These are the titles of the poems in this book.
Weakness Revealed, The Best, Life, The Friendly Enemy, Love, Soulmate, Close, The Harsh Truth, The Sad Little Man, The Promise, Trust Be Crushed, What a Day, Dear Babe, Here I Stand, My Love, Survivor, His Grace, She Sings No More, Magical Love, Monster At Home, The Dream, I'm Sorry, I Was There, Being Me, A Soul Mate, The Guy, Fate, My Dear To Be, The Cry of a Nation, Inner Peace, Love Killed Me, In Love
Thorns of a Rose is a gripping tale of the life of a teenage girl living in Africa who is sold to a rich, old landowner in payment of a debt. Thandolwethu, nicknamed “Thando”, is enjoying her life as a student in a private mission school in her village, but is finally persuaded to go to work for Abiyosa for a short period in order to pay off the family debt. When she arrives at the Abiyosa plantation, she finds out that she is to be the next wife for this old man.
The story is set in the 1990’s, providing a shocking dose of reality about the recent state of life in some parts of South Africa. The cruelty and terror felt by Thando in her new, hopeless life is mitigated by her falling in love with Abiyosa’s young nephew. Not a story for the faint of heart, Thorns of a Rose reveals a side of life not well understood by modern city-dwellers.
These are the poems in this book:
This book is a dedicated to Ethel and Horace McCalla and John and Gladys Pryce and all their offspring.
May their love and dreams live on in the hearts of their children and their children's children.
Thanks to my nieces and nephews who were born and raised in England, as well as to the other nieces who moved there to work and study and have made it their adopted home. My hope is that the branches of the family in England will reach and intertwine with the branches that are in Jamaica , United States, Canada, and Australia.
Thanks to my nieces Fallon and Janet Pryce and my nephew Kenneth Pryce who provided me with some of the photographs and information for this book.
May all my nieces and nephews continue to live in love and unity even after the older members have passed on.
The picture on the cover was taken at the funeral of his great grandma. His comment through his tears was: “Great Grandma, with these stones I will never forget you.”
A child’s mind is full of potential for super- consciousness. Any event can either propel the mind towards great insights or scar it negatively for life. Death is a critical event in life. How a child’s mind deals with the event of death is in large part dependent on us, who are the child’s support system. By creating awareness in the child of the temporary nature of the physical body and the lasting nature of the person who resides in it, the child discovers the wonder of life. The child steers away from a negative mind by focusing on the precious quality of every moment with loved ones. He or she realizes the power of nurturing compassionate relationships with elders. Children learn to revel in the recycling of life and become positive super-conscious beings.
So too, in this heartfelt story of little Tobi, we experience within these pages the importance of family ties and the time-tested bond of love between the young and the aged. For after all, love is the true power that fuels our fascinating planet, the cosmos, and existence itself. Love keeps the world going on!
May this book be an inspiration to every little boy or girl who dares to dream.
This book is dedicated to every:
child who believes in magic and fairy tales;
parent who tries to protect their child’s innocence as long as possible;
parent who must look their child in the eye and answer the hard question;
parent who comes to the milestone where he or she has to let their child grow and experience life in this imperfect world.
Lena McCalla Njee has once again captured our hearts with the inspirational story “Ivan Goes Ivy League”. This sequel to “Ivan Gets a Dream House” captures the essence of an American story that is full of hope, faith, pride, and determination. This story of triumph over adversities crosses all socio-economic and racial barriers. It encompasses the hopes and dreams of any American family.
Ivan Goes Ivy League also does an excellent job of dispelling the myths and stereotypes of the African American family, particularly the families that are headed by a single mother. Ivan’s mother is portrayed as a strong but gentle, faith-based woman.
Lena McCalla Njee’s heartfelt depiction of the African American family is rarely seen and written about in mainstream media. It is relevant and is an important story to be told. The characters are real; you feel you know them. This story embodies our challenges, our conflicts, and our victories. Although this story portrays a new chapter in Ivan's life, it is a new chapter in each family member's life.
Ivan Goes Ivy League is a testimony of how hard work, determination, faith, and love of family can raise you above your circumstances.
