<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>In the Umlazi Township in Durban, South Africa, seventeen-year-old Sipho discovers the thrills and consequences of a car theft life. Winner of the 2011 Herman Charles Bosman Award, the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><li>Winner, Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa <li>One of <i>CrimeReads</i> Most Anticipated Crime Books 0f 2021 <li>Sifiso Mzobe has written a compassionate, unsentimental, and artful portrait of a young man on the threshold of trying to preserve his life and his humanity by the very means that will almost inevitably destroy both." --Paul Harding, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of <i>Tinkers</i><p> <i>Cars, money, girls: this is what you need to get ahead in Umlazi, a township on the outskirts of Durban, South Africa.</i><p> Sipho, a 17-year-old from Umlazi, drops out of high school and joins a car hijacking syndicate to make a name for himself and escape his family's low-income life. Along with hijacking partners Musa and Vusi, Sipho learns the tricks of the dangerous trade and pushes deeper into the underbelly of Umlazi under the guidance of gang leader Sibani, while partying heavily and juggling different women nightly alongside his longtime girlfriend Nana. <p>Candid and unapologetic, <i>Young Blood</i> is the story of the intricate balance of circumstance and choice, swift gain and incredible loss, as Sipho finds out how far he can push his luck before the damage is irrevocable - and the consequences deadly. Both a red-hot crime novel of car heists, sex, and rival gangs and a coming of age story of a teenager navigating the costs of the fast life, <i>Young Blood</i> reveals the devastating violence and raw beauty of life in South Africa's townships.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"<i>Young Blood</i> is not a book for the faint at heart. Mzobe's<br> journalistic training manifests in each meticulous detail that<br> paints a harrowing portrait of crime life in Umlazi, and<br> hijackings, cold-blooded killings, and drug and alcohol use leap<br> from the page. But at the heart of the book lies another<br> message, one about friendship, family, community, and the value<br> of education. It's this message that leaves the reader hopeful." --<i>Shelf Unbound</i><br><br><br>"With crisp, cinematic prose, Mzobe transports us into<br> the dark abyss of Durban's harrowing nightlife, where gang violence is <br>rife, life is precarious, and young blood is carelessly used and <br>discarded. Winner of the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize <br>for Literature in Africa when it was first published 10 years ago, this <br>raw coming-of-age novel will resonate with its new audiences for its <br>all-embracing tale of young people eager to escape poverty but with too <br>few choices." --<i>Library Journal</i><br><br><br><em>"Young Blood </em>offers readers insight to a not often explored <br>underbelly of South Africa while also providing a fresh narrative on the<br> atypical "descent into crime" story." -- <i>Drizzle Review</i><br><br><br>"A landmark in South African crime fiction." <em>--New York Journal of Books</em><br><br>"Starting with smaller crimes like drug use and theft, Sipho's actions <br>intensify as he falls further in lust with the lavish rewards that crime<br> gets him. Of course, such bad judgment calls come with increasingly <br>dangerous risks, and the window for Sipho to choose a different path in <br>life closes further with every escalating act. The fetishization of <br>wealth, from upscale cars to access to expensive drugs, is portrayed <br>deftly, illuminating Sipho's choices as being mired in peer pressure and<br> capitalist messaging [...] Blunt, brisk, and fast-paced." --<em>Kirkus Reviews</em><br><br>"Whether Sipho chooses to 'crash and burn' or to, instead, slow down and<br> live, is the question that draws the reader through the novel. At the <br>end of "the year of stubborn seasons," Sipho makes his choice." --<em>Africa Book Link</em><br><br>"<i>Young Blood</i> drops the reader straight into the Umlazi Township of Durban, South Africa, where, having quit school and desperate for cash, young Sipho finds himself crossing increasingly harrowing boundaries into drugs, violence, and criminality. Sifiso Mzobe has written a compassionate, unsentimental, and artful portrait of a young man on the threshold of trying to preserve his life and his humanity by the very means that will almost inevitably destroy both." --Paul Harding, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of <i>Tinkers</i><br><br>"With elegance and satisfying language, Mzobe draws the world of a South African Township with difficulty and a simultaneous tenderness and hope. Mzobe is never sentimental, pushing his characters to breaking, towards a head on collision with fate and danger and consequences that seem irrevocable. Yet the drive is a deeply human one, the search for the limits of pain and the ability to resist the pressures of one's environment to carve a redemption. A strong novel." --Chris Abani, <i>GraceLand</i> and <i>The Secret History of Las Vegas</i><br><br>"This debut novel is a compelling journey through the underbelly of the streets of Umlazi Township, Durban, and marks the arrival of a fresh new voice on the South African literary scene." - Mbali Vilakazi, Cape Times<br><br>"With considerable panache, [Mzobe] lifts the lid on township life in Umlazi, focusing on the lives and frequent violent deaths of the young bloods, the township high school dropouts who are faced with a stark choice. There is a good deal of raw power here, and an easy, fluent writing style. I hope we will hear more of Sifiso Mzobe." - Margaret von Klemperer, The Witness<br><br>"Young Blood is a sober account of the fate of many a young man. The question implied throughout is exactly how much young blood must be spilled before Sipho rediscovers his integrity." - Lara Sadler, Cape Argus<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>Sifiso Mzobe was born and raised in the Durban township of Umlazi, where he still resides. He attended St Francis College in Mariannhill, then studied Journalism at Durban's Damelin Business Campus, receiving a distinction in Practical Journalism. Young Blood is his debut novel and won a number of awards, including the 2011 Herman Charles Bosman Award, the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, the South African Literary Award for a First-Time Published Author, and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. His second book, Searching for Simphiwe (Kwela Books, 2020), is a collection of stories centered on the Umlazi township released earlier this year to positive reviews. Mzobe currently works for a community newspaper as a journalist. Catalyst Press' release of Young Blood is Mzobe's North American debut.
Cheapest price in the interval: 13.99 on October 22, 2021
Most expensive price in the interval: 13.99 on November 8, 2021
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