Combining autobiography and fiction, this collection of intersecting short stories focuses on South Africa's middle children — the offspring of master and slave, commonly known as ‘Coloureds.” Sabah has light skin. At age sixteen she decides to pass as ‘white” in order to get into a restricted business school. Several years later officials discover her deception. She is given an ultimatum. She leaves South Africa. Sabah's forced emigration, her life away from home and her visits back are part of the intricate weave of intersecting stories that introduce a rich wealth of characters and themes.
Set in the years of unenlightenment before the abolition of apartheid, The Middle Children addresses issues of rejection, abandonment, self-esteem and political change. With humour and poignancy Rayda Jacobs populates her stories with unforgettable characters who take us into a world we have rarely seen before. The Middle Children is a book of linked short stories combining fiction with autobiography. It focuses on South Africans of mixed race and their struggle for identity.

The Middle Children

Literature & Fiction

Jacobs, Rayda

Wahl, Charis

United States

Sumach Pr

Every spring the little girl who lives next door to Rosario helps him plant vegetables. One spring, Rosario plants a fig tree, which soon bears sweet purple fruit. But when fall comes, he bends it over and buries it in the ground. What kind of magic is Rosario performing? The next spring, on planting day, the little girl and Rosario make holes for tomato plants, push in stakes for beans and plant other vegetables. Then Rosario begins to unearth the buried fig tree. It looks dead, for sure. But one hot sunny day, a fresh green leaf appears. Inspired by her next-door neighbor, Charis Wahl has written a sweet and simple story about a little girl’s first-hand experience with the magic of gardening. The story is complemented by Luc Melanson’s gently humorous illustrations.

Rosario's Fig Tree

Children's Books

Science, Nature & How It Works

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Books by Wahl, Charis