My Mzansi Heart

In this memoir—or as the author describes it, "nonfiction novel"—the reader is swept along two equally entertaining narrative strands, one set in the present day, the other in the past. Mashed together, they form the story of King Adz's life—the man also known as "Adam Stone" to the authorities. The book describes, in the present day, Adz's quest to make some sense of modern South Africa. He spends as much time as he can hanging out with a selection of interesting, unusual, and creative locals, from Jack Parow to Roger Ballen. He also visits the most interesting places—Portuguese restaurants that are well past their sell-by dates, street culture festivals, and small dorps that are off the map. Through all this is the palpable sense that when Adz is in South Africa, he always feels at home. The backbone of the book tells how Adz came to South Africa, with wife and children, and worked in the world of brands, advertising, and digital media. Readers learn how he accidentally became a film director and might also have fallen into bad company. This is a fascinating, funny chance to look at South Africa through the eyes of an outsider who has forced himself inside.