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Shepherds and Butchers

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About this listen

South Africa, 1987. Apartheid. When Leon, a white 19-year-old prison guard working on death row, commits an inexplicable act of violence, killing seven black men in a hail of bullets, the outcome of the trial - and the court's sentence - seems a foregone conclusion.

Hotshot lawyer John Weber (played by Steve Coogan) reluctantly takes on the seemingly unwinnable case. A passionate opponent of the death penalty, John discovers that young Leon worked on death row in the nation's most notorious prison, under traumatic conditions: befriending the inmates over the years while having to assist their eventual executions.

As the court hearings progress, the case offers John the opportunity to put the entire system of legally sanctioned murder on trial. How can one man take such a dual role of friend and executioner, becoming both shepherd and butcher? Inspired by true events, this is the story that puts the death penalty on trial and changes history.

©2017 Chris Marnewick (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks Africa Law Murder True Crime Crime
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Would you consider the audio edition of Shepherds and Butchers to be better than the print version?

Unfortunately not. The author kept characters speech in their native tongue at times, so unless you can speak or understand Afrikaans or Xhosa, some aspects of the story can be a tad frustrating... But these parts make up for perhaps 15% of spoken language. Nevertheless, there is a language index at the end of the book, which would be a LOT easier to use in printed version rather than audio version.

What did you like best about this story?

You really get a sense of the criminal justice system in South Africa during that time, and it beautifully encapsulates the two-pronged-nexus that exists in the prisoner/prison officer relationship.

What does Peter Nobel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

A real sense of authenticity.

Fantastic story line!

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one of my top ten listens. very well read and highly informative content. stongly recommend

exceptional book.

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I could not finish it, very difficult to listen to, so many killing, mostly unnecessary. I'll try for a refund

I could not finish this book, difficult listen

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Absolutely brilliant. A story I would have struggled to read but as an audible it was gripping and addictive. The narration was incredible and totally in character. I already feel I need to listen to it again.

Sensational

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The story was interesting and an eye-opener anout the South African prison system and how the death penalty worked in South Africa. The book was well written and very factual well but at times I found it a bit slow. What I disliked the most about the story was the way there was a constant repetition of different prisoner's names. The performance was good and I liked the different voices the narrator used. His accents were excellent.

Questions About The South African Justice System.

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