“Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that’s the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing. Nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him if he gives too much.”― Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country

Published in 1948, Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country was an immediate best seller and remains one of the the most well known works of South African literature. Set in the period before Apartheid, it is a powerful and moving story of Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, and Kumalo’s white neighbor, James Jarvis and his son, Arthur. Their lives become inextricably linked through tragedy and the story illustrates the racial injustice found in South Africa at the time with its attendant tensions and violence. This story is heart wrenching and may make you cry but in the end, Paton’s beautiful and lyrical prose is hopeful, inspiring, and full of humanity. This classic is well worth your time.

Content Advisory: Death, violence, racism, murder

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