SarahBelle Selig

From debut Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Mapepa comes the saga of the four Taha sisters, and the indomitable matriarch who carried her daughters—and her community—through times of drought and violence in their Harare neighborhood. From the red soil of her garden in Southgate 1, a crowded suburb of Harare, Nyeredzi watches the world. She knows not to venture beyond the grasses that fence them off from the bush, where the city’s violent criminals and young lovers claim the night. But on this red soil, she is sovereign. It is here where she learns how to kill snakes, how to fight off a man, and how to take what she is due. It is here where Nyeredzi and her three older sisters are raised, and where they will each find a different destiny. Decades prior, a young woman abandons a position of great power to seek justice in the second Chimurenga War, only to return to find her world in shambles. So Zuva Mutongi sets off to build a world of her own, raising four daughters—Nyeredzi, Hannah, Abigail, and Ruth—and defending them from the evils beyond their small Harare home. But when a letter from her long-estranged brother calls her back to a past life, Zuva must reconcile with her duty and heal the broken community she left behind. Tsitsi Mapepa’s vibrant debut is the history of a new Zimbabwe, with resilient women and men who raised a nation from its ashes. It is the chronicle of an L-shaped house, long awaited and much beloved, and the guests, welcome and unwelcome, who cross its threshold. It is the coming-of-age of four sisters, who will discover the secrets of womanhood on the volatile streets of Harare. But above all, it is a love song to one woman—a soldier, healer, chief, and mother—whose fierce devotion to her people is a testament to the bonds of blood that bind us all. Tsitsi Mapepa is a Kiwi, Zimbabwean-born writer who lets her creative side stream out in poetry, short stories, and novels. She studied at Manukau Institute of Technology, where she won an award of excellence in 2016 and the Kairangatira award in the BCA in 2018, before completing her Master's in Creative Writing degree at the University of Auckland in 2020. She resides in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband and three children. Ndima Ndima is her debut novel. Ndima Ndima will be available from Catalyst Press from November 9 2023. Please contact sarahbelle@catalystpress.org if you would like an advanced review copy! Advanced Praise for Ndima Ndima "Creating a world that feels both incredibly real and legendary, Mapepa beautifully explores the formation of Zimbabwe as an independent state in a way reminiscent of Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s Kintu. A truly insightful debut from an exciting new Zimbabwean author with a talent for writing the human experience." – Booklist "With its push and pull between tradition and modernity, male and female, peace and unrest, this collection would be an excellent choice for book groups or a world literature class. […] So many schools read the classic Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe; this novel with its focus on female protagonists could be an excellent pairing with that novel." – Youth Services Book Review, Starred Review A heartfelt coming of age tale from a talented new Zimbabwean writer brimming with striking and evocative descriptions of Zimbabwean life, and a moving exploration of a mother and daughter relationship. The mother-daughter duo of the indomitable former fighter Zuva, anointed chief of her people, and her daughter Nyeredzi who is curious to learn more about her culture and her role in it, is brought beautifully to life against the backdrop of a country in turmoil." – Irene Sabatini, author of An Act of Defiance "A compulsive read full of humanity, beautifully narrated and with a touch of magical realism, Ndima Ndima serves it all on one devastatingly gorgeous platter: hope, fear, love, tragedy, and triumph. Leaping forward and flashing back through time with masterful agility, alternatively narrated by the courageous Zuva and her young daughter Nyeredzi, Ndima Ndima is a gripping, emotional gem of a journey through Zimbabwean culture and history. Once it has gently pulled you in, it holds you rapt till you are released, exhausted and grateful, at the perfect ending. An astounding debut!" – Buki Papillon, author of An Ordinary Wonder "Tsitsi Mapepa’s debut novel Ndima Ndima transports readers to Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, in this beautiful, vivid, immersive story of Zuva, a warrior, mother, and wife raising her four daughters in a country thirsty for water, safety and peace. Set against the backdrop of the Chimurenga War, this is a story of courage, loss, resilience, and love. At its center is the mother-daughter relationship between Zuva and her youngest, Nyeredzi, a girl who inherits her mother’s spiritual gift and indomitable spirit. Part coming-of-age tale and part meditation on the tremendous strength of women, Ndima Ndima is a book that does what I love best about historical fiction. It illuminates a fascinating time and place in history that is new to me while exploring universal themes that feel close to home." – Adele Myers, author of The Tobacco Wives "Beautifully written, with talent and heart, Ndima Ndima is an immersive, moving read about the different strengths and lives of women. Nyeredzi is a relatable and easy-to-love character, but Zuva steals the show. My heart extends to this strong and fierce woman who, despite everything, wanted peace." – Shameez Patel Papathanasiou, author of The Last Feather and The Eternal Shadow "Ndima Ndima is part of a new generation of works by Zimbabwean women. I was drawn in by Nyeredzi, who reminded me of Dangarembga’s Tambu & NoViolet’s Destiny but with her own flare. The story is both magical and grounded, tender and yet gripping - the story of fighting for independence, family complications, mythology and the ongoing struggle for Zimbabwe. I couldn’t put it down! – Dr. Chipo Dendere, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College

