A Man Who Is Not A Man

* Lead title in the US for Spring/Summer 2020 * Focused national media campaign to accompany launch * This title first published in 2009 by University of KwaZulu-Natal Press but not previously available outside South Africa

A Man Who Is Not A Man recounts the personal trauma of a young Xhosa initiate after a rite-of-passage circumcision goes wrong.

A powerful coming-of-age novel exploring masculinity, tradition and identity in post-apartheid South Africa.

After a traditional Xhosa initiation ceremony goes devastatingly wrong, a young man is left to endure not only lasting physical trauma but the shame and isolation of being labelled 'a failed man'. As he struggles to rebuild his life, he begins to question the customs, expectations and silence surrounding one of his culture's most sacred rites of passage.

Honest and deeply moving, A Man Who Is Not A Man examines the human cost of failed traditions while offering a compassionate exploration of resilience, dignity and what it truly means to be a man.