Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Zulu priest, Stephen Kumalo leaves his South African village to find out the fate of his son and his sister in the city of Johannesburg. He tries to bring his family back from the brink of destruction. This book was written before the apartheid laws were in place in South Africa. Racial tension dominates the book. A story of great love and compassion that braces both sides of the races.