The Special Collections Book of the Week this week is:

Plain Tales from Robben Island by Jan K Coetzee

Robben Island is—like Goree Island and Alcatraz—a place universally associated with suffering. It recalls the sacrifices of those who risked everything for the attainment of political justice. In recent times, it has come to be associated with the long imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. This book reminds us, however, that history is also made by ordinary people. It comprises a unique collection of memoirs of six political prisoners from the Border region of the Eastern Cape who were incarcerated in the general cells on Robben Island for various periods from 1964.  These life histories are testimonies to the values of hope and justice that underpin what the world has come to know as the ‘South African miracle’.

Access: https://univofpretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/45590108

This book is available at Special Collections, housed on level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library, and is part of our Africana (ZA) Collection.

The Special Collections unit of the Department of Library Services plays a stewardship role in the acquisition and preservation of the Library's rare and valuable information resources, making them accessible to students, staff and researchers, as well as safeguarding them for future generations.