The abysmal book reviewing reputation of Kevin Ritchie
While book reviewers and historians including Rhodes University's resident
historian, Professor Maylam, have sung the praises for the historical accuracy
and research that backs the book
"Children of the Mist,
the lost tribe of South Africa" that controversial ill-informed book
reviewer Kevin Ritchie who writes for "Tonight" in South Africa has obviously
taken on a job he is not up to.
Proof that Kevin Ritchie did not even read the book he claims to have "reviewed": Basic inaccuracies in Ritchie's book review: Ritchie's comments in his book review: As the rain beat down and the lightning flashed, he told her the history of his people, their serial betrayal by colonial overlords and white farmers, the continual atrocities visited upon them and their eventual serflike statelessness. Extract from book: "The old man hobbled across to the fire and prodded it, adding more wood with obvious expertise. Very soon the warmth of the fire breathed new life into me as my hands and feet started to thaw from the cold. Outside I could see the sleet falling and hear the howling of the cold wind. It was coming down harder now, and even the floor of the forest was starting to turn white. Being a child I had no idea of time but was sure that by nightfall I would be able to be tucked up in bed by Grandpa, no worse off for my adventure - apart from a scolding for tearing my dress.... So while I dried out in front of the fire in his cave he started telling me about the history of his people, the Griquas. Fact - when does sleet and cold wind transform to rain or lightning - great reviewing! and... Ritchie's comments in his book review: Children of the Mist purports to tell the story of the Griquas, the eponymous Lost Tribe of South Africa, through the eyes of an 80-year-old white granny, Marie, as she lies on her deathbed. Fact - she was not lying on her deathbed - she was knitting in front of the fire as she tells her granddaughter the story. (This outdated reference to deathbed is a furphy referred to in an accompanying cover note sent to book reviewers.) ie if Ritchie had read the book he would have realised this. Furthermore why use the word "eponymous" when the reference to the "lost tribe of South Africa" specifically refers to the wider population who are not aware of their Griqua heritage and not the Griqua people - this reflects Ritchie's ignorance on the subject. and.... Ritchie's comments in his book review: It was to no avail. Vizazie left the cave, only to be shot execution-style by the farmers who believed he had abducted the girl during the storm. Fact - it is the police who shoot Vizazie! Great book review Ritchie! See how differently all the other book reviewers treated this book |
In his dishonest book review of "Children of the Mist" published for "Tonight" in January 2008 Kevin Ritchie says (our response in black below)
The paradox of modern life means that technological
advances, such as the advent of desktop publishing, allow every single one
of us to become writers, without all the support structure that all books
needed in the past.
The same labelling applies more appropriately to amateur and infantile
book reviewers like Kevin Ritchie who make a name for themselves by running
down major historical works. Reviewers, like Ritchie, who have never got
their own publishing ambitions into print because they just do not have the
basic intellect or talent.
Anyone can become a writer today by simply booting
up their PC. Through e-mail and the Internet, we are now privy to countless
more views and voices than ever before and, through the cheapness of self
or vanity publishing, their voices become available in more traditional forms,
too.
What Ritchie does not mention is that he was put up to this ridiculous book
review at the request of a publishing house that tried to screw Balson -
great journalistic ethics.
Unfortunately, the freedom to self-publish means
inflicting upon the reader books that are, at worst, riddled with errors
and downright wrong to the other end of the spectrum, where they are turgid,
difficult to read and, in the final analysis, simply amateurish .
The book "Children of the
Mist" is the result of thirty years of careful research and a unique
collection of books referenced to ensure the book's historical accuracy.
This carefully established reference source belonging to Scott Balson
can be seen
at this link. The accuracy of the book has been endorsed by major
Griqua-related museums like the Kokstad and Mary Moffat Museums as well as
the Griqua National Council after
his 2006 pre-launch tour. Ritchie has probably never even heard of
any of them. Even a drop out can become a book reviewer - obviously Ritchie
is a case in point! (You will note he does not mention what those "errors"
are!! As he says anyone can "boot up a computer" he should go back to something
more suited to his skills like cleaning dunnys! Yes, we can use this
media to be as denegrating as he was in his book review and why shouldn't
we? Quid pro quo (for the illiterate Ritchie this means "something for
something" in Latin)
This is the greatest failing with Children of the
Mist.
The only review to suggest this book failed was that by - yes - Kevin Ritchie.
It is self-published, presumably because either
no professional publishing house wanted it, or the author thought he could
do a better job. Whatever the case, Balson has done himself a huge
disservice.
It is self-published because the publishing company the author approached
in South Africa offered a pittance and as Scott has eight previously published
best sellers and could afford to finance the work he did. If anyone has done
themselves a disservice it is Kevin Ritchie because this expose on his lack
of balance in reporting will forever remain on the web.
Ritchie's review is pure fabrication - as can be seen from the glaring errors in the yellow block above he never even read the book. He should go and get an honest job that he is up to such as working on a construction site where brain matter is not such a major component.