When my primary school daughter told me she wanted to take me to coffee, I was puzzled and more than a little apprehensive. She had never made such a request before and those who know Sara-Jane would tell you that she can be firm. Why are we going to coffee? I asked gingerly. Her answer was crisp. We need to talk. And that is where the title of the book came from. On difficult matters, South Africans still need to talk.