An Extract from the Foreword 

"There's something powerful about a story that begins in personal struggle and ends in collective impact. James Urdang’s memoir is one such story – a compelling, honest and deeply human account of what it means to transform adversity into action, and personal vision into social change.

It charts a journey from a childhood weighed down by learning challenges like dyslexia and ADHD, to the creation of one of South Africa’s most dynamic, education-focused non-profit organisations: Education Africa. But it is the establishment of Masibambane College, a school in the informal settlement of Orange Farm, which for a number of years has been achieving outstanding results, that best demonstrates James’s determination to meet adversity head-on.

James writes the way he speaks: with urgency, clarity and a deep conviction that education is not only a right but a responsibility we all share. This book brings you face to face with that conviction, while also revealing the many bumps, setbacks and learning curves that come with trying to build something meaningful and lasting in the world of development." - Razia Saleh, Head: Archive and Research, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg 2025 

'It Always Seems Impossible: My fight to build and save Education Africa' is published by Bookstorm