The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa Hardcover - 1997
by Margaret McCord
First line
HASH(0x110e4830)
From the rear cover
Critical acclaim for The Calling of Katie Makanya
""A very marvelous and precious document. . . . It is a magnificent story superbly told. The combination of Katie's extraordinary life and McCord's immense talent as a storyteller is overwhelming. I found it compulsive reading and deeply moving."" --Athol Fugard
""It will tear your heart to shreds, but it will also give you great pleasure, hope, and strength. It's that kind of book. Katie Makanya was that kind of woman."" --Sunday Independent (Johannesburg)""I fell in love with the Delaney sisters, enjoying both the book and the play. It is good to know their sister in Africa also has her say, that Katie's life, too, can be shared."" --Nikki Giovanni
The Calling of Katie MakanyaA Memoir of South Africa
Her mother's entry in the family Bible recorded ""a second daughter, Katie, born on July 28, 1873 at Fort Beaufort in the Cape of Good Hope."" Because it was milking time, Katie's father would call her by her home name, Malubisi, or ""Mother of Milk.""Colonialism was at its height when Katie Makanya was born in South Africa. When she died at the age of 83, the British Empire had all but disappeared, and apartheid was firmly in place. During the intervening decades of epochal historical change, of turbulent social transitions and profound political and cultural upheavals, Katie's courage and determination gave her the strength and will to triumph over poverty and hardship.
The Calling of Katie Makanya is an award-winning look at the inspiring life of an exceptional woman. One of six children, Katie grew up watching British Redcoats drilling and hearing stories of the Zulu king Cetshwayo's fierce attempts to drive the white men into the sea. While still quite young, she showed a natural talent for the rhythm and melody of the languages around her, ""all so similar yet each as different as the notes of a song."" Katie became fluent in English, Dutch, Xhosa, and Sotho. Before she was twenty, her youthful inquisitiveness and talent took her, and her sister Charlotte, to England as members of the Jubilee Singers. Yet, despite promises of wealth and fame as a performer, the already determined young woman vowed to return home, to marry, and to raise a family.Katie's life back in South Africa would have its share of bitterness and personal tragedy. Leaving behind Durban and Johannesburg because ""I don't want to live among white people any longer,"" Katie sought peace in the country, settling near the Adams Mission at Amanzimtoti. There she met the McCords. James McCord, a white doctor who had come to treat the Zulus, needed an interpreter and assistant. Katie Makanya had found her calling.
Before her death, Katie related the remarkable story of her life to Dr. McCord's daughter Margaret. This beautiful oral history, filled with haunting remembrances of a richly led life, is sparked by the wisdom of a brave and inspiring woman. The Calling of Katie Makanya will capture your heart. Through its compelling narrative of one woman's life, we discover a people's enduring power.From the jacket flap
Critical acclaim for The Calling of Katie Makanya
""A very marvelous and precious document. . . . It is a magnificent story superbly told. The combination of Katie's extraordinary life and McCord's immense talent as a storyteller is overwhelming. I found it compulsive reading and deeply moving."" --Athol Fugard
""It will tear your heart to shreds, but it will also give you great pleasure, hope, and strength. It's that kind of book. Katie Makanya was that kind of woman."" --Sunday Independent (Johannesburg)""I fell in love with the Delaney sisters, enjoying both the book and the play. It is good to know their sister in Africa also has her say, that Katie's life, too, can be shared."" --Nikki Giovanni
The Calling of Katie MakanyaA Memoir of South Africa
Her mother's entry in the family Bible recorded ""a second daughter, Katie, born on July 28, 1873 at Fort Beaufort in the Cape of Good Hope."" Because it was milking time, Katie's father would call her by her home name, Malubisi, or ""Mother of Milk.""Colonialism was at its height when Katie Makanya was born in South Africa. When she died at the age of 83, the British Empire had all but disappeared, and apartheid was firmly in place. During the intervening decades of epochal historical change, of turbulent social transitions and profound political and cultural upheavals, Katie's courage and determination gave her the strength and will to triumph over poverty and hardship.
The Calling of Katie Makanya is an award-winning look at the inspiring life of an exceptional woman. One of six children, Katie grew up watching British Redcoats drilling and hearing stories of the Zulu king Cetshwayo's fierce attempts to drive the white men into the sea. While still quite young, she showed a natural talent for the rhythm and melody of the languages around her, ""all so similar yet each as different as the notes of a song."" Katie became fluent in English, Dutch, Xhosa, and Sotho. Before she was twenty, her youthful inquisitiveness and talent took her, and her sister Charlotte, to England as members of the Jubilee Singers. Yet, despite promises of wealth and fame as a performer, the already determined young woman vowed to return home, to marry, and to raise a family.Katie's life back in South Africa would have its share of bitterness and personal tragedy. Leaving behind Durban and Johannesburg because ""I don't want to live among white people any longer,"" Katie sought peace in the country, settling near the Adams Mission at Amanzimtoti. There she met the McCords. James McCord, a white doctor who had come to treat the Zulus, needed an interpreter and assistant. Katie Makanya had found her calling.
Before her death, Katie related the remarkable story of her life to Dr. McCord's daughter Margaret. This beautiful oral history, filled with haunting remembrances of a richly led life, is sparked by the wisdom of a brave and inspiring woman. The Calling of Katie Makanya will capture your heart. Through its compelling narrative of one woman's life, we discover a people's enduring power.Details
- Title The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
- Author Margaret McCord
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition; F
- Pages 272
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Wiley, New York
- Date 1997-04-25
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Weight 1.29 lbs (0.59 kg)
- Dimensions 9.16 x 6.68 x 0.98 in (23.27 x 16.97 x 2.49 cm)
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 20th Century
- Cultural Region: African
- Cultural Region: Southern Africa
- Ethnic Orientation: African
- Ethnic Orientation: African American
- Sex & Gender: Feminine
- Library of Congress subjects Women, Black - South Africa - Biography, South Africa - Biography
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 96045147
- Dewey Decimal Code B
Media reviews
Citations
- Booklist, 02/15/1997, Page 1000
- Kirkus Reviews, 01/15/1997, Page 123
- Library Journal, 03/15/1997, Page 70
- New York Times, 04/06/1997, Page 20
- Publishers Weekly, 01/21/1997, Page 0
More Copies for Sale
The Calling of Katie Makanya : A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890x
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.56FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya : A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890x
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.90FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya : A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890x
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.90FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Edition
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890x
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.91FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya : A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Columbus, Ohio, United States
- Item Price
-
£6.53£3.47 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
£9.80£3.67 shipping to USA
Show Details
The calling of Katie Makanya, a memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Francisco, California, United States
- Item Price
-
£9.80£5.71 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
by Margaret McCord
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
£9.83FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
by Margaret McCord
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Champaign, Illinois, United States
- Item Price
-
£10.20£3.67 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Calling of Katie Makanya: A Memoir of South Africa
by McCord, Margaret
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Edition
- American First
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780471178903 / 047117890X
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Item Price
-
£12.25FREE shipping to USA