Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite

In 1975, young John Wesley Zooma witnessed the public and violent execution of a well-known member of his community by the police. The incident left him with a deep hatred for the government. More than two decades later, Zooma joined a secret Zulu paramilitary group, planning a revolution. Clarence van Dyke Jackson, an African-American electrical contractor, and Carl Durnbacher, a German-born engineer, are long-time business partners secretly dealing in the arms trade. They are behind the supply of weapons to the South African group. While both share a history of violence from their childhood that shaped their current lives, Jackson has been rethinking his involvement in the business lately and wants out. However, Carl will not let him walk away that easily. What is about to happen in South Africa? Find out in Downfall and Freedom by Charles E. Webb.

Lovers of historical novels blended with crime, a touch of drama and romance, politics, and suspense will find Downfall and Freedom by Charles E. Webb an enthralling read. Webb immerses readers in the characters’ diverse worlds with a multi-perspective storyline and vivid depictions. From the introduction of Zooma and Jackson, I got insight into the violence and injustices African-Americans and South Africans faced at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan and the colonial government, respectively. I understood the reactions of their families and communities to their appalling experiences, and how those experiences influenced their decisions and opinions. Just imagining that the scenes in the story were people's realities in the twentieth century brought me to tears. They were incredibly resilient people to have survived such circumstances. Webb also paints a clear picture of the unfolding of events during South Africa’s struggle for independence. The story highlights one undeniable truth about humans: there are monsters and genuinely good people.