Should I Stay or Should I Go?: To Live In or Leave South Africa

by Daniel Ford, Jacob Dlamini, Liz Butler

Most South Africans with the means to pack up and leave have, at some point, thought about living elsewhere (even if it’s just to scoff at the idea), and it is estimated that more than one million South Africans have emigrated since the early 1990s, on top of the many thousands who left in the turbulent 1970s and 1980s. For those looking for guidance, these 15 essays by South Africans—both literary figures and everyday people—provide a broad overview of the emigration debate as well as its opposite, the new arrivals to South Africa. Other helpful information includes comparisons of the 14 most popular cities for South African emigrants, a discussion of the stresses of emigration, and further reading on the topic.

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Soné Kotze · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of it is fluff. Unnecessary paragraph long explanations for relatively common concepts such as confirmation bias and Maslows hierarchy, as if we as the readers have managed to move through life in such ignorance that we have missed ever hearing these terms and need to be explained it in painfully patronizing detail. Barring some exceptions, the first half of this book was only tolerable (except for that email exchange contribution, which was decidedly intolerable). The book started to pick up midway through- the contributionn from Sarah Penny stands our particularly. No surprise since she is one of the few actual authors in this collection.
Very few of the stories have information or advice that is still relevant or applicable. Aside from the fact that this book was published more than a decade ago, the contributions were also mostly from some serious boomers who lived in or left South Africa even more decades ago. Certainly the entire landscape of immigration, life in SA and life in the UK/Australia/New Zealand/USA etc has also changed a lot.
However, what I can say for this book is that the vast majority of these stories manage to capture that intangible feeling of not belonging where you go, and that insane, indescribable pull of home (and particularly South Africa) despite all its problems. I think one does get the very realistic and sobering view that though one may move for greener pastures, you will probably be plagued with many feelings of dissatisfaction, alienation and homesickness, no matter how seemingly "perfect" your new home may be.

[Redbear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very helpfull at all. Would not recommend the book if you are trying to figure out whether to go or stay. It's as helpfull as that silly Carte Blanche expose on South Africans living in New Zealand.

[Barry Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ever ongoing question that has been a part of the lives and will continue to be a part of the lives of most white South Africans. A rainbow of views, emotions and sentiments that run along the spine and down to the ankle bones into the toes.