Swimming with Cobras - by Rosemary Smith (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Arriving from high society England to rural South Africa in the turbulent 1960s, Rosemary Smith is out of her depth. But when faced with the startling reality of her new home, Rosemary joins the Black Sash--the white women-led anti-Apartheid organization of which she would one day become national vice president--thrusting her into the interior workings of a country struggling violently towards democracy.

Pulled from her journals charting decades of justice work, this emotional and engrossing memoir is a reexamination of the ally, a rare insight into South Africa's democratic transition, and the inspiring true story of a community of women who set a new standard for civic responsibility and quietly changed the landscape of an entire nation.

Review Quotes

"In providing a vivid, and highly personalised account of the activities of a few extraordinary, white, middle class women in the small towns of apartheid South Africa, this book provides a new understanding of the anti-apartheid struggle." -- Jacklyn Cock (Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand)

"The book shows how a principled lifelong commitment to non-racialism, peace and justice enabled the author to find her feet - and her sense of herself." -- Rob Gaylard, The Sunday Independent

"An important story - in depth, written by one of the deeply committed. The reader will feel almost a part of the struggle against apartheid with Rosemary Smith. Her way of telling the tale of her role through all those years is engrossing. Be warned, you may be emotionally sapped after reading the dramatic sections." -- Sheridan Griswold, Mmegi

"A captivating memoir... Smith has a strong personal connection to all the stories discussed throughout the book. A well-balanced and valuable read."-- Monica G. Fernandes, Historia

"The Eastern Cape, for all its rugged landscape and cruel apartheid divisions, worked its way into the heart and head of a young English social worker. Facing its challenges, she nurtured her family, threw herself into working for justice and peace, and found herself dealing with forced removals, detentions of political activists and the viciousness of the state security system. "Found herself" indeed: Rosemary Smith's book reveals her as a woman of warmth, courage and strength." -- Mary Burton (National President of the Black Sash 1985 to 1990 & TRC Commissioner)

".... a biography of socialisation and struggle on South Africa's ever-troubled Eastern Cape Frontier...written with both candour and courage... the finest modern book written about Grahamstown..." -- Peter Vale (Professor of Humanities, University of Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Professor of Politics Emeritus, Rhodes University)

"This is not just a matter of history. It is a monument to the courage displayed by people of conscience, mainly women in the case of this -account, which set a standard for civic activism. It leaves the reader wondering if the next generation would be up to the challenge of a similar situation in the future." -- Christopher Merrett, The Witness

About the Author

Rosemary Smith started working with the Black Sash in about 1967, first in the Advice Office and then holding various positions in the organisation, including being a Vice President. At the dissolution of the membership organisation, she was employed as Director of the Grahamstown Black Sash Advice Office for five years. She is currently on a number of local boards and trusts and is chairperson of the Grahamstown Friends of the Library. She still lives in Grahamstown with her husband, Malvern van Wyk Smith, where they raised their four children. Swimming with Cobras is her first book.