In Pursuit of Freedom

About the Book

Andreas Magdalos grew up in South Africa. He befriended a young black boy named Matthew Matsimani. To Andreas and Matthew, their friendship seemed to be nothing extraordinary … until Andreas’s mother conveyed her outrage. And why not? At the time, apartheid—racial segregation—was the law in South Africa. But Andreas saw this separation as injustice and wondered why the rest of the country seemed so blind.

Soon, the opinions of Andreas get him into trouble with the South African police. In an effort to separate their son from the battle he hopes to fight for the black citizens of Africa, his parents send him to Greece. Despite love and adventure, far from the segregation turmoil, Andreas can’t shake the feeling that he belongs in South Africa. He returns, and two childhood friends find themselves reunited as they battle side-by-side for the removal of apartheid in their country.

In Pursuit of Freedom is a depiction of the South African apartheid from the perspective of a white man and a black man, friends together. Both feel the injustice of the law. Both are willing to risk lives and reputations to fight for civil rights. In the center of a troubled nation, they band together for one cause, despite the rampant devastation reaped on their lives. Their story proves that equality does not come without cost.

About the Author

At age nineteen, Christos Melidonis left his native Greece to seek his fortune in South Africa. The harsh reality of apartheid inspired him to write a vibrant story about the African people and their battle. He now lives and writes in New Jersey.