Catching Tadpoles: Shaping of a Young Rebel

by Ronnie Kasrils

Ronnie Kasrils’s memoir reflects on compelling questions as to what turned a white youngster from a modest background into a lifelong revolutionary of note. A tiny minority who abandoned a life of privilege was the antithesis of conventionality and toeing the line. What made those such as Kasrils break all the rules and confront white power with such courage, unbridled spirit, and yearning for the truth? This is a challenging and fascinating conundrum but Kasrils will claim he is no aberration of history. The answers to that question, which unravel through twenty years, will beguile readers as he peers back with endearing frankness into the origins and experiences of his formative years. A Yeoville-born boykie with Yiddish roots, his heartfelt empathy for the underdog and an instinctive rejection of authoritarianism in school and wider society were influences informing his adult life as revolutionary activist. With a remarkable memory and flair for the written and spoken word, the narrative revels in the social, sexual, and political awakening of a roguish boy’s adventures with girls, rock music, bohemian culture, and leaping across the colour barrier. Kasrils’s tadpoles of the memoir’s title represent the submerged, often illusive tracts of memory he searches for as he delves into the mystery of his metamorphosis. This stylistic element adds to the creativity of this fourth memoir.

Genres: Biography

280 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2020

Reviews

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Gevisser's review was correct - "Unputdownable." Why do we choose different paths? Why do we choose a more difficult path when we are offered a simple route ? As a young boy growing up in Yeoville, Ronnie Kasrils kept his eyes open and asked the questions many of his peers preferred to avoid. I couldn't help asking myself if I would have followed the same path had I grown up in similar circumstances. I'd like to think so - speculation however, is simply speculation.
Catching Tadpoles is equally captivating for anybody who loves Johannesburg and wants a detailed snapshot of time and place. One of the reasons I love this city is because it attracts interesting people - and that was certainly the case when Ronnie was growing up as well.

[Patrick Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful recollection of Joburg in 40s and 50s. The close Jewish communities in Yeoville, with such recent memories of persecution The bohemian Hillbrow as a place to experience new people and ideas. These form the context for growing up in Apartheid South Africa and developing a political consciousness.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and informative account of growing up in South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s