The Assassin: A Story of Race and Rage in the Land of Apartheid

Book Description

The untold and heartbreaking account of the man who killed South Africa's architect of apartheid, one of the most dramatic political assassinations in modern history.

If ever one individual could be said to have embodied the tragedy of apartheid, Dimitri Tsafas would be that man. At a time when color was all, Tsafas, bastard son of a Greek father and an African mother, was untouchable -- too black for the whites and too white for the blacks. Stateless, homeless, and loveless, on September 6, 1966, he entered South Africa's Parliament and stabbed Prime Minister Hrik Verwoerd four times with a long knife, killing the architect of apartheid, the architect of Tsafas's misery.

Now, in a masterful restoration, Henk Van Woerden re-creates the assassin's cursed life and the impossibly torn society that created him. Unwanted by black or white family, denied the right to settle wherever he turns, Tsafas drifts from sea to prison, from kitchen hand to street vor, from Mozambique to Greece and Canada, and back to South Africa. With sensitivity and passion, Van Woerden traces the inexorable road that leads to Verwoerd's death, and reveals that the assassination -- a resounding blow in the war against apartheid -- was not the random act of a crazed individual, but perhaps the only choice left in a country itself gone mad. Powerful, tragic, and compelling, The Assassin is both a devastating indictment of oppression and a cautionary tale of the explosive power of racial hatred everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

The Life of the crazed assassin Tsafendas........2005-03-25

The killing of Prime Minister Verwoerd of South Africa in 1966 was considered a blow against white supremacy. In fact, it was the work of a crazed assassin who was acting on his own notions.
The assassin Tsafendas was a half breed of Greek/black descent who was torn apart between both races. His illegimacy was also a source of tension in his life. Both factors contributed to stress on his mind and the result was the killing of the Prime Minister of South Africa.
This was a little known event in the rest of the world but traumatic in South Africa. Tsafendas by thrusting his knife into Verwoerd demonstrated his hatred of a system that hurt him.
Tsafendas was a lunatic, but his action showed the resistance of some to white supremacy. The book is a short but good read about a little known event.

sad, but true.......2001-11-27

Demetrios Tsafendas' life was one of rejection, depression, yearning, and mental illness. Try as he might, he could not fit in. Nor could he get acceptance for his bi-racial heritage. The author, Henk Van Woerden, writes a succinct biography of the man who murdered Hendrik Verwoerd, the "architect of apartheid". He peppers his story with his own perceptions of the South African policies that destroyed communities in order to segregate the races. South Africa's policies, however, of separating the black and white races (among other races and ethnicities), left those of mixed heritage with nowhere to go - not accepted by either race. Tsafendas lived in this nowhere land.

a book that hurts.......2001-09-03

A really beautiful book that makes you feel sorry for the assassin and for the country of South Africa.

Henk van Woerden describes the life of Demitrios Tsafendas who killed the South-Afrcan prime minister Verwoerd in 1966. Demitrios was born in Mozambique from a Greek father and a black mother, a fact that haunted him for the rest of his life: there was no place where people really accepted him en his existence was a series of deportations (Mocambique, South Afrika, USA, Greece, Portugal) and rejections (by his father, his stepmother, his stepbrothers and -sisters and a potential wife. No wonder that this would make a human crazy. In the end he destroys the roots of evil by killing the face of apartheid.

In between all this we can read the writers own experiences during a number of visits (1989-1998) to South Africa, the country where he lived from age 9 to 21. There is no reason to celebrate: a torn country full of violence.

Average customer rating:
The Assassin: A story of race and rage in the land of Apartheid
Henk van Woerden
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Apartheid | Race Relations | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OTI9GE

Book Description

One of the most important functions of modern government is to marshal and deploy resources to achieve desired objectives and outcomes. This task is overseen by the Central Budget Agencies (such as Ministries of Finance and Treasuries) which have the responsibility of generating tax revenue and controlling and allocating public expenditure.

This extensive comparative study investigates the changing nature and role of Central Budget Agencies (CBAs) in ten countries, reflecting a spectrum of different institutional and constitutional contexts. Eighteen expert contributors offer detailed accounts of the various trajectories that have occurred within their respective CBAs, set against the changing political environment in which they operate. A recurring theme throughout is an evaluation of the power and agenda-setting roles of CBAs, assessing how their influence has grown or waned over time. An important feature of the book is that each chapter attempts to incorporate external scholarly analyses with internal practitioner views.

