Books with title Chain of Fire

When the villagers of Bophelong are forced to leave their houses and resettle in a barren "homeland," thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother join in a school demonstration and learn that the South African government treats even children who dissent with brutality.Betrayed by their chief, who has sold off their homes, impoverished Naledi and her friend Taolo, inhabitants of a divided South Africa, form a fierce student opposition to the oppression of their people

When the villagers of Bophelong are forced to leave their houses and resettle in a barren "homeland," thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother join in a school demonstration and learn that the South African government treats even children who dissent with brutality.Betrayed by their chief, who has sold off their homes, impoverished Naledi and her friend Taolo, inhabitants of a divided South Africa, form a fierce student opposition to the oppression of their people

This gripping novel of a black town's resistance to the white South African government's plan to forcibly remove them to their "homeland" hundreds of kilometers away blazes with rage. Naidoo focuses on Naledi, a teenage girl, and her growing awareness of the depth of the hatred that has created the apartheid system. As Naledi and the other townspeople become more deeply involved in the resistance, casual cruelties, gross indignities, brutal atrocities and, perhaps most horrifying of all, betrayals from within mount. Chain of Fire is not easy reading, nor should it be; it tackles tough issues head-on and presents them with superb dramatic tension. Readers will fear for Naledi and her friends, cheer them on, weep with them and, when their tale is done, have a deeper appreciation for how precious freedom is.