What to read (and listen to) about South Africa 

SOUTH AFRICA has three capital cities; 11 official spoken languages, five of which figure in the national anthem; and 60m people who agree about little save for the brilliance of the national rugby team. It is a state with many nations. Choosing books about this bewilderingly diverse country is a fiendishly difficult job. White-run governments deliberately undereducated and silenced blacks, shrinking the pool of potential scribes. In a land of storytellers, most people have not been able to tell their own stories to a broad reading audience. The easy way out would be to pick books that tell a simple version of the country’s narrative, the Hollywood tale of redemption in which Nelson Mandela transcends the evil of apartheid, forgives whites for their sins and ushers in the rainbow nation. But South Africa is more complicated than that. And the shine has long disappeared from the rainbow. These books—and one audio series—should help readers appreciate this country of many stories.