A Human Being Died That Night : A South African Story of Forgiveness

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Moving
Review: I was extremely fortunate to hear Ms. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela present her book on booktv on December 7, 2003. I strongly urge you who are reading this amazon comment to seek her out and go to listen to her if she is speaking anywhere near your area. Read this book by one of the world's most remarkable women and a true seeker of peace. Judge Albie Sachs also spoke in conjunction with Dr. Gobodo-Madikizela's book presentation and I would encourage the reader to seek him out as well. These two are truly exceptional human beings.

BOOKTV description of the presentation:
A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness
from March 9, 2003
From John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, South African activist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela discusses her book "A Human Being Died That Night." A psychologist, Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela had many conversations with Eugene de Kock, the former commanding officer of the apartheid police squads. De Koch, whose nicknames include "Dr. Death" and "Prime Evil," is currently serving 212 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Much of the book is set during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings, during which both the perpetrators and their victims were given the right to be heard. Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela suggests that the TRC hearings may not have produced complete reconciliation, but the validation the victims received and the absolution they subsequently offered was therapeutic and necessary for the creation of the new democracy. Albie Sachs, a judge with the Constitutional Court of South Africa joins Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela. This program is hosted by Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit educational organization that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to teaching history by relating it to the daily experiences of the students.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Moving
Review: I was extremely fortunate to hear Ms. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela present her book on booktv on December 7, 2003. I strongly urge you who are reading this amazon comment to seek her out and go to listen to her if she is speaking anywhere near your area. Read this book by one of the world's most remarkable women and a true seeker of peace. Judge Albie Sachs also spoke in conjunction with Dr. Gobodo-Madikizela's book presentation and I would encourage the reader to seek him out as well. These two are truly exceptional human beings.

BOOKTV description of the presentation:
A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness
from March 9, 2003
From John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, South African activist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela discusses her book "A Human Being Died That Night." A psychologist, Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela had many conversations with Eugene de Kock, the former commanding officer of the apartheid police squads. De Koch, whose nicknames include "Dr. Death" and "Prime Evil," is currently serving 212 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Much of the book is set during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings, during which both the perpetrators and their victims were given the right to be heard. Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela suggests that the TRC hearings may not have produced complete reconciliation, but the validation the victims received and the absolution they subsequently offered was therapeutic and necessary for the creation of the new democracy. Albie Sachs, a judge with the Constitutional Court of South Africa joins Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela. This program is hosted by Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit educational organization that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to teaching history by relating it to the daily experiences of the students.

Rating:
Summary: If You've Ever Failed to Forgive, Read This Book
Review: I'm becoming a student of forgiveness because of this book. It details an amazing, and yet understandably human, encounter between a man who chose evil as his path, and the woman whose compassion allowed him room to turn away from it. It's the anti-Hannibal, the cure for all of the pain of the world and the evil that humans wreak on one another. If you;ve ever struggled to forgive someone, you'll find a new place to look in your heart to inspire that forgiveness after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: we could all learn ....
Review: It's a pity more of our current political leaders aren't reading books such as this one. Forgiveness, open hearts, the space to grow - how can this be anything but good? I heard Gobodo-Madikizela on NPR, inspiring me to read her book. It's amazing. I'd recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: An essential text
Review: Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's encounter with Eugene De Kock, known as South Africa's "Prime Evil" of the apartheid system-- tested her boundaries for forgiveness and compassion. It is an essential text for anyone interested in learning how--after traumatic events--it is possible to transcend feelings of revenge and move on.

Rating:
Summary: An essential text
Review: Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's encounter with Eugene De Kock, known as South Africa's "Prime Evil" of the apartheid system-- tested her boundaries for forgiveness and compassion. It is an essential text for anyone interested in learning how--after traumatic events--it is possible to transcend feelings of revenge and move on.