Get Discount 5% Off
Subscribe to our newsletters now and stay up-to-date with new arrivals, updates and deals.
The Second Verse
Bokang's life is falling apart as his family spirals into poverty and conflict over his father's gambling...
- $51.63 AUD
- $51.63 AUD
- Unit price
- per
SKU:
9781960803214
Product Type:
Books
Please hurry! Only 0 left in stock
Couldn't load pickup availability
Bokang's life is falling apart as his family spirals into poverty and conflict over his father's gambling and alcohol addiction.
Author: Onke Mazibuko
Publisher: Catalyst Press
Published: 04/08/2025
Pages: 398
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781960803214
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2025
About the Author
Onke Mazibuko is a psychologist who has worked in different settings including private practice, corporate, non-government organisations, tertiary institutions and schools. Currently he works as the Director of Transformation, Diversity and Inclusion in an all-girls' private school. Onke has two masters' degrees, one in Counselling Psychology and the other in Public Health. Currently he is in his final year of a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Pretoria. He is a recipient of the Canon Collins Educational Trust Scholarship, as well as the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP - Public Health) granted by the US Department of State. He is also a Mawazo African Writers Institute Fellow. His debut novel, The Second Verse, was published by Penguin Random House in South Africa and longlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards and won in the Youth Literature category of the South African Literary Awards.
Bokang Damane is a talented outsider, a dreamer, at his prestigious school. His problems mount after writing an essay - not even a controversial essay - on racial or political issues. Just a short paper on suicide. Really? Talk about drama. Now life is just a slog of unsolvable problems. Problem #1: Not black enough for the black kids and too black for the white kids. Yep, that's what happens when you attend a pompous all boys' school and live in the suburbs. Problem #2: Family finances are a joke - they can't even afford Bokang's initiation as a Xhosa. How can he function without respect, respect that only a Xhosa man commands after the weeks-long initiation ordeal in the countryside? Problem #3: An alcoholic, gambling attorney for a father who expects the world to bend to his will or fist.
Bokang just wants to rap, sketch, and be left alone. Everyone keeps talking about Bokang reaching his true potential, but everyone also keeps getting in the way. So what happens? Boy meets girl - a beautiful girl, Nokwanda. It wouldn't be a story otherwise. But she comes with her own set of issues. Most of all, Napoleon, her hulking on again, off again boyfriend who has been known to assuage his jealousies with a good old-fashioned beat-down.
It's a fight to find the flow - a spark to rise above the raging seas of family strife and school pressure and discover a path, though fraught with danger, into the future.
Author: Onke Mazibuko
Publisher: Catalyst Press
Published: 04/08/2025
Pages: 398
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781960803214
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2025
About the Author
Onke Mazibuko is a psychologist who has worked in different settings including private practice, corporate, non-government organisations, tertiary institutions and schools. Currently he works as the Director of Transformation, Diversity and Inclusion in an all-girls' private school. Onke has two masters' degrees, one in Counselling Psychology and the other in Public Health. Currently he is in his final year of a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Pretoria. He is a recipient of the Canon Collins Educational Trust Scholarship, as well as the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP - Public Health) granted by the US Department of State. He is also a Mawazo African Writers Institute Fellow. His debut novel, The Second Verse, was published by Penguin Random House in South Africa and longlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards and won in the Youth Literature category of the South African Literary Awards.
Returns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
Shipping
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
Best Sellers
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.