The original research presented in this book provides a new window into the world of CBAs, adding an important contribution to the scholarly research on public finance and government budgeting. It will also assist many CBAs to re-evaluate their roles and contributions to public budgeting and public sector management. This volume is required reading for anyone wanting to gain greater insight into whether CBAs really are the best guardians of the public purse.

Book Description

A lavishly illustrated compendium of military hardware covers everything that fought in the air, on the ground, and on the seas during World War II. There are more than 500 separate items of equipment used between 1939 and 1945, from combat handguns to massive aircraft carriers. More than 600 full-color artworks accompany entries that feature a detailed history of each weapon's design and development, along with a full specifications table that includes performance, dimensions, armament, and crew details. A must-have for military buffs.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2006-03-09

This is an outstanding reference for any WW2 fan. I would definately suggest it to anyone.

question for earlier reviewer.......2005-09-04

You, with your 20+ years experience: good review from a professional or semi-pro, but your review was very frustrating because it states that there are better books out there but doesn't say what they are. If this is only a C+, what's the A+ book that you're judging it by? I'd rather have that one.

this book is awsome.......2004-05-12

This book is really awsome, it has all the info you will ever need, buy it

General purpose average book at best!.......2004-03-04

Thie repeat is to add a little more and to correct one part of my previous review. I tried to edit my last review 4 times but it never showed up: [Correction - The 40mm Bofors is included but has no artwork or pictures and the information on the most lethal medium range AA gun of the war is barely adequate.] This book is a mixed bag. Its well organized and easy to follow and read with above average numbers of very nice color plates and pictures. However, dont expect *every* weapon that played a part in the war, or very well could have, to be included yet some weapons were included that didnt even take part. On the naval side it lacks a lot! Missing ship classes: BC Dunkerques, BB Queen Elizebath (which includes the BB Warspite which had a very active career), BC Hood, BC Andrea Doria, BC Caio Duilio, CA Baltimore, SS Salmon/Sargo, CL Atlanta, BC Kongo, BB Nagato, BB Ise, BB Tennessee, BB New Mexico, BB Nevada, etc..etc.. Dont expect much in the naval sections at all except some repetitive entries of the same class of ship and skimpy numbers of entries for the rest. On the land weapons side its not bad but not spectacular. Some entries are included that are very interesting and not often seen in other books but other critical entries left out and another part that was missing that I feel should have been included are naval anti-aircraft guns which, like usual in many books, are ignored even though they were VERY critical in the war. The details are not bad for what IS included but it is DEFINITELY not (as shown on the cover fold) "the most detailed" of its class of military book... not even close. This book is very much like slapping together a bunch of general purpose military weapons books covering single topics that are NOT comprehensive and putting them in one book. The details are about the same as in any other general purpose weapons book.. no better. It is also not the most comprehensive. In the end this is a book that is worth about $20 as a general purpose book for a WW2 weapons enthusiast. On a scale of A-F its a C+ at best. Note: I have been researching military weapons for over 20 years and own a wide range of books of varying detail level levels and quality. Thanks for your time in reading this review.

General purpose average book.......2004-03-03

This book is a mixed bag. Its well organized and easy to follow and read with above average numbers of very nice color plates and pictures. However, dont expect *every* weapon that played a part in the war, or very well could have, to be included as some weapons were included that didnt even take part. On the naval side it lacks a lot.. for example the book leaves out the following ship classes: BC Dunkerque, BB Queen Elizabeth (the BB Warspite had a very active career), BC Hood, BC Andrea Doria, BC Caio Duilio, CA Baltimore, CL Atlanta, BB Nevada, BB New Mexico, CB Alaska, BB Nagato, BB Ise, BC Kongo, SS Salmon/Sargo, etc..etc.. Dont expect much in the naval sections at all except some repetitive entries of the same class of ship and skimpy numbers of entries for the rest. On the land weapons side its not bad but not spectacular. Some entries are included that are very interesting and not often seen in other books but other critical entries left out and another part that was missing that I feel should have been included are naval anti-aircraft guns which, like usual in many books, are ignored even though they were VERY critical in the war. The details are not bad for what IS included but it is DEFINITELY not (as shown on the cover fold) "the most detailed" of its class of military book... not even close. This book is very much like slapping together a bunch of general purpose military weapons books covering single topics that are NOT comprehensive and putting them in one book. The details are about the same as in any other general purpose weapons book.. no better. It is also not the most comprehensive. In the end this is a book that is worth about $20 as a general purpose book for a WW2 weapons enthusiast. On a scale of A-F its a C+ at best and that is only due to some moderately good sections covering aircraft and land weapons. Note: I have been researching military weapons for over 20 years and own a wide range of books of varying detail level levels and quality. Thanks for your time in reading this review.

