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A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness | 
 enlarge | Author: Pumla Gobodo-madikizela
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
Buy Used: $0.08
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Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 490721
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0618211896
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.2092
UPC: 046442211895
EAN: 9780618211890
ASIN: 0618211896
Publication Date: January 23, 2003
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Condition: Cover wear and may contain some marks or writing. Keen Northwest ships in 2 business days or less. Refunds for any reason if item returned within 30 days of shipment.
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Product Description
An acutely nuanced and original study of a state-sanctioned mass murderer. Not since Dead Man Walking have we seen so provocative a first-person encounter with the human face of evil.
Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned apartheid death squads, is currently serving 212 years in jail for crimes against humanity. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, who grew up in a black township in South Africa, served as a psychologist on that country's great national experiment in healing, the Truth and Reconcilation Commission. As this book opens, in an act of inescapable, multilayered symbolism and extraordinary psychological courage, Gobodo-Madikizela enters Pretoria's maximum security prison to meet the man called "Prime Evil." What follows is a journey into what it means to be human.
Gobodo-Madikizela's experience with and deep empathy for victims of murderous violence, including those killed by de Kock and their families and friends, become clear in arresting scenes set during the TRC hearings, in which both perpetrators and their victims are given voice. The author's profound understanding of the language and memory of violence, and of the searingly complex issues surrounding apology and forgiveness after mass atrocity, will leave a mark on scholarship as well as on our emotional lives. Gobodo-Madikizela's journey with de Kock, during which she allows us to witness the extraordinary awakening of his remorse, brings us to one of the great questions of our time: What does it mean when we discover that the incarnation of evil is as frighteningly human as we are?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
An essential text July 24, 2003
Louise Steinman (Los Angeles, CA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's encounter with Eugene De Kock, known as South Africa's "Prime Evil" of the apartheid system-- tested her boundaries for forgiveness and compassion. It is an essential text for anyone interested in learning how--after traumatic events--it is possible to transcend feelings of revenge and move on.
Absolutely Moving January 17, 2004
Sunisurekick (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was extremely fortunate to hear Ms. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela present her book on booktv on December 7, 2003. I strongly urge you who are reading this amazon comment to seek her out and go to listen to her if she is speaking anywhere near your area. Read this book by one of the world's most remarkable women and a true seeker of peace. Judge Albie Sachs also spoke in conjunction with Dr. Gobodo-Madikizela's book presentation and I would encourage the reader to seek him out as well. These two are truly exceptional human beings.BOOKTV description of the presentation:
A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness
from March 9, 2003
From John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, South African activist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela discusses her book "A Human Being Died That Night." A psychologist, Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela had many conversations with Eugene de Kock, the former commanding officer of the apartheid police squads. De Koch, whose nicknames include "Dr. Death" and "Prime Evil," is currently serving 212 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Much of the book is set during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings, during which both the perpetrators and their victims were given the right to be heard. Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela suggests that the TRC hearings may not have produced complete reconciliation, but the validation the victims received and the absolution they subsequently offered was therapeutic and necessary for the creation of the new democracy. Albie Sachs, a judge with the Constitutional Court of South Africa joins Ms. Gobodo-Madikizela. This program is hosted by Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit educational organization that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to teaching history by relating it to the daily experiences of the students.
we could all learn .... April 1, 2004
madcarrot (Los Angeles, CA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's a pity more of our current political leaders aren't reading books such as this one. Forgiveness, open hearts, the space to grow - how can this be anything but good? I heard Gobodo-Madikizela on NPR, inspiring me to read her book. It's amazing. I'd recommend it highly.
If You've Ever Failed to Forgive, Read This Book October 21, 2003
Jon Benfer (Minneapolis, MN United States)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I'm becoming a student of forgiveness because of this book. It details an amazing, and yet understandably human, encounter between a man who chose evil as his path, and the woman whose compassion allowed him room to turn away from it. It's the anti-Hannibal, the cure for all of the pain of the world and the evil that humans wreak on one another. If you;ve ever struggled to forgive someone, you'll find a new place to look in your heart to inspire that forgiveness after reading this book.
read this book May 7, 2006
Kate Nordbye (Portland, OR USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is one of the most powerful books I've read on the power of forgiveness and what it means to be human. I highly, highly recommend it.
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