A committed communist and anti-apartheid activist, Ruth First dedicated her life to African liberation struggles until her assas�sination by South Africa's Special Branch in 1982. The Barrel of a Gun establishes First's position in the canon of post-colonial revolutionary thought.

An unforgettable account of defiance against political terror by one of South Africa's pioneering anti-apartheid activistsAn invaluable testimonial of the excesses of the apartheid system, 117 Days presents the harrowing chronicle of journalist Ruth First's isolation and abuse at the hands of South African interrogators after her arrest in 1963. Upon her arrest, she was detained in solitary confinement under South Africa's notorious ninety-day detention la...

Ruth First held multiple roles during the struggles of her time as a communist militant,journalist, and leading intellectual in South Africa. She was born into a political family inJohannesburg in 1925 and, as a student in the 1940s, founded an important organisation, theFederation of Progressive Students with other anti-apartheid activists. Her cohort of fellowstudents and comrades included a broad swathe of activists, such as Nelson Mandela andEdua...