From the opening Sanskrit mantra to the final act of casting her vote in the first democratic elections in 1994, Shanthee Manjoo's Classrooms in the Shade adds a unique perspective to South Africa's history. Her lyrical prose evokes the life and experiences of a remarkable woman in a series of watercolour vistas, at once delicate and detailed yet expansive in their political and social context. Teacher, mother, wife, sister and friend: Shanthee Manjoo changed the rules and roles, providing painful, poignant, humorous and moving stories that overlap to provide an insight into an under-documented time and community. Peopled with characters from both a personal and national context, the book is a wonderfully written memoir that contributes to our understanding of our country's past and present, capturing the complex nuances of a very particular time and place in history, with the finely etched characters lingering long after the final page is turned.