’s main character, Benjamin Tichafa , leaves school to fight in the Liberation war. The book follows his transition back into society after the war. Shimmer Chinodya focuses on both the individual and societal implications of independence and new governance in newly independent Zimbabwe.
April 25, 2021
Zvenyikas izvi
Second read, stolen lives. Unfortunately no redemption , evenings events have played out in real life and "part three" of the book does not need to be written. Zvenyikas have grown up everywhere and are worse.
Second read, stolen lives. Unfortunately no redemption , evenings events have played out in real life and "part three" of the book does not need to be written. Zvenyikas have grown up everywhere and are worse.
January 15, 2022
Picked this up at a used book sale in Accra, Ghana and didn't put it down for a week. Shades of Hemingway in this sparely prosed story about the Rhodesian Civil War. Chinodya is an underrated talent of African literature. Highly recommended.
May 5, 2019
Slow to start. Painful and gut wrenching.
March 27, 2020
it is a nice book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2020
Read this while I was in Zimbabwe.
Want to read
January 6, 2021its a good book
September 15, 2022
A good African literature indeed
January 6, 2023
Quite wonderful to read Zimbabwean historical fiction, however, whilst the start was promising as the story went on it was quite hard to follow and understand the story and the different characters.
June 25, 2023
Very well-written account of Zimbabwe's political atmosphere in fictional form
November 19, 2023
Very well written historical fiction on the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews