OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
As Evan Lieberman takes stock of South Africa’s progress with democracy, Daniel Henning narrates with personal emotion. To provide context, the audiobook begins before the end of apartheid. But Lieberman’s focus is the election of 2019, during which he found much inequality and disaffection. Henning brings alive the grumbles of voters, people’s recollections of living with fear and tension, and the passionate slogans of political speakers. His narration hits home the many signs of poverty, such as the people picking through rubbish bins, while staying upbeat with respect to the nation’s positive direction. Lieberman shows that South African democracy has accomplished a lot but still has to overcome problems such as corruption, poverty, and unemployment. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"With a mixture of sober social science analysis and engaging personal travelogue, Lieberman defends the country’s record, particularly its ability to sustain for several decades a dynamic democracy with free and fair elections, a vibrant press, and an independent judiciary. He also ably documents South Africa’s achievements in improving education, housing, and public health, showing that, over the last 25 years, the country has mostly matched or surpassed the accomplishments of comparable upper-middle-income countries. . . . He writes lucidly about the economic and political shortcomings on which other accounts focus, but he makes an eloquent case for the remarkable progress South Africa has made in the wake of apartheid’s brutal legacy."—-Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs
"Lieberman’s analysis evaluates South Africa as a country, not as a miracle. Rather than being the bearer of the promise of democracy, the world can evaluate South Africa, Lieberman says, on its record of government performance, which has much to laud. . . . Important."—-Carolyn Holmes, Washington Post
AudioFile
His [Henning] narration hits home the many signs of poverty, such as the people picking through rubbish bins, while staying upbeat with respect to the nation's positive direction.
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
As Evan Lieberman takes stock of South Africa’s progress with democracy, Daniel Henning narrates with personal emotion. To provide context, the audiobook begins before the end of apartheid. But Lieberman’s focus is the election of 2019, during which he found much inequality and disaffection. Henning brings alive the grumbles of voters, people’s recollections of living with fear and tension, and the passionate slogans of political speakers. His narration hits home the many signs of poverty, such as the people picking through rubbish bins, while staying upbeat with respect to the nation’s positive direction. Lieberman shows that South African democracy has accomplished a lot but still has to overcome problems such as corruption, poverty, and unemployment. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
