Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa

Krog addresses a variety of viewpoints based on race and status throughout Country of My Skull, including those of black victims, black resistance fighters, white perpetrators, and white victims. How do the different groups feel about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and why?

One of the key questions raised by the TRC—and not fully answered—is whether oppression justifies the use of extreme violence in retaliation. Was the ANC justified in the ways in which it fought back against apartheid? Why or why not?

Krog often ends chapters with individual testimonies or stories that seem to have little to do with the rest of the chapter’s narrative. Pick three chapters where she employs this device; explain what digressions she takes, and the significance and meaning of those digressions.