Time to open up ... talk more ... change - SA author's call to black men

“We need to talk.” Is there a more terrifying opening statement to any engagement? Whether it’s a wife, a girlfriend, your banker or lawyer – usually nothing good follows that suggestion. “Now, if you have both a wife and a girlfriend,” says the author, “we definitely need to talk”.

Magenge, We Need to Talk: Conversations With Black Men is best-selling author Melusi Tshabalala's call to men to open up, talk more, listen more and change.

The book is built around a series of conversations that Tshabalala's had with his male friends, his Magenge, over the years. These round tables navigate the minefield known as “adulting”, through the lens of 40-something-year-old black men, trying to make sense of their place in the world.

These intimate and often humorous convos embrace black fatherhood, black love, gender relations, gender-based violence, racism, traditions and religion, hosted by the intrepid Tshabalala and his unique take on the wonky world black men find themselves in.

• Article provided by NB Publishers