The War as I Saw It: In Rhodesia, Now Zimbabwe, Through the Eyes of a Black Boy

August 29, 2023
114 pages | ISBN 978-1-989496-69-5

In The War as I Saw It, George Makonese Matuvi invites us into the world of a young boy living through a war he doesn’t understand. As violence drives his family from their home in the mountains to the streets of Zimbabwe’s towns and then cities, the author shares his family’s story with honesty, composure and a touch of humour. Interspersed within this tale of flight, hardship and the eventual return to rebuild, Matuvi shares stories of his life as a child, from making soccer balls out of discarded plastic bags to the tales his father told around the fire at night, adding depth and joy to his portrait of a family struggling with displacement. The War as I Saw It is not a tragedy, though there were many tragedies during the war, it is a story of love, of strength in difficulty and of the ingenuity of one family as they cope with forces beyond their control.

Reviews

Hollay Ghadery's Post (Hollay Ghadery, Facebook, 18/02/2025)
"George’s writing style is crisp and clear and felt to me very much in the manner of a child’s frank way of speaking, but with the polish of an adult’s understanding of narrative. There are wonderful profound observations shared, but not embellishments."

Articles

BLAST FROM THE BACKLIST: The War As I Saw It (River Street Writing, 10/01/2025)
George Matuvi's book is featured in River Street Writing's Backlist promotion, which is bringing out fabulous books you might not have heard of the first time around!

70 works of Canadian nonfiction to check out in spring 2023 (CBC Books, 09/05/2023)
George's memoir makes this great roundup.

Excerpt

Click here to read an excerpt of The War as I Saw It.

About the Author

George Makonese Matuvi grew up in Chamini, a rural area in the district of Zvishavane, in Zimbabwe, where he was surrounded by mountains and developed a love of both soccer and books. He is currently an electrical engineer and runs a small consulting company. The War as I Saw It: In Rhodesia, Now Zimbabwe, Through the Eyes of a Black Boy is his first book. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his family.