"Spud: The Reunion" at the Kingsmead Book Fair

Loading player...
Author John van de Ruit says writing the fifth instalment of "Spud" was no easy task — especially when it came to staying true to the voice of the diary-keeping misfit.

"Spud: The Reunion" is one of the standout titles at this year’s Kingsmead Book Fair, and it pulls readers back to the early 2000s — the Mbeki era, and cellphones that only made calls.

But this time, Spud is 28, deep in a “third-life crisis” and dreading his ten-year school reunion.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny caught up with John ahead of the fair…
13 May 2025 English South Africa Entertainment News · Documentary

Other recent episodes

Breakthrough Surgery Offers New Hope for Deafness

Today is World Hearing Day — and South Africa has something extraordinary to celebrate. A Pretoria-based surgeon is being recognised around the world for pioneering a world-first procedure that can cure certain types of deafness. HOT 1027’s Al Prodgers reports…
2 Mar 1 min

RIP Neil Sedaka

Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has died in Los Angeles at the age of 86. His career spanned six decades and spanned a variety of musical genres. HOT1027's Simon Marks has more…
28 Feb 2 min

The 1917 SS Mendi tragedy remembered

Avalon Cemetery in Soweto is the final resting place of everyday residents, alongside giants of South Africa’s struggle like Hector Pieterson, Joe Slovo and Lilian Ngoyi. But It's also home to a memorial for 616 brave South Africans who have no grave except for the cold sea — they are…
20 Feb 1 min