Diamonds on a River of Tears

In this stunning work of historical fiction, LR Penn has concocted a breathtaking epic adventure that begins in 1890 in a small Zulu village in South Africa but spans three centuries and two continents. It is also a personal memoir that tells the story of a family torn apart by a racist totalitarian regime. The book examines a series of powerful conflicts: the cultural clash between ancient ethnic traditions and encroaching Western values; the political battle between the underground resistance movement and the repressive military strength of a modern nation state; and stirring personal conflicts, as illustrated by the impossibly difficult choices that the novel's heroes are forced to make - between the quest for liberation and the pursuit of love, between a family's security and a people's freedom. Diamonds on a River of Tears presents an in depth portrait of day-to-day life in a society altogether out of balance, playfully juxtaposing its comic absurdities and tragic injustices, but ultimately handing down a moral indictment that all of contemporary civilization will have to face.