Richman Bongani Mahlangu

ZULU DREAMS: As a young boy in the township of Lamontville, South Africa, during the cruel hold of apartheid, Richman lived in poverty, sharing a tiny house with no electricity or running water with nine members of his family. His parents had no formal education, worked hard, and did what they could to support and educate their children. At 13, Richman tragically lost his father to a witchcraft curse; however, the young Zulu warrior's life takes a dramatic turn.In his grief, he discovered the game of tennis, a "white man's game," and a new world opened to him. Through hard work, determination, and luck, he found a way out of South Africa to Austria in his quest for higher education. In 1986, Richman was recruited on a full- ride athletic tennis scholarship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Along the way, Richman must navigate a maelstrom of immigration laws, loss of a scholarship, homesickness, and financial challenges.Zulu Dreams is the story of a man pursuing a long- held dream for higher education for himself and then for his sons, using tennis to obtain access to America's best universities. It is the story of a father who struggles to walk the line between parent and coach, often getting the mix wrong. It is the story of perseverance, hope, gratitude, and love.