""A well-balanced presentation... especially notable for its succinct review of the factors currently controlling the South African political situation."" -- The Nation

.."". authoritative work... "" -- Foreign Affairs

.."". broad enough in its reach to be useful to teaching in interdisciplinary African studies courses for undergraduates."" -- Perspective

""Gus Liebenow has produced a winner, eminently suitable for classroom use, with enough substance to be of interest to both teachers and students."" -- Africa Today

A sympathetic but hardheaded analysis of the crisis issues common to the continent as a whole: the struggle for national identity, poverty, the unresolved festering issue of white supremacy in Southern Africa, the problem of political community in the African urban setting, and the struggle for popular control over government.