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Sheila Gordon
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Waiting for the Rain Paperback – April 1, 1989

by Sheila Gordon (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 71 ratings
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Chronicles nine years in the lives of two South African youths--one black, one white--as their friendship ends in a violent confrontation between student and soldier.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    214 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Starfire
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 1989
  5. Grade level
    10 - 12
  6. Dimensions
    4.25 x 0.75 x 6.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0553279114
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0553279115
  9. Lexile measure
    940L
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A novel about South Africa, sure to give American readers an understanding of the conflicts of the country. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Divided loyalties... shattered friendship?

Tengo and Frikkie are childhood friends--one is black, one is white; Tengo, a "boy" on Oom Koos's farm on the South African veld, and Frikkie, the farmer's nephew, who one day will inherit the family's land. Though they live in different and conflicting worlds, their friendship is forged when they are too young to know that there are lines that must not be crossed.

But as the tension mounts in South Africa, the boys find their relationship in crisis when they realize the differences in their beliefs. Tengo abandons farm life for school and struggles against apartheid. Frikkie, who longs to forgo his studies to work the land, enters the army, waiting for the day when he can return to the farm

As Tengo commits his life to change, Frikkie tries to preserve life as it has always been. Can the two hold on to the friendship that before the turmoil shattered their dreams?

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Starfire (April 1, 1989)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 214 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553279114
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553279115
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 940L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 10 - 12
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 0.75 x 6.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

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Sheila Gordon

Sheila Gordon

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
71 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Clarence E. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am wondering if their is an sequel to be expected, as the story left the story unfinished.
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Kcorn
4.0 out of 5 stars This one was required reading for my middle schooler - HIs view, MY view
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2005
Verified Purchase
This one was required reading for my son's middle school class. Focusing on two boys, one white (Frikkie), one black (Tengo)...from their beginnings as childhood friends to the ways that apartheid begain to separate then, this story is mostly compelling. It definitely held his interest but I'm not sure he would have felt compelled to read it if it was not required. SOme parts lagged and I had to keep asking questions to get him back on track.

From my perspective, I was bothered by the way the author seemed driven to twist the plot to drive home the inequities of apartheid, when a lighter touch would have sufficed.

Tengo wants to learn about the world and seems destined to be a scholar until the "agitators" force his school to become too formidable to attend, with police and security guards everywhere, with taunts from black "agitators" who scorn their peers who decide to attend school. This makes it nearly impossible for Tengo to stay the course.

Along the way, he is taken in by a kindly white family and given an opportunity to go to school. But he can't help being drawin into the ongoing political crisis, especially when relatives of his are being affected.

At times, it seemed that story lines were twsited, almost to the point of sacrificing the integrity of the plot. I found it hard to believe in some elements of the story, although I felt there was an excellent portrayal of the varying political and cultural differences amongst the blacks and the whites, from sympathetic whites to black "agitators" to those who simply wanted things to go on as they had for generations.

There was also plenty of room for discussion about the history in Africa, about apartheid and how things began to change.

Considering that this book was written by a very young author (only 15, I believe), it is amazingly well-written. Judged by the standards of good literature, however, there is clearly room for growth and maturity in Gordon's writing.

For the purposes of a school course on apartheid, discrimination, racism and social inequality, this book suffices.
4 people found this helpful
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Lydtwins
3.0 out of 5 stars Easy read
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2010
Verified Purchase
Purchased this book for my kids for school. They seems to enjoy it some. I have girls, so they didn't really relate well to the story, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
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Jessica
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Rare book and reliable delivery. Thanks.
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C Morits
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
12 year old son thought is was boring. Had to read it for school...
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FrankP
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but sad
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
True, sad account of apartheid
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Vahe Demirjian
5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking insight into the difficult relationship between blacks and whites in apartheid-era South Africa
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014
When South Africa was under the thumb of the apartheid rulers, blacks became deeply distrustful of racist whites of Afrikaaner descent. In many cases, a number of blacks in South Africa who had been friends with whites expressed mistrust of their white counterparts for treating black people as second-class citizens in South Africa.

In this book, Sheila Gordon tells the story of how a black man, Tengo, sees his friendship with a white man, Frikkie, shattered when Tengo denounces the injustices of apartheid and Frikkie fights to keep the social order in South Africa. A good novel illustrating the depths of the impact of apartheid on friendships between blacks and whites.
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Stephen,Joel,Rachel,Aleya
3.0 out of 5 stars Life Under Apartheid
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2002
The book wasn't too bad but it could have been more consistantly exciting. It was a little like living under water because sometimes life is exciting, and sometime you get easily bored, just like the book. Some parts of the book were kind of exciting, and some parts were just plain BORING.When the book got a little more exciting on a few parts (like at the end), it was like taking a quick breath above water, and quickly having to dive down again, meaning that more exciting parts were over very quickly. Friendship was a big topic in the book, and taught us a lot about apartheid as well and the tough times the blacks had during that time.
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