Dikeledi: child of tears, no more, by Achmat Dangor

An evocative and finely detailed novel of ordinary life under apartheid that follows the lives of a family, particularly the women of various generations, who are named Dikeledi, who together form the backbone of the story.

My name is Dikeledi. It is Setswana and, of all things, means 'child of tears'. But that - for the moment - is beside the point, I know that it is a strange name for a New York City girl like me, born and bred right here in Harlem. I am African, of course - all right, African American - even though I'm not sure that this qualification of one's roots is still appropriate. But that's what I am, a first-generation mix of two continents. My mother, Enis Rose Ebony, could trace her roots in the US back to the early 1700s ... My fater, Pitso Peter Tau, was South African. Quintessentially African, believe me, never mind the perceptions that some people have about this country.