Average customer rating:

Best but could be better
Review of Military Small Arms of the 20th century.
Definitive
Most Comprehensive Ever!
very imformative book

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
Ian V. Hogg , and John S. Weeks
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Firearms & Weapons | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0873418247

Product Description

by Ian Hogg & John Weeks Latest edition. Fully updated and expanded. Covers all small arms in military service during the 20th century. Includes many arms listing, photographs not appearing in earlier editions. Recognized internationally as the leading authority on military small arms. Coverage includes: pistols, sub-machine guns, bolt-action rifles, automatic rifles, machine guns, anti-tank/material rifles and ammo. Small arms of 46 countries are covered. Over 800 Photographs and illustrations. 416 pages, soft cover.

Customer Reviews:

Best but could be better.......2007-04-15

I have had this book for a number of years and, although the research is excellent, it does indeed have substantial typo's and reference errors as if the material was compiled by a staff editor who knows nothing about firearms and has not taken the trouble to make simple corrections. Many firearms are omitted and some included, however revolutionary and ground-breaking they are not always representative of the whole. Furthermore, the entire category of combat shotguns has not even been addressed but anti-materiel rifles have, which are undeniably interesting but only a small part of the whole. The organization is good as are the photographs but I would have made a number of editing corrections as a previous reviewer has noted (I have written in the corrections in my own volume). I rely upon this volume for information but often double check the facts through other sources as the glaring errors reduces my confidence in this as a comprehensive reference. As a reference book writer myself, I have written to the publisher offering to edit an 8th edition should such a thing be in the works but of course there is no profit margin for a slightly corrected version of a popular volume. My edition is so heavily thumbed and used that I will likely acquire another and not balk at the price but would gladly pay more for an accurate reference.

Review of Military Small Arms of the 20th century........2007-04-03

Actually I was being lenient with 3 stars... It is an incomplete work with HUGE gaps on vital basics, leaving out prominent manufacturers and models manufactured, and above all, grossly wrong on stats on some items. Mr Hogg needs to do a lot of further work before he can claim it to be a quality reference work of note.

Definitive.......2006-03-24

This book lives up to its name. It provides an overview of the 20th Century. Lots of photos for reference. Exactly what I thought it would be.

Most Comprehensive Ever!.......2003-08-19

This is truly the first and last book when it comes to 20th century small arms. Ian Hogg does it again as he categorizes weapons by type then country. Every gun is included from WWI to 1990.

This book is black and white but the photos are good, and he has some for some very rare guns.

Each gun is accompanied by a photo and a chart laying out the facts. Each gun also contains a few paragraphs of history and review as to how it should be placed in history. For example the MG42 is rightfully hailed as the best machine gun of WWII, while the M16 is ridiculed as reason we lost Vietnam.

I'm read a lot of gun books and this one is the best because of Hogg's writing, and the fact that it is the most comprehensive I've ever seen. He doesn't just include his favorite guns but every gun ever used in 20th century combat.

The HK G11 cover is also impressive.

very imformative book.......2003-07-21

When I purchased this book abut a year ago, I didnt know anything about firearms. I read the whole book and really enjoyed it. The reason i gave this book only 4 stars was because it does miss some firearms (Ian Hogg's health was deterioationg at the time of its writing). With the purchase of Jane's gun Recongnition Guide, written also by Hogg, I found that I was missing very little in my knowledge of military firearms.

Average customer rating:

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century

Manufacturer: Arms and Armor Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0882544365

Product Description

A comprehensive illustrated encyclopedia of the world's small-calibre firearms, 1900-1977

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Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks
Manufacturer: DBI Books 1985
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SKVQ3M

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Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
Ian V. hogg
Manufacturer: Arms & Armour P
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0853683018

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century - Fully Revised 5th Edition - a Comprehensive Illustrated History of the World's Small Calibre Firearms

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Military Small Arms of the 20th Century - Fully Revised 5th Edition - a Comprehensive Illustrated History of the World's Small Calibre Firearms
Ian V. and Weeks, John Hogg
Manufacturer: Arms & Armour Press A&AP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TYUY26

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 5th edition.

