The Song of Be Book

Review below written when I was in college (2008)

This short novel follows the life of Be, a member of the Ju/’hoan tribe of Namibia, as she learns that during her childhood she has been protected from the realities of life by her family and that the truth may be too much for her to bear. Be’s people are known as “Bushmen” by outsiders and are considered to be uncivilized, however they have a culture as complex as any other. They are struggling to stay true to their traditions while adjusting to a world in which one must work for money rather than hunt to support themselves.

A central historical component to this book is the success of a new government for Namibia. The concerns of the Ju/’hoan people, who have never before had a voice in the government, are heard in-person by the new president himself. Be’s own self-discovery mirrors the changes in her country’s government. As the people in her country are beginning to open their eyes to the positive benefits of diversity, Be is opening her eyes to the possibility of living in the world which has begun to seem so cruel to her.

The author, Lesley Beake, was born in Scotland, lives in South Africa, and has traveled extensively in Africa, spending a great deal of time interviewing and living with the Ju’hoan people. The character of Be is modeled after several Ju/’hoan women which Beake met on her journeys in Namibia.