Sowing the Wind – Shirley van Zyl. Copyright 1986. Published by Hooome & De Villiers CC
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Sowing the wind gives an insightful look into the second Boer war 1899-1902. It describes the concentration camps set up to imprison Boer women and children whose husbands were fighting the English.
Burma and Sebian had grown up together and discovered adulthood, their paths separate, circumstances and their wilful natures steer them in opposite directions. The British invade the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic. This is a love story as well as an interesting take on the struggle between Boer and Brit. It is a story about war and suffering but also of human resilience.
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The effects of this war are felt even today and it has shaped attitudes that have had an effect down the generations.
Guerrilla warfare, scorched earth, concentration camps, the horror was real yet the book has sympathy and understanding for the Tommies who found themselves in a strange land they did not understand. It is well worth a read.