Kindle Price: $8.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

The Boy Who Could Keep A Swan in His Head Kindle Edition

by John Hunt (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 55 ratings
See all formats and editions
“Hillbrow, 1967. The New York of Africa. Someone wrote that the place would soon have more people per square kilometre than Tokyo. Everyone quoted that article to everyone. Some even cut it out and kept it folded in their wallets.”
While other boys daydream about racing cars and football, eleven-year-old stutterer Phen sits reading to his father. In number four Duchess Court, Phen’s dad looks like a Spitfire pilot behind his oxygen mask.
But real life is different from the daring adventures in the books Phen reads and he is forced to grow up faster than other boys his age.
This is until Heb Thirteen Two shows up: in his pinstriped suit pants and tie-dyed psychedelic top, the stranger could be any old bum, or a boy’s special angel come to live among men.
Poignant, witty and wise, John Hunt’s The Boy Who Could Keep a Swan in His Head is a meditation on being alive and shows us the power of books when we need them the most.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    242 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Umuzi
  5. Publication date
    April 1, 2018
  6. File size
    1015 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Hunt is the author of the novel The Space Between the Space Between. His book The Art of the Idea, which celebrates the power of ideas to move the world forward, has been translated into several languages. He is currently Worldwide Creative Chair of advertising agency network tbwa, having previously co-founded tbwa\Hunt Lascaris. He grew up in Hillbrow and still lives and works in Johannesburg.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07CCMS366
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Umuzi; 1st edition (April 1, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1015 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
55 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars Working through adversity and developing a mature world view
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
The descriptions of a tortured child’s view on the everyday events around him are stunning and one has to assume the author was reflecting his own journey or one of someone close to him.
Even to an atheist or agnostic, the religious view that shimmers through is totally credible and inoffensive.
Helpful
 Report
MW
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing read
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
I was raised in Hillbrow in the 50s, 60s and 70s. So I was curious to see how Hunt would weave his tale around the neighborhood. In the end, this novel reaches well beyond this earth and this mortal prison. It's a personal, sad, humorous and, ultimately, magic tale with a message how fears can be overcome, and a life lived with courage.
Helpful
 Report
Patricia Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
This story brought back so many memories for me as I lived in Hillbrow around about this time. The story unfolds so delicately and ends so positively for a boy who had such a hard time growing up.
Helpful
 Report
Glynda Jacobs
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
Loved this book. Beautifully written.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars The boy who could keep a swan in his head
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
I think this book is brilliant. It is so well written and so different. I loved Phen and Heb and found the book sad,enlightening, interesting and absorbing. John
Hunt is brilliant
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report