Sunday Times Festive Book Guide 2016

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LIFE STORIES The certified National Treasure has written a terrific account of growing up poor — and naughty — in Soweto.

’ 1. His mother once threw him from a moving taxi — for his own safety. 2. He once filled the school piano with firehydrant foam. 3. He burnt down a house in Orange Grove playing with matches. 4. His mother was forced to steal food from the pigs growing up poor in Transkei. 5. He still longs for polony, margarine and brown bread sandwiches.

6. He could fully service a car by the age of 11. 7. His struggling mother used to feed him “sawdust� — the fragments of meat from the butcher’s floor. 8. He slept in a car for a year while at high school. 9. His mother was shot in the head by his stepfather and miraculously survived. 10. His favourite books growing up were Roald Dahl’s BFG and the Narnia series.

Out now Š JKR. TM WBEI

!"# No ghostwriter required for this candid memoir — The Boss wrote every word, remembering the dead-end neighbourhood he grew up in, the barnstorming stage shows, the ongoing battle with depression that runs in his family. The man’s a force of nature. ’ $ % & ' !( The heart-rending story of the Syrian teenager who taught herself to speak English by watching TV and made the journey from Syria to Germany in a wheelchair. ) * & ' !(

Schumer — she of the lacerating wit and outrÊ anecdotes — spins stories of her childhood and rise to the top of the comedy world. ! " ) + , - .+- + / %% !"# The story of a boy who dreamed big and became one of the world’s best cricketers. And a stirring study of decency, dignity, and selflessness — all too rare in the professional arena now.

# $ ! "

' ' * ! # You’ll be surprised to learn just how close to death the pop maestro came when he tipped into full-blown alcoholism in his 50s. His path from dull suburbia to the rarified air of superstardom is hugely entertaining.

% 0 . !1# Sex scandals, suicides, embezzlements and dead cats flung onto the stage: this is a riveting history of the cultural monolith that is the Bolshoi Ballet, but it casts a serious eye on Russian history too. % # % & ' (

, 2 - + ’ !3# Few people can truly be called “iconic� but the High Priestess of Punk is one of them. Combining tales of gadding and global activism, she lets us in on the sources of her constant innovation. ! ) + & 4 In

vlieg die Sabbatsreis-skrywer wĂŠĂŠr Engeland toe. DiĂŠ keer as die goewernante van vier onhebbelike bloubloedseuntjies. % # ( ' - ’ + & ! # Subtitled “A Writer’s Awakeningâ€?, the acclaimed Kenyan author reveals the nascence of his work as a playwright, journalist and novelist, which developed during some of the most turbulent times on the African continent. ) * & * + % 5 #3 One of South Africa’s most brilliant commentators squares up to her difficult upbringing: a Nazi father, a near-illiterate mother and the wild years that shaped her fearlessness.


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