July's People by Nadine Gordimer

This is a book a I read in a South African Literature class that is something I think is interesting enough and accessible enough still for any person to pick up and read. It is set during the apartheid in South Africa and because of the violence from uprisings, a black servant for a liberal upper class white family helps them flee and keeps them safe in his village. However, this is not a simple rescue by a dramatic hero or a simpleton who gets pat on the head after. When the white family enters the village, all of the sudden, they are on the bottom of social ladder and their servant, July, is on top. This reversal of fortune provides much drama to the story and much insight in the minds of people by turning their world upside down. This book is a very interesting read for anyone interested in other regions of the world or human nature in general.