Professor. Pundit. Public nuisance.

In his columns, books and on social media, Jonathan Jansen is prolific, and he likes to speak his mind about schools and universities, race, politics and our complex South African society.

He has brought incisive analysis, compassion and a sense of humour to some of the most controversial issues in our country for many years. And now, in this memoir, Jansen goes back to his early years: growing up in a loving, fiercely evangelical family on the Cape Flats, being put on the road to purpose by an inspiring school teacher and becoming the first of his generation to go to university. Journey with Jansen as he finds his passion for teaching high school and becomes a leading academic and thinker amid great transformation in post-apartheid South Africa.

His gift for story-telling and his interactions with people from different walks of life offer moving insights into the intricacies of South African society, insights that are filled with wisdom and leadership lessons. Jansen’s patchwork of memories tells a bigger story than that of his own life. It’s a tale of learning the value of ‘breaking bread’ with others, of finding mutual recognition in our different fears and faiths, our fumbles and fortitude, our hurts and our hopes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Jansen is a Distinguished Professor of education at Stellenbosch University. The eldest son of a preacher and a nurse, he grew up on the Cape Flats in a conservative evangelical church which shaped his values for good and bad. He was a biology teacher in the Cape before studies abroad, then returned to leadership in South African universities. Relieved of administration, he now does what professors are supposed to do: think. His family makes him possible and he lives for his two amazing granddaughters.

'Breaking Bread' is published by Jonathan Ball Publishers