Waiting for the Rain

Waiting for the Rain: a Novel of South Africa (1987) by Shelia Gordon, a South African-born American emigre, follows two boys of opposite skin color living under apartheid. This was the author’s fourth book. She previously lived in Johannesburg and London before moving to New York City, where she stayed until her death in 2013. Critics praised Waiting for the Rain for its evocative writing and vivid depictions of South Africa that allowed for younger readers to sense the emotional turmoil surrounding the issue of apartheid. In 1987, the novel won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for a children’s book published that year that best championed social justice.

Its themes include the nature of friendship, political racism, educational inequality, and white supremacy.

The novel opens to 10-year-old Tengo, a black Afrikaner, hearing his best friend Frikkie, who’s a white Afrikaner, talking about how he’s supposed to inherit the sizeable farm after Oom Koos (his uncle) dies. Tengo jokes about his own future inheritance of becoming a “boss-boy” under Frikkie. The third person narrator then discusses what a close bond the two boys had.



When Frikkie comes to the farm (usually for holidays and over the summer) Tengo loves to hear all of his stories about going to school; at the same time, he’s sad that due to his skin color, he is not allowed to attend school (free education is only provided by the government to white people). Frikkie doesn’t even like school, yet he gets to attend for free. Because Tengo is a more perceptive individual, the novel tends to describe his thoughts more than Frikkie, who is actually not that self-aware. Frikkie doesn’t think twice about Tengo having to eat the leftover food in a yard, while he himself enjoys the cool environs of an enormous house. Tengo’s mother makes all of the food for Frikkie’s family, yet she’s not allowed to spend too much time in the mansion.

As Tengo is a naturally intelligent person, he starts to question why white people should automatically receive all the riches and education of the world while black people are thrust into the position of servant or slave. He senses that becoming a “boss-boy,” to be ruled under anyone, even his best friend Frikkie, isn’t an honor but a disgrace. He starts to think that it’s actually not fair that he is required to have a pass to travel anywhere whereas Frikkie, with his bright blonde hair, can go anywhere he pleases throughout the country without a racial identity card. Tengo’s questions only increase after his mother convinces a friend to share old textbooks with the eager child. Tengo learns that Frikkie and Frikkie’s uncle actually have recited incorrectly, usually as a way to justify their current social position.

As the boys become teenagers, Tengo has saved enough money to attend school in Johannesburg. He places all of his energy into becoming a successful student. Even in an academically inferior school, Tengo thrives. He grows tremendously during those three years and is about to enter college when a boycott against the university commences. The boycotters are all those against apartheid. Tengo instantly supports the anti-apartheid movement.



One day, Tengo heads to school to find a swarm of military members attempting to silence a student-led protest against apartheid. Through a misunderstanding, Tengo is temporarily detained. After he leaves, he learns that the school (for black students) is shut down for a year.

Waiting for the Rain then discusses the social history that lead to apartheid. As young men, Tengo and Frikkie have lost all contact with each other.

Though Tengo considers taking up arms for the cause of racial equality, he ultimately decides that changing opinions and attitudes through scholarship is (in the long-run) more effective in improving the social order than any sort of military take-over. But due to protests, he misses the university entrance exams. Fortunately, one of his cousins works for the African National Congress. The cousin tells Tengo that if Tengo immigrates to America, he can pull some strings so that Tengo can graduate from an American university. Tengo agrees to the move.



Before Tengo leaves for America, he attends the funeral of several children who were murdered by soldiers during the protest. In an act of grave disrespect, another group of soldiers attempt to disperse the gathering. Tengo is enraged that the white authorities seem incapable of viewing any black people as their equal, let alone having any respect for the death of several black children. Along with several others, Tengo picks up a stone and throws it at the soldiers, who in turn start firing their guns.

Tengo runs for his life. As he flees, someone in the crowd shoots and kills a soldier. This makes all of the soldiers that much angrier. As Tengo runs, he finds that he’s being pursued by another soldier. He hides in an alcove until the soldier passes him, then he hits the solider several times on the head with a metal club he found on the ground. He takes the gun away from the soldier. As he stares into the frightened face, he realizes that the solider is none other than Frikkie.

The two reminisce about their old friendship and the farm. They debate about apartheid. Frikkie doesn’t understand why all the black people are rising up; he says that he has to defend his friends and family from death threats. Tengo says they don’t want to kill people, they just want equal rights. Frikkie says he already has equal rights. Tengo shakes his head. In the end, the two men decide to go their separate ways. Tengo, now with a gun, doesn’t kill Frikkie, and Frikkie doesn’t alert his platoon about Tengo.