Serowe is one of the most literary places in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks entirely to Bessie Head, who spent 24 years here. Head was born in South Africa, classified "coloured" under apartheid, and exiled to Botswana in 1964. She wrote three novels and a remarkable oral history of Serowe itself.
When Rain Clouds Gather (Bessie Head, 1968) — Head's first novel, set in a fictional Botswana village based on Serowe. A South African political exile finds a new life among the Batswana, working on agricultural development. Simple, honest, and luminous.
Serowe: Village of the Rain Wind (Bessie Head, 1981) — An unusual and wonderful book: Head interviews dozens of Serowe residents across three generations and assembles their testimony into a portrait of the village and its history, from the time of Khama III to the present. More intimate than any conventional history.
A Question of Power (Bessie Head, 1974) — Head's most difficult and autobiographical novel, exploring mental illness, exile, and identity. Not an easy read, but essential for understanding her and her relationship to Serowe.
Khama the Great African Chief (Edwin Lloyd, 1895) — An early biography of Khama III, written by a missionary who knew him. Dated in its assumptions but historically important and available in various reprint editions.