A Secret Burden. Memories of the Border War by South African soldiers who fought in it. Karen Batley

This collection of prose and poetry was written anonymously by young, white South African conscripts deployed during the so-called 'Border War'. Collected when the South African military withdrew from the Border and appearing only now, almost two decades later, this book allows the reader an intimate and sometimes shocking glimpse of the hardships that the conscripts endured. It is an expression of the bewilderment, anger and bitterness that they felt at the time. The tragedy experienced by these young South Africans during the protracted war has left physical and emotional scars, marks that the 'walking wounded' carry to this day, yet their experiences during this important era of history were swept under the carpet by ensuing political developments. In A Secret Burden their voices, silenced for too long, are heard at last.