My Mzansi Heart

King Adz is a grown-up kid whose focus is youth culture. He's a Brit by birth whose heart beats Africa - more particularly Mzansi. In his latest book, a memoir or "non-fiction novel" (according to Adz) the reader is swept along two equally entertaining narrative strands, one set in the present day, the other in the past, which mashed together form the story of King Adz's life - the man also known as "Adam Stone" to the authorities. In the present-day we read of Adz's quest to make some sense of modern South Africa. Adz 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 (and "off the hook"!). And 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. We learn how he "accidentally" became a film director, and might also have fallen into bad company. This is a fascinating, funny chance for South Africans to consider ourselves anew through the eyes of an outsider who has forced himself inside.

Paperback. English. Jacana. 2014. Good Condition.