White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots as Witnessed 8 Generations Afrikaner Family

As a distant relative of the author my primary reason for purchasing the book was to research family history which is covered in snippets throughout the book. I got more than I bargained for! As a South African I do not believe that ANY justification can ever be attempted for the criminal apartheid system. I do not believe the author attempts this. The book simply mirrors the actions and mindsets of a squabbling tribe - warts and all - to reflect another angle and enhance the world's understanding of how a 'chosen people' can come to believe they have a 'divine right' of superiority over others. There are valuable insights here that apply to squabbling communities and nations in the global village of 2003. South Africa did NOT remain an apartheid state - that is the point so many others do not get. The White Tribe - still with warts and all - helped build what is now a proud democracy. I would love to see a sequel to 'White Tribe' to gain an insight into the current mindsets of the tribe.

While sometimes this book plods along with obscure family histories (which, admittedly, is part of its purpose), it remains one of the best attempts at explaining the psychology of the Afrikaner people.Like most Africans, I had, for a long time, a knee-jerk negative reaction to the Afrikaner people and all they stood for. However, this is the book that first opened my eyes to why the Afrikaners behaved they way they did, and why they may have believed that apartheid, universally abhorrent as it was, was necessary.Please read it.