722. July's People

July's People
Nadine Gordimer
1981

Around 195 pages

July's People was banned in South Africa, which is not at all surprising, as every South African novel we read was banned at some point. The government of Gauteng Province provided the following reason for the ban:

"The subject matter is questionable ... the language that is used is not acceptable, as it does not encourage good grammatical practices ... the reader is bombarded with nuances that do not achieve much ... any condemnation of racism is difficult to discover - so the story comes across as being deeply racist, superior and patronizing."

Doesn't encourage good grammatical practices? Well, that eliminates about half the entries on the List. Although a world without Thomas Pynchon novels does have its appeal.

The novel is set during a fictional civil war in which black South Africans have violently overturned the system of apartheid. The Smales, a liberal white family, are rescued by their black servant July. Naturally, the Smales struggle with the power shift.

Often the List exposes us to the most extreme forms of racism, so it illuminating to just get a glimpse of the more domestic examples of prejudice. Gordimer provides this with the interactions between Maureen and July. It's alternative reality, but it's very revealing of the era's society. And this era's society, let's be honest.

Gordimer was only with us for a short time, but I appreciate a woman who causes a stir.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Banned in South Africa after its publication, and later under the post-apartheid government.

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