Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country

by Barron's

Cry, the Beloved Country is a beautifully told and
profoundly compassionate story of the Zulu pastor
Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set in the
troubled and changing South Africa of the 1940s.

The book is written with such keen empathy and
understanding that to read it is to share fully in the
gravity of the characters' situations. It both touches
your heart deeply and inspires a renewed faith in
the dignity of mankind. Cry, the Beloved Country is
a classic tale, passionately African, timeless and
universal, and beyond all, selfless.

113 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I forgot how powerful this book is. Without, giving anything away, this is a wonderful tale of a great man's journey to connect with his family. Going to the big city, leads him through a path of murder, sorrow, and oppression. True pride within one's self as good people live and work for their love of their country. Even in the face of sorrow, we can reach above ourselves to do amazing things, both good and bad. This both has both!!! I love the tone of this book, how it changes as the character do.

[Raina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of its charm comes from the unique perspective of the narrator, however the innocent savage lost in an ever changing colonized Africa reads differently when reconciled with the fact that the author was a white European man. This is the story of how white people save POCs from the problems they themselves created, and while it may stand in its time as a call to action to end apartheid, as a whole I wouldn't call it a good story. The writing style is primitive (further stereotyping the native main character) the narrative is slow paced, many of the native and female characters are never given names, and the double standard between men and women is appalling.