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Description edit
An acutely nuanced and original study of a state-sanctioned mass murderer. Not since Dead Man Walking have we seen so provocative a first-person encounter with the human face of evil. Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned apartheid death squads, is currently serving 212... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Psychiatrist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela interviews with Eugene de Kock, "the commading officer of state-sanctioned death squads under apartheid." Gobodo-Madikizela met up with him in Pretoria Prison in which is spending a double life sentence for acts against the country and crimes against... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Ms. Gobodo-madikizela: Head narrator of the book. Also, a psychiatrist who interviewed with Eugene de Kock. She was on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa after apartheid.
- Eugene De Kock: Commanding officer of state-sanctioned death squads under apartheid.
- Eichmann: Man involved in Nazi Germany during WWII.
- Hugo: De Kock's lawyer.
- F. W. De Klerk: A leader in the old regime, aka apartheid's last president. His full name is President Frederik Willem de Klerk. 1993 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. 1993 Time's Person of the Year (as part of The Peacemakers, represented by Yasser Arafat, F.W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela, and Yitzhak Rabin)
- Malkin: Also known as Peter Malkin; Israeli secret policeman who captured Eichmann in 1960.
- Mrs. Gishi: Also known as Ms. Elsie Gishi; widow to a war victim.
- Mrs. Plaatjie: Mother of a war victim.
- Nelson Mandela: First President in democratic South Africa.
- Ackerman: Anton Ackerman - State Attorney.John Ackerman - husband to a war victim.
- Tutu: Also known as Archbishop Desmond Tutu; appointed chairman of the Truth Commission.
- Wallace: War victim.
- Arendt: Add a description of this character.
- Doreen Mgoduka
- Mr. Mkabile
Setting & Locations edit
- South Africa: Country that experienced apartheid.
- Cape Town: City in South Africa.
- Pretoria: Home of the Pretoria Prison in which de Kock is being held.
- Namibia: City in South Africa.
- Johannesburg: City in South Africa.
- Vlakplaas: Center for death squad plots in apartheid.
- Transkei: A nominally independent homeland.
- Auschwitz: Death Camp city in World War II.
- Umtata: Capital of Transkei.
First Sentence edit
As I drove the last half-mile of the road that leads to South Africa's notorious Pretoria Central Prison, I felt a dread unlike any I had felt in my earlier visits.
Table of Contents edit
1. Scenes of Apartheid
2. An Encounter with "Prime Evil"
3. The Trigger Hand
4. The Evolution of Evil
5. The Language of Trauma
6. Apartheid of the Mind
7. "I Have No Hatred in My Heart"
Epilogue
Appendix: A Short History of Apartheid
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Forgiveness: Gobodo-Madikizela comes to a complete realization of the idea of forgiveness.
- Understanding: Describe this theme.
Series & Lists edit
Authors & Contributors edit
- Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 0618446591
Page Count: 193
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 0618446591
Page Count: 193
Awards edit
- Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Best Book of the Year)
- Christopher Award
- Alan Paton Award (2004)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 363.2092
Subjects edit
- Books › Nonfiction › Social Sciences › Sociology › Race Relations › Apartheid
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Specific Groups › Women
- Books › History › Africa › South Africa
- Books › History › Americas › United States
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Ethnic & National › African-American & Black
- Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Historical
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