FIGHTING AND WRITING, the Rhodesian army at war and postwar

287pp., illus., paperback, First SA Edition, Johannesburg, 2021

First published in the USA in 2021.

Luise White on the memoirs written by white soldiers who fought for Rhodesia during the Zimbabwean liberation struggle (1964-1979).

“Fighting and Writing offers an often-harrowing look into the hearts and minds of the men who fought in the struggle for Rhodesia. With her unique combination of fearlessness and provocation, Luise White asks whether war is always about killing and whether killing is the most significant thing about war. She asks us to stare hard at these discomfiting questions, giving a whole new meaning to the history of war stories.” Antoinette Burton, author of The Trouble with Empire: Challenges to modern British imperialism

"Rhodesia's bush war has long been shrouded in white segregationist make-believe and African nationalist myth making. With characteristic brilliance, Luise White takes us past these frayed but tangled lines and asks a series of pointed questions ... Fighting and Writing offers salutary lessons about how to write about war without falling for the self-serving stories that soldiers like to tell. More than that, the book helps us understand why the Rhodesian War has been as much about weapons as it has been about words - and what the difference is between the two." Jacob Dlamini, author of Askari: A story of collaboration and betrayal in the anti-apartheid struggle and The Terrorist Album

Luise White is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Florida. Her books include Unpopular Sovereignty: Rhodesian independence and African decolonization.