Arushi Raina

A privileged Johannesburg student falls head over heels for a girl from the other side of town. The only problem is that she is Black and he is white and they live in apartheid-torn South Africa in 1976.

Four high school students whose destinies become intertwined in the search for racial equality. As the action and tension ramp up, the story closely follows the historic incidents that led to the unprecedented and bloody Soweto Youth Uprising of 1976. A Romeo-and-Juliet tale for a time when 10,000 children raised their voices and changed South Africa forever.… (more)

This own-voices YA historical fiction novel focuses on the 1976 Soweto student uprising. Raina skillfully weaves together a rich cast of realistic characters on both sides of this conflict. The story provides an opportunity for readers to learn about the history of apartheid South Africa and the students who stood up and risked it all to resist its oppressive laws. The book never strays into being didactic though, rather it leaves the reader wanting to do a little research of their own on topics like the Bantu Education Act, the Immorality Act, and the South African Students Organization (SASO). Although Nelson Mandela is only briefly referred to in the novel, hopefully students will follow this nation’s story to the end of apartheid and Mandela’s election as president almost 30 years later. Ideally students will also see the power they have to bring change like Zanele and her fellow resistors did.… (more)