Hi Troy, that's great news, thank you so much. We appreciate it and hope you love it! Could you tell me the best way to get you a copy, and to what address to send it? And absolutely! Thanks so much for starting a page for us. I've attached a photo of Sifiso. Here's a list of titles that would be relevant for AALBC: Books by Black authors or illustrators: 9781946395078 The Lion’s Binding Oath by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf 9781946395412 The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu 9781946395566 The History of Man by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu 9781946395474 Madame Livingstone by Christophe Cassiau-Haurie and Barly Baruti (graphic novel) 9781 946395030 Love Interrupted by Reneilwe Malatji 9781946395634 All Rise by Richard Conyngham and 6 South African artists (graphic novel) 9781946395573 Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa, from Short Story Day Africa (anthology) 9781946395238 Unmaking Grace by Barbara Boswell Not by Black authors but with Black main characters (all children’s and YA): 9781946498984 Shaka Rising: Legend of the Warrior Prince by Luke Molver (graphic novel) 9781946498939 King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Luke Molver (graphic novel) 9781946395665 The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap by Bridget Krone 9781946395160 Small Mercies by Bridget Krone 9781946395313 This Thing Called the Future by J.L. Powers 9781946395320 Under Water by J.L. Powers 9781946395689 On My Papa Shoulder’s by Niki Daly 9781946395047 We Kiss Them With Rain by Futhi Ntshingila 9781946395658 Fly High Lolo by Niki Daly 9781946395467 You’re a Star Lolo by Niki Daly 9781946395337 Here Comes Lolo by Niki Daly 9781946395344 Hooray for Lolo by Niki Daly Let me know what other information I can get you! We’ve got some amazing titles coming up in 2023 that I’ll definitely submit in the new year as well. Thanks again!

Hi Troy, thanks so much for getting back to me! She does not. She is a white South African, born and raised and still lives in Cape Town. Can I organize a print copy for a reviewer, or do you prefer digital copies? Happy to do either--we should be getting our print copies in next week. Thanks so much!

Hi everyone, just popping this back up in the thread. Let me know if you're interested in a review. Thanks!

Hi there! My name is SarahBelle Selig and I’m with Catalyst Press, a woman-owned North American indie publisher of African authors, including 2022 Caine Prize winner Idza Luhumyo, 2022 Windham Campbell Prize winner Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, 2022 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award shortlisted Sifiso Mzobe, 2022 Nommo Award shortlisted Mbozi Haimbe, and more. I’d like to put forward for book review consideration our upcoming historical fiction title from Commonwealth Book Prize shortlisted author Bridget Pitt. Eye Brother Horn Bridget Pitt January 31 2023 ISBN 9781946395764 | $18.95 Adult historical fiction; literary fiction 278 pages Select praise for Eye Brother Horn “Unique and bold. This critique of the colonial enterprise is unlike any other you have read before. Through an ingenious use of African indigenous knowledge systems, Pitt tells the story of two brothers, connected by blood, who must not only navigate but also survive the delicate and often volatile ecosystem created by their histories and traditions. This is one of those wonderful stories that both break and mend the heart.” —Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Recipient of the 2022 Windham Campbell Prize, author of The Theory of Flight and The History of Man “Eye Brother Horn is a brilliant novel—subtle, imaginative, and richly rendered. Pitt has crafted a tale that is at once intimate and expansive, tender and unflinching. Her characters reach beyond the page and their message, one of both censure and hope—remains with you long after the end.” —Amanda Skenandore, author of The Nurse’s Secret and The Second Life of Mirielle West “By providing a fascinating fantastical glimpse into the past, this remarkable book informs the present. Eye Brother Horn reveals the brutality of colonial rule which shaped racial domination and severed our relationship with nature and provides an extraordinarily powerful parable for our times.” — Professor Ian Goldin, Founding Director of University of Oxford’s Oxford Martin School, author of Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance “Beautifully and urgently told. […] This compelling historical novel illuminates the present as much as it does the past.” — Margie Orford, The Eye of the Beholder About Eye Brother Horn A Zulu foundling and a white missionary’s child raised as brothers in a world intent on making them enemies. A sweeping tale of identity, kinship, and atonement set in 1870s South Africa, from Commonwealth Book Prize shortlisted author Bridget Pitt. Moses, a Zulu baby discovered on a riverbank, and Daniel, the son of white missionaries, are raised as brothers on the Umzinyathi mission in 19th century Zululand, South Africa. As an infant, Daniel narrowly escapes an attack by a rhino and develops an intense corporeal connection to animals which challenges the religious dogma on which he is raised. Despite efforts by his adoptive mother to raise the boys as equals, Moses feels like an outsider to both white and Zulu society, and seeks certainty in astronomy and science. Only through each other do the brothers find a sense of belonging. At Umzinyathi, Moses and Daniel are cushioned from the harsh realities of the expanding colony in neighboring Natal—where ancient spiritualism is being demonized, vast natural beauty faces rampant destruction, and the wealth of the colonizer depends on the engineered impoverishment of the indigenous. But when they leave the mission to work on a relative’s sugar estate and accompany him on a hunting safari, the boys are thrown into a world that sees their bond as a threat to the colonial order, and must confront an impossible choice: adapting to what society expects of them or staying true to each other. With elements of magic realism, Eye Brother Horn is the heart-wrenching story of how two children born of vastly different worlds strive to forge a true brotherhood with each other and with other species, and to find ways to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the colonial expansion project. About the author Bridget Pitt is a South African author and environmental activist who has published poetry, short fiction, non-fiction and three novels (Unbroken Wing, Kwela, 1998; The Unseen Leopard, Human & Rousseau, 2010; Notes from the Lost Property Department, Penguin, 2015). Two were long-listed for the Sunday Times Literary Awards. Her second novel was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize (2011) and the Wole Soyinka African Literature Award (2012). She has recently co-authored a memoir of the spiritual wilderness guide, Sicelo Mbatha (Black Lion: Alive in the Wilderness, Jonathan Ball, 2021). Her short fiction has received a Commonwealth nomination and has been published in anthologies in South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Digital or print copy available for review. Many thanks, SarahBelle Selig Publicist, Catalyst Press sarahbelle@catalystpress.org