Harvest of thorns. created by Shimmer Chinodya

Harvest of Thorns tells the story of a young man, BenjaminTichafa who grows up in the turbulence of the 1960s and typically of his generation, experiences an adolescence dominated by political events in the country. These place an unusual strain on the relationship between what is personal and what is public. Benjamin finds himself torn in the conflicts between Christianity and Nationalism, between the demands of parental discipline and the attractions of new ideas and beliefs. Isolated and troubled he is provoked into leaving school to join the freedom fighters. He makes his way to Mozambique where in the crucible of a war which leaves nobody untouched, the young Benjamin develops into manhood and a remarkable maturity. Harvest of Thorns is a novel of great significance which will give all those who read it a greater understanding of the road along which Zimbabwe has travelled, as well as indicate many of the directions ahead.