Shelley Davidow is having lunch at the Grand View from noon on September 11 to launch her book Shadow Sisters.
A true story of family, love and longing, Davidow’s new memoir, Shadow Sisters, tells the story of her early life growing up in Apartheid South Africa during the1970s and ’80s.
At a time when it was illegal for black and white people to live together, her social activist parents took in Rosie, an abandoned black three-year-old, effectively making Shelley’s family a crime.
Rosie grew up as a beloved daughter and sister in a white family. Against the backdrop of racist laws and ever-present threats of violence, Shelley’s parents did all they could to provide a safe, happy home for their five children.
But when Rosie was 16, devastating truths came to light, shattering the family’s understanding of the past. In this haunting memoir, Shelley Davidow unravels the memories of her early life, searching for truth and reconciliation.
Davidow said she waited more than 20 years for the distance and understanding to write this memoir.
“After meeting Yankunytjatjara elder, late Uncle Bob Randall, who shared his experience of being a stolen child, I understood a much bigger story about our lives in South Africa,” she said. ‘
“ think if more of us would go out of our way to understand and acknowledge the depth of the wounds that have been inflicted on Indigenous people on both continents, we might be prompted to open our hearts and listen to their stories. Maybe this would be a way to begin our collective healing.”
The book retails for $29.95 and copies will be available to purchase at the lunch. Cost of the literary lunch is $45 (GV members $40) which includes a two-course meal. Book on 3884 3000 or email functions@gvh.com.au.