Book Review

Journalism professor Lizette Rabe of Stellenbosch University takes on the big challenge of documenting the life of the ‘legendary’ Afrikaans female journalist Rykie Van Reenen. In her book, Rabe argues that despite Van Reenen’s private nature, it is necessary to appreciate the journalistic contributions of this ground-breaking female South African journalist and renowned Afrikaans writer of the second half of the twentieth century. The book reminds us of the patriarchal oppression South African women experienced and how Van Reenen overcame male dominance, especially in the field of journalism.