Catching Tadpoles

Ronnie Kasrils's memoir reflects on compelling questions as to whatturned a white youngster from a modest background into a lifelongrevolutionary of note. A tiny minority who abandoned a life ofprivilege were the antithesis of conventionality and toeing the line.What made those such as Kasrils break all the rules and confront whitepower with such courage, unbridled spirit and yearning for the truth?This is a challenging and fascinating conundrum but Kasrils will claimhe is no aberration of history. The answers to that question, whichunravel through twenty years, will beguile readers as he peers backwith endearing frankness into the origins and experiences of hisformative years.A Yeoville-born boykie with Yiddish roots; heartfelt empathy for theunderdog; an instinctive rejection of authoritarianism in school andwider society were influences informing his adult life as revolutionaryactivist.With a remarkable memory and flair for the written and spoken wordthe narrative revels in the social, sexual and political awakening of aroguish boy's adventures with girls, rock music, bohemian culture andleaping across the colour barrier.Kasrils's tadpoles of the memoir's title represent the submerged oftenillusive tracts of memory he searches for as he delves into the mysteryof his metamorphosis. This stylistic element adds to the creativity ofthis fourth memoir.