Memoirs Of A Play-White: The Autobiography & Other Writings

Louiesa Mynhardt (Louiesa), the author, is a Coloured, fatherless kid born and raised in South Africa (SA) during the repressive apartheid regime (c.1928-1994). She is raised entirely by her single-parent mother, Doris. She is fair-skinned, so she easily passes for a ‘White.' Hence the name ‘Play-White’, which she uses to refer to herself and the book’s title, Memoirs of a Play-White. The ‘Play White’ status also gives her a favorable place in S. African society, better opportunities and prospects than a Coloured person—only until someone checks her credentials and discovers that she isn’t really White!

Louiesa’s mother, Doris, becomes a wreck after the tragic loss of her beloved husband, Mohammed, some years into their marriage. She turns into an alcoholic, and losing touch with reality, becomes a chronic absentee at the factory where she works. This results in her becoming unable to earn enough for her and Louiesa’s upkeep. Faced with poverty and hardships, however, Louiesa continues to be brave, cheerful, and positive. She takes these challenges in her stride. She grows up also challenged by gender inequality, being the child of a single parent, living with a depressed mother, issues arising from racial discrimination in SA, poor healthcare conditions, and so on. Memoirs of a Play-White is the story of her triumph over all the obstacles life placed in her way. She wins when she becomes a highly sought-after executive of Standard Bank, SA.

Louiesa’s story is sure to bring hope and encouragement to young people everywhere who are still to find a place in life. You also get to glimpse some details of the operations and growth of Standard Bank, SA, follow the sequence of political events in that country that finally led to the collapse of apartheid in 1994, and so on. One also gets to glimpse (in Chap. 6) South African celebrities like Nelson Mandela, Jonathan Butler, Richard Jon Smith, P.W. Botha, Brenda Fassie, and many others.

I recommend this book to readers with past or present S. African connections, students of political, economic and ethnic history, fans of SA celebrities, and the like. It is also recommended to all readers (i.e., regardless of genre preference) looking for a good casual read as it is a clean, highly enjoyable, light-hearted book with no offensive content.