117 Days
An Account of Confinement and Interrogation Under the South African 90-Day Detention Law

A powerful and gripping personal account of imprisonment and interrogation by one of the key figures of the anti-apartheid movement.

'In prison you see only the moves of the enemy. Prison is the hardest place to fight a battle.' 117 Days is Ruth First's personal account of her detention under the iniquitous '90-day' law of 1963. There was no warrant, no charge and no trial - only suspicion. This sparsely written and unique record tells of her experiences of solitary confinement, constant interrogation and instantaneous re-arrest on release - lightened by humorous portraits of governors, matrons, wardresses and interrogators, seen as the tools of the police state.