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Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 5th edition.

Manufacturer: DBI Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H7OE9Y

Soviet Russian Postwar Military Pistols and Cartridges 1945 - 1986 History and Development of Imperial and Sovirt Russian Military Small Arms and Ammunition 1700 - 1986 Volume Sixteen

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Soviet Russian Postwar Military Pistols and Cartridges 1945 - 1986 History and Development of Imperial and Sovirt Russian Military Small Arms and Ammunition 1700 - 1986 Volume Sixteen
Fred A. Datig
Manufacturer: Hand Gun Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
John; Hogg, Ian V. Weeks
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K3LXBM

Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition

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Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition
Ian, and John S. Weeks Hogg
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LNT1LU

Book Description

Jose de Olivares, the recent Acting Deputy National Director of the Job Corps program, offers his Streetwise Strategy--Practical steps for bringing disenfranchised teens off the streets and back into mainstream society. This important work is a necessary manual for teachers, parents and anyone concerned about the well-being and the future of America's youth.

Customer Reviews:

Everyones a critic.......2005-10-23

Nominally I would take at face value and trust the review given by Publishers Weekly (above). IN this case though, I believe the public would be given a disservice if some of the finer feautures of the book were not pointed out. PW might be too myopic about writing style rather than a concerted focus on the issues this book tackles. I would wholeheartedly recommend 'Bring Them Back Alive' to any person involved in youth advocacy, for any parent concerned with their teen in any way, for any person who seeks to understand the state of mind of todays disenfranchised youth. It is ironic that as the use of the Internet adds a dazzingly real and potentially profound twist in the stages of development for teens as a potent force of influence, that there would seem to be no main throught stream in juniour adult psychology yet to address this burgeoning issue. Perhaps it shows how little we know. This, in fact, has always been the case of we representative adults and always been the main gap between adults and teens. How little we know and how much we choose to selectively forget about our own formative years. This has been the focus on this book. i.e. How to better understand and overcome that gap. The book doesnt use complex jargon based on demographics and studies and analysis or heavy wording or flow charts, but nor does it waver towards the overly simplistic. It cuts across and dissects both to reveal a mosaic look on the complexities of the problem of teens gravitating towards trouble in our society, and suggests that the best way to tackle the problem is to have your tack motivated from an angle of understanding first. It does not offer easy solutions or "tough love" type geared answers and anyone reading it should be prepared to roll up their sleeves a little. It is too bad that Publishers Weeekly ignored the real and complex elements this book tries to tackle and its tantamount importance to society. It is a formidable effort to treat one of North Americas most neglected and underscored issues with intelligence, respect and know-how. Perhaps Publishers Weekely feel this type of book is not worth its time nor do they feel the effort towards the problems it attempts to assuage are worth sustaining. Like a teen itself, this book deserves a good chance at understanding as long as you dont overlook the complexity of what it tries to tackle and you are prepared to take a little bad mixed in with the good. Anyone who works with youth or intends to , any parent, any person with disenfranchised youth living in their community, or any one person who seeks to read a book by an author with his finger gently on the pulse of todays youth should read this book. It is a must have for your library. Thanks to Amazon for allowing readers to post reviews and accolades to this book! - Max Stelmacker, BC, CANADA

Book Description

For more than half of his long life, composer Roger Sessions was a commanding figure on the American musical scene. He enjoyed the solid respect of his peers, and as a teacher of a generation of composers and author of compelling writings on his craft, his influence on musical thought remains profound. Yet, even in his lifetime, his music endured vastly disrespectful neglect. He was a "difficult" composer. Sessions was well aware of it. In a New York Times article, he wrote, "I have sometimes been told that my music is 'difficult' for the listener. There are those who consider this as praise, those who consider it a reproach. For my part I regard it as, in itself, neither one or the other...it is the way the music comes, the way it has to come." The way Sessions's music "had to come" is a recurrent focus of this biography. As the story is told, often in the composer's own words, the complex picture emerges of a remarkable man who, gradually and not very willingly, learned to accept his unexpected lot as a "difficult" composer. Frederik Prausnitz, an acquaintance of Sessions and conductor of his work, combines personal and musical insights to present this fascinating portrait of an influential, yet often overlooked, modernist composer.

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