Violent Death on a Strawberry Farm

Three weeks after his birth, Johnny America was abandoned by his biological mother, who handed the infant Johnny, to his parental grandmother at the funeral of his father who had passed away. She then vanished into thin air. There is no substitute to a mothers love, not even for the street smart Johnny. He was to face a tough life of poverty, with love and affection being rare commodities. The substitute mothering he received from his grandmother, although loving and godly, was inadequate. It caused long- term damage to his self esteem, his ability to relate to other people, and overall feelings of security and ability to trust others. This emotional turmoil condemned Johnny to the streets of Cape Town and to live as an unpopular Bergie on the inhospitable slopes of Table Mountain, where he was constantly harassed by the clean-up-squad. He adopted his street family, and together they engaged in petty theft, prostitution and alcohol abuse, resulting in Johnny serving time in the notorious Pollsmoor Prison. While serving one of his many prison sentences, Johnnys friend was killed violently in the strawberry fields, where they were employed as convict labour by correctional services. A notorious ex-prison gang member is convicted for the crime for which Johnny is a state witness. Johnny is scared for his life. His quest to find his mother takes him to Durban, together with the love of his life, Marie. His first encounter with his mother is not the reunion he expected. Her dedication to her gangster husband and her unresolved emotional baggage make it difficult for her to give and receive love. He returns to Cape Town with Marie back to the process of opportunistic survival, to increased risks of exposure to H.i.V-aids And TB, to dwelling in the informal settlements, and finally Redemption. Cyril James is a writer of rare calibre. And he tells a terrific story. Lorraine Richards Editor