Understanding Life by Kuhlula Ngobeni
This is a motivational book guiding children and adults from all the struggles of life to reaching success and restoring humanity and the natural potential of humans. This is not a story book, but it's me and you in the form of words. You can find yourself in this book. Reading it is like reading the world. This is a life guide book to invigorate and to amend you, guiding you from the downfalls of life, and to understanding the happenstance of life. The words written in this book are real. It's a life changer and life saver book of wisdom. I can assure you that after reading it your life will reflect you as an elevated person. Enjoy.
This book deals with the fullness of The Blessing that God has long planned and reserved specially for you before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
“We need to acknowledge that we are already blessed with all spiritual blessing. We have the blessing of the Lord in our lives. God is not going to bless you. No, He already has.”
This book was published by Pastor Chauke with a different cover. He also self-published "God Wants you Healed", "Rise and Be Healed", "Twelve Metaphors of the Word" and "Sweeter than Honey".
To contact Pastor Chauke, click on the following link to send him an email.
mailto:pastorchaukemm@gmail.com?Subject=Books%20you%20have%20published
From Your Village To Your City by Silver Nkomane
This book describes the actions and activities that the youth of South Africa should follow to help move them out of poverty towards a more rewarding destiny. They include being close to your family, setting achievable goals for yourself, getting the most education you can absorb, moving from the village to a place where opportunities abound, taking advantage of your talents, planning your future, overcoming temporary setbacks or failures, choosing friends and associates wisely, and being persistent and determined to succeed by making thoughtful, good choices. Many people who are born into a poor family give up on their dreams when they strike the first obstacle. However, being born into a poor family is not an excuse for failure. There is always something that can bring about a change, something that results in a better situation. If you choose to be a thug, steal property or do other illegal activity, you cannot excuse this behavior or your use of drugs or alcohol because of the stress of poverty. You can and should focus on whatever will bring you to a better future. We might have been born into a poor family, but we don't have to leave ourselves there. We don’t have to give up on our dreams because of our background. Life provides many choices. We need to stand up and make the right choices to change our situation.
The Darkest Secret of Life by Sheilah Nyakane
A young lady, daughter of a single mother, living in Letaba, Limpopo Province, South Africa, is coming of age. She misses not having a father in the family and pesters her mother to find out who her father is, where he is and the dozens of other unanswered questions. Her mother refuses to provide any details. As a teenager, this problem looms large in the daughter's life. This universal cry for knowledge about her origin will resonate in every country. The daughter's reaction to not knowing, the mother's worries and the ultimate resolution provide a glimpse of the culture in this area of darkest Africa.
Jars of Clay by Bridget Patji
Emotional trauma can have an extremely adverse effect on human behavior. Some people’s emotional wounds have been ignored for so long they have become infected. Bridget was not immune to this. She had lived her life beneath the triggers of the feelings she couldn’t express. She always said she was okay, no matter how her heart beat, no matter how long it took her to catch her breath. She was a ticking bomb. She could go from zero to sixty in five seconds flat. She always said she was okay but deep down she knew that the shackles of delayed grief, feelings of rejection and resentment, her father’s absence, sexual abuse in the hands of her “mentor”, heartbreak and experiences of cyberbullying, didn’t leave her the same person. The change had been gradual, but it felt as though it had happened all at once, a tectonic shift, a free fall.
When she embarked on her healing journey, she realized that once exposed to the light, things hidden in darkness lose their power. She felt the great jaws of fear loosening and in its place was a flicker of forgiveness, of acceptance, of moving on, a flicker of excitement and contentment of what it means to be truly whole. Her strength is a constant surprise with all the world still hers to conquer. She is in constant awe of the King who chooses and uses the weak and flawed people, and who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Teenage Thoughts of Hope by Hope Moagi Morongwa
This book contains thoughts and poems of a bright, romantic 15-year-old girl who lives in a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Hope, who called herself "Mogokolodi" when we first corresponded, submitted the first two "thoughts" and I incorporated them in another book from an author who I thought was in the same area. Hope never did see them in print. South Africa is a huge country and Limpopo Province is very large too. I encouraged Hope to send me more poems or other writing and this is the result. Hope is mature beyond her years. Her insights tell me that the youth of the world are well-educated, have universal desires, suffer similar pains and angst in their teenage years and are a delight to know.
Poems by Dipolelo Mohale
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