You are about to witness apartheid! The year is 1976. Your winning essay on the educational system in South Africa has attracted so much attention that the South African government has invited you and your classmates to see the system firsthand. While on a guided tour through a village, you see a mysterious figure in a window across the way. You should stay with your group, but this might be an opportunity to see the real South Africa. What will you do?
Pseudonym used by Jay Montavon. Author of fifteen books in the original Choose Your Own Adventure series, including the five-book "Secret of the Ninja" saga.
Another amazing addition to this great series. Fight for Freedom is a book with a clear message, but one that was definitely worthwhile at the time. There's only ten endings, and every page is packed full; I think this might be one of the longest books in the series, as it takes you down several branching paths to interact with several important characters. Leibold really brings South Africa to life here - the book is set in 1976, when apartheid was law. The book is not nearly as preachy as you would expect; Leibold sets up characters and situations to illustrate his points rather than state them outright. The book is obviously political. He doesn't talk down to the audience, but I wonder if younger readers would really enjoy this rather than switch to one of the space adventure books instead. This adult reader enjoyed it immensely.
This book is packed with info about the history of South African Apartheid. I find it interesting how both Leslie Morrill's illustrations and Jay Leibold's text combine to leave some ambiguity as to whether "You" are dark-skinned or light-skinned. There are fewer choices than in most Choose Your Own Adventure books, leading generally to longer—sometimes a bit too long—narrative paths.