Christopher Merrett seeks to challenge a monochromatic version of South Africa's history. Toward that end, he has collected some three decades of newspaper opinion pieces and feature articles whose purpose was to examine previously neglected, but significant, historical lives, movements, and events and interpret their contemporary relevance.

The selections are arranged chronologically to reflect their subject matter, not their date of publication, in order to produce a historical narrative. The result is a story that counters much of the postliberation discourse—which tended to focus on the role of certain movements—and that emphasizes themes of diversity, universal human rights, and individual empowerment both during and after apartheid.