Gender based violence is widely prevalent in South African society, but male rape is often a neglected area. According to The Conversation, in an article by Prof Louise Du Toit, men make up around 10% of victims of sexual violence.

The group South African Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse says one in six adult males in the country have been victims of sexual offences in their lifetimes and, in 2012, almost 20% of all sexual abuse victims were male. But men are up to 10 times less likely than women to report sexual violence against them. Frequently men who report sexual assault are accused of being gay. In addition, according to Prof Du Toit, “Some feminist activists are reluctant to focus on the male victims because they think it will undermine long-fought-for attention for female victims.”

Silent Scream is a refreshing acknowledgement of this disturbing picture, told firsthand by a survivor of multiple instances of sexual violence, including gang rape and other forms of physical and sexual violence.

The author is a man in his fifties, intelligent and multifaceted, who carried the weight of the ages on his tattooed shoulders. Following a childhood marred by distant parents, he was assaulted in his late teens.

This is a book filled with hurt, with anger, with events that should never occur, but that the author has been able to rise above. It’s also a book about recovery, redemption, and the power of healing. No punches are pulled. It’s a very necessary book for our country and our time.

Little Red Flying Hood is a charming retelling of the original story of the plucky girl in the red hooded cape. Rather than a regular girl, in this story Red is a fruit fly. She and her friends, a bee, cricket twins, and a firefly face frightening foes and dangers on their journey to save Grandma. Each uses their strengths to overcome weaknesses and through friendship and understanding they defeat the evil spider, Cranston. Little Red Flying Hood is from the mind and talent of Benjamin Allen Nelson, who has autism. This is Ben's first book. Ben began drawing at around the time he was diagnosed with autism. Autism took his speech, but his mind was filled with images and ideas that he needed to express. Ben drew on every notepad or piece of paper he could get his hands on. His family realized that the images he was drawing were stories and that in his mind he could speed up a sequence, slow it down, and show the images from different character's points of view. When Ben began high school, his teacher, Maureen Clark, introduced him to Adobe Illustrator and a whole new world opened up for him. He was able to give his images movement, depth, color, and life quickly. He could create the stories in his imagination perfectly. Little Red Flying Hood is the first of a series of books Ben will create to retell classic tales.