No Turning Back: A Novel of South Africa

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When things become unbearable at home, twelve-year-old Sipho escapes to Johannesburg, where he has heard that gangs of children live on the streets. Surviving hunger and the bitter-cold winter nights is hard enough — but learning who to trust in the "new" South Africa proves even more difficult.Based on real-life stories of young black South Africans living on the streets, this powerful novel evokes the difficulties of changing from an old society to a new one where all young people can live in peace and safety.

Author Biography:

In 1965 as a young student, Beverly Naidoo was forced into exile from South Africa, where she had been imprisoned for her involvement in resistance to apartheid. She moved to England at the age of 22. She wrote her first children's book, Journey To Jo'Burg: A South African Story, in 1985. Although originally banned in South Africa, this acclaimed and enormously successful novel helped thousands of young readers elsewhere to understand what life under apartheid meant for children. A sequel, Chain Of Fire, followed. Naidoo is also the author of No Turning Back.

FROM THE CRITICS

Guardian

Written with valuable insight, gritty but optimistic, this is a totally believable, absorbing read. .

San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Gritty but ultimately uplifting.

San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Gritty but ultimately uplifting.

Times Educational Supplement

. . . A realistic and moving story. .

Publishers Weekly