Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me : A memoir of sorts

Writer, journalist and occasional comedian Marianne Thamm recounts her unconventional life story with great honesty and humour. Born to a German father and a Portuguese mother who had immigrated to South Africa at the height of white rule, Marianne grew up tough amid Afrikaans neighbours in Pretoria's less salubrious suburbs. Today, she is an outspoken feminist icon and the delighted mother of two. Told in her inimitable, frank and funny voice, Marianne's memoir offers a poignant, often hilarious account of her complex relationship with her parents, her father in particular, and the ever-present ghosts of history. Her story of belonging, love and loss, set against the backdrops of Nazi Germany, apartheid, and a free South Africa, is deeply affecting, and filled with wisdom and hope.