They’re Burning the Churches is a meticulously written, moving account of the groundbreaking events that dramatically accelerated the downfall of apartheid. Noonans’ clear and unbiased historical record clarifies many misconceptions regarding important events such as the Sharpeville Six Trial, the Delmas Treason Trial, the 1984 uprising that led to international sanctions against South Africa, the first-ever army invasions of the Vaal townships, and the still controversial Boipatong massacre that stopped the negotiations for a new south Africa for at least six months. Much of the material is completely new. Historians will relish it. But it’s not only or mostly academic. Township people will see themselves in these pages. The peoples of Evaton, Sebokeng, Boipatong, Sharpeville, Bophelong and other urban areas such as Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark. People who made it happen. The heroes of the piece. It is their tumultuous story. It also includes a section on the formerly despised councillors whom the author invites to share with the reader their past memories and present concerns. This surprising inclusion makes for compelling reading.