The Day the Rainbow Died By James Bellis

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The Day the Rainbow Died by James Bellis

The Day the Rainbow Died book twoThis is a fictional story of four young white boys all born in 1950 growing up in Apartheid South Africa.Chubby, Jimmy, Angus and Ian all meet for the first time on the first day of high school in January 1963 at Grosvenor Boy’s High School located on Durban’s Bluff.By chance they all end up in the same classroom – Standard 6C (grade 8). As 12 & 13 year olds they are the bottom of the food chain. A single instance links the four together and a life long friendship is the result. Follow them through high school, their obligatory call up for military service and their move into the business world.The end of Apartheid in 1994 and the effect that it has on all South Africans, Within the “new” South Africa there are many Races and Religions lending to the country being called The Rainbow Nation. Navigating their lives during South Africa’s Apartheid regime through the 60s, 70s & 80s, this story follows their lives through high school, the mandatory military draft and their eventual paths into the business world.South Africa is navigating its own tumultuous path through increasingly tense global geopolitical pressure to end the Apartheid regime and enter into the New South Africa as the Rainbow Nation; a nation of diverse races and religions. The four friends have their own identities to forge in this new world and the story follows their lives against the backdrop of the global geopolitics of the time. Will they stand together when unspeakable tragedy leaves one of the group fighting for his life? Or will that event be one step too far for them to remain friends?Author’s note: Although this is a work of fiction, much of the story actually happened. Given the time period of the narrative, people reading the book may see some of themselves in the various characters.The four characters are composites of people who passed through my life.James Bellis