Letters from a Farm in Africa - A Book Review

December 2017 Literature

MY DEAR PAPA – Letters from a Farm in Africa
Richelle Shem-Tov
Published independently, 2016.
Kindle $4; Amazon paperback $5.49
166 pp
Reviewed by Pnina Moed Kass

So many books---diaries, memoirs, and fiction-- have been written about Africa. Many of us have read Blixen, Alexandra Fuller, Nadine Gordimer, and many more who introduced us to Africa. What is a continual fascination for the non-African reader are the personal and historical events that occur with the intrusion of the European into that vast and misunderstood area of the globe.

Richelle Shem-Tov has hit upon an effective and charming literary device – fictional letters. In this manner she has been able to pick and choose her letter writers and events and thus create fascinating glimpses into the lives of a Jewish Eastern European family that came to live in Africa. In this fictional correspondence she does not ignore the family members who went to live in Palestine. In some cases she has presented the reader with a fictional character who is a blend of several people.

The book has maps, newspaper clippings, family photos, and descriptive footnotes. The author supplies the reader not only with the charm of family stories but with a rich historical background.

A well-written memoir, thoughtfully produced and a totally engaging read.

About the author

Pnina Moed Kass

Pnina Moed Kass has been living in Israel since 1969. After teaching high school English for a number of years she decided to take a break and go back to writing. Her writing background in the U.S. has been as a lyricist (ASCAP member), a staffer at the magazine, Opera News, a publicist for a record company and a variety of other jobs that called for writing skills. The switch in Israel from teaching to writing worked out. After a few years she had authored children’s books , scripted a TV series, and done a lot of freelance writing both in Hebrew and in English. She had also garnered awards and recognition for her short stories and her contemporary novel set in the Middle East. Among them: the international Reading Award for Best YA Short Story, inclusion in the Cricket Magazine 25 year Anthology (“Celebrate”,) and other citations by librarians and teachers. Her novel, REAL TIME, won the prestigious National Jewish Book Award, The Sydney Taylor Award and other accolades. The eight books of the picture book series “Berale” about a shy but adventurous snail can be found on the shelves of kindergartens and local libraries throughout Israel. Also popular is the website www.berale.com Though she lives in Israel, in the city of Herzliya, Moed Kass has traveled to speak about children's literature, about contemporary life in Israel, and about her work both in Europe and the U.S. In Israel, she makes frequent appearances, reading the “Berale” stories at libraries and community centers. Her children used to be part of her audience, now it’s her grandchildren. Biographical material and reviews Assoc. of Jewish Libraries website Answer.com