Ngoanyana: A South African story is a vivid portrayal of growing up White in apartheid-era South Africa. John Nieuwenhuysen's privileged upbringing on a South African farm as the grandson of a prosperous Irish-born 'potato king' contrasted starkly with the impoverished lives of the property's African and 'Coloured' workers and their families. His story combines love and nostalgia for a place and country of great beauty, with sadness and remorse at the cruelty and discrimination of the harsh practices of apartheid, and customary White farmer rule. Combining one man's personal history with that of his nation, Ngoanyana is a poignant story, honestly told, with lessons for us all about political power, the problems still faced by South Africa, and reconciliation.