No Life of My Own

In No Life of My Own, Frank Chikane, one of the leading figures in the Christian resistance to apartheid, recounts his life – beginning with his childhood, growing up black under apartheid, and continuing through his call to the Christian ministry. He tells of his family’s increasing involvement in the struggle against apartheid and of disapproval and suspension from his own church. He relates a harrowing story of harassment, detention and firebombing, torture and exile – and his return, despite death threats and further detention, to South Africa to continue the fight. Through it all, one thing is clear: he is a man whose faith compels and sustains him in a courageous and selfless journey toward freedom.

This autobiography was first published by Skotaville locally in 1988 and has been translated into several languages and published around the world. This new edition is revised and updated in terms of key events that have occurred in Chikane’s life since 1988.