Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. This is a memoir of one woman’s life, from her rather privileged background, to a chance opportunity to travel to South Africa, to her impact on the education of people through the AIDS epidemic using theatre. In a few words, a summary of the book and yet nothing of the kind. Kim Hope is white, is pootling happily though her life when she sees an opportunity to make a difference and she grabs it. She sets up a charity using theatre to help change lives and minds. This is an easy read because it almost feels like a novel and several times I had to remind myself that Ms Hope is real. The book takes you through all the steps and all the issues and is very well written. The pacing is perfect and you feel her frustrations as well as the triumphs. An extraordinary life and an excellent book. ~ Anne Maguire (Reviewer), NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Kim, the Author has written a remarkable story of the times she spent in Africa promoting awareness of Aids through drama. Her struggles, tenacity and courage are evident throughout the book. She visits Africa in her teens and the country takes a hold on her. She knows she must return even though she has to leave her family behind and later in the book her aging mother. She does fly home when needed, but often feels she needs to be back in Africa to ensure the success of her project, Themba Interactive Theatre. She started by herself until her friend Theresa joined her. Volunteers were asked to join them and they put them through a rigorous training before deciding on a few they would use to start their project. It is brought to the readers attention on several occasions, 2 white women in Africa with black volunteers setting up workshops about aids and sexually transmitted diseases, is an unknown in that country. But aids had become so deadly, education was needed to help the people to learn how it was transmitted and what they could do to avoid it. Kim and Theresa held interactive workshops where the audience were expected to participate, another unknown in their culture. But through years of hard work, always struggling for financial support, Themba made a difference. An extremely interesting story, giving the reader a glimpse of the African culture and more importantly the realization that one person’s initiative could and did make a difference. An excellent read. ~ Margaret Wilkins (Reviewer), NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. In this song of love to South Africa and its people, Actress, journalist and drama teacher Kim Hope vividly decribes her deep emotional attachment and commitment to helping communities come to terms with the struggles and challenges faced through the years of apartheid and the devastation of HIV/AIDS. An unforgettable read. ~ Em Jay, Amazon

............as a young and not very aware young woman enjoying a life of freedom and parties in swinging London, a chance conversation with a friend leads to an interview for a post in South Africa and encounters with activists who seek to bring down apartheid. Her eyes are opened and she becomes aware on witnessing the way well-to-do address their Black servants. Hope realises she is out of her depth and may have put herself into mortal danger, so she returns to England. There is, however, the pull to return, which she does some decades later, being drawn to help local people educate themselves in a post-apartheid world. She recognises the irony in that as a white and privileged Englishwoman she ends up for example teaching young Bantus literacy and history so that they can think for themselves (the still-repressive education system had only permitted them enough education necessary to learn menial skills). Her methods, which are included as an appendix at the back, involve an interactive kind of drama, where the audience is invited to participate in changing the outcome of a play, into hopefully a better one: the audience may be invited to role a situation where a lover rejects his HIV positive partner. The aim is educational rather than therapeutic however: the aim may be to reduce prejudices about Aids or to use condoms to reduce the threat of infection, for example. The young actors are generously acknowledged as contributors at the back, and the reader is updated on their.continuing stories. Reading between the lines it does seem that Hope must have possessed huge charisma and people skills in order to have worked in such a politically charged environment to help change things. The main thing is that she did so, and so incredibly successfully: this will be an inspiring read indeed to those who dream of putting the world to rights. ~ Lynda Stevens (Reviewer), NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. In this book, Kim is just moving along in life in London, when a chance encounter takes her to South Africa. Once there, she finds the apartheid system abhorrent. On a mission to help the country and stop the spread of aids, Kim starts the Themba HIV&AIDS Organization in Johannesburg to recruit and train young people through theater workshops. Though not a mystery with clues and such, this book provides a good picture of South Africa and of one young woman’s ideas and goals and how she goes about attaining them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Kim and grew to admire her steadfastness and character quickly. I also found it fascinating to read about South Africa, its people and culture. This book is a great way to find out about an area of the world many of us probably know nothing about, while getting a good glimpse into the soul of this eager, hard-working, courageous girl who goes after her goals with ever ounce of courage and effort she has. ~ Kathy Talley (Reviewer), NetGalley

.............It is a different story, a take on how the 'lighter' aspects of life can play a crucial role in people's life. I would recommend it to those who like to know more about how theatre can participate in being more than something people just watch..... ~ Anjana Sundar (Reviewer), NetGalley

.......What a beautifully written story this is. It's interesting and informative. It's not a book I would normally choose but I'm glad I read it. I liked Kim. She had her beliefs and stuck with them. That's a big change in lifestyle from the swinging sixties she left behind to life in South Africa. I really enjoyed this book and I'm sure many other readers will as well. ~ Louise Wilson (Reviewer), NetGalley

The Bullet in the Pawpaw is a compelling page-turner that traces Kim Hope’s groundbreaking years as a theatre professional in South Africa. But this is no star-struck memoir. It begins in the years of apartheid and follows the author's growing belief in the power of drama to change lives, her struggle against the odds to found the brilliantly innovative Themba project, and her realisation, during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, that her skills as a director could help break the silence surrounding that terrible disease. Beautifully and atmospherically written, her book shines with optimism, courage and an irrepressible sense of adventure. As it drew to a close I found myself so moved that I went straight back to the beginning and read it again. ~ Geoffrey Durham, Quaker, and author of The Spirit of the Quakers

In this enchanting and important book Kim Hope takes us with her through her years in South Africa involving young people in theatre projects helping to overcome the stain and pain left by apartheid. And confronting and dealing with violence, abuse and HIV & AIDS. ~ Angela Neustatta, Journalist and author of The Year I Turn: A Quirky A-Z of Ageing

Congratulations to Kim on her vivid and moving account of how she went about the onerous task of setting up and running the innovative Themba (“Hope”) project. At a time when people were beginning to be open to testing for HIV but were overwhelmed by the implications, she and her colleagues helped many to comprehend the enormity of the Aids pandemic. I hope this book will affirm the work she and Themba did, recognise those who were given the courage to be tested, and constitute a tribute to those who did not survive the scourge. ~ The Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town, and author of Faith and Courage, Praying with Mandela

The Bullet in The Pawpaw by Kim Hope is a story of hope (ithemba) and triumph at a time in South Africa when denial and ignorance around HIV and Aids was killing people and threatening to rip the nation apart. The Themba HIV and Aids Project, built on Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) and Forum theatre is a story of courage, resilience, empowerment and love. It is the story of individual and collective action at a time of crisis. Kim Hope took up the challenge and transformed her love for theatre into something that gave young South Africans hope and the power to overcome ignorance and fear. As she puts it: “It began to look as if we had created something which was not only unique, but also valuable.” I highly recommend this book. ~ Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Quaker and Deputy Health Minister of South Africa (2004 – 2007)

This frank and compassionate account of the apartheid years and the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa brings back many memories for me. It is a most valuable record of a project that without question has been of immense value to so many people. Kim Hope writes directly and frankly and in so doing demonstrates how individuals with dedication and purpose utilised their own skills to help create a better quality of life for all regardless of creed or colour. This is not only a compelling story it is also a valuable historical record. ~ Terry Waite CBE, Anglican and a Quaker and author of several books including Out of the Silence