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Rating: 
Summary: A Rare Gift
Review: This biography chronicles the life of an inspiring Afrikaner who, breaking away from the privileges of his family's background, sacrificed everything for his cause. Fischer's spirited dedication to human rights should provide great insipiration to all those who have ever fought for civil rights. The true treasure in this book is Clingman's ability to see symbolism in even the smallest details of Fischer's life. What an invaluable gift this book is to the Fischer family and to South African history. Truly, this book is a fascinating read.
Rating:
Summary: A Rare Gift
Review: This biography chronicles the life of an inspiring Afrikaner who, breaking away from the privileges of his family's background, sacrificed everything for his cause. Fischer's spirited dedication to human rights should provide great insipiration to all those who have ever fought for civil rights. The true treasure in this book is Clingman's ability to see symbolism in even the smallest details of Fischer's life. What an invaluable gift this book is to the Fischer family and to South African history. Truly, this book is a fascinating read.
Rating:
Summary: Superbly researched, beautifully written & deeply inspiring
Review: This book is a work of top class scholarship. But when, probably at 4:00am, you finally put it down you'll feel like you've been reading the most perceptive poetry or listening to the most beautiful music. Like the Pablo Neruda inspired debut Juluka album (Universal Men) it weaves a commitment to truth, a reverence for what's most nobel in the human spirit and a feel for tragedy and transcendence together with real wisdom and what can only be described as melody. And, although this book is written with the almost clinical economy of style that characterises J.M. Coetzee's work, there is a passionate undercurrent almost as intense as the more explicit passion of a writer like Frantz Fanon.Bram Fischer, the Afrikaner Communist who is the subject of this book, was never as romantic a figure as Che Guevarra, Frederick Douglass or Steven Biko but Clingman is so aware of the drama and promise of everyday life that this book ends up being far more engaging than Jon Anderson's recent biography of Che Guevarra. The book does have its flaws - for example Clingman's understanding of the South African black consciousness movement is poor - but in a strange way the flaws are part of what give this book its character. That's because this book is about struggle and the flaws make the reader aware of Clingman's stuggle to understand and explain Fischer and his country. So while you're reading about Fischers' struggles and South Africa's struggles and being inspired to think about other struggles Clingman's occassional slip ups make you aware of the author's struggle and leave you inspired by his tremendous, although not total, success. This book is important and valuable in itself. It's also an important work of history which, given the extent to which apartheid and 'postapartheid' mimic the new world order (global apartheid?)is profoundly relevent to life in 1999. Buy this book, immerse yourself in its riches until they become part of you, and you'll be a better person.
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