Lots of information about Mandela | Mandela: The Authorized Portrait

Excellent | Mandela: The Authorized Portrait | Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond TuTu

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	• Mandela: The Authorized Portrait Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond TuTu Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2006 - 356 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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A Beacon of Promise in a Troubled Continent

Nelson Mandela stands as a Beacon in South Africa, Africa, and the rest of the world as an example of what a political leader should be. Not only was he largely responsible for the 'one person one vote' changes in South Africa, but then after he was elected president he served one term and retired. This is very un-politician like. Especially in the third world politicians seem to stay in office until they die. Then again, there was FDR in this country.

This is a splendid book. It is profusely illustrated, and not quite a biography so much as a tribute. There are dozens of comments, interviews, documents from the time, historical reports and so on that record his struggle.

Mandela did marvelous things, great things. I wonder though what will be the story of South Africa after he and his legacy are gone. There are political movements afoot there who preach that the whites should all be kicked out, that their property should be confiscated, and that South Africa will be like the rest of Africa in poverty and misery.

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Lots of information about Mandela

PROS: The author spent a great deal of time collecting data in a perfectionist manner. Although this book was a bit over my head, I must admit I was highly impressed with the author's acute attention to detail. No stone was left unturned, so to speak. Scanned photocopies of handwritten letters from Mandela himself.

If you're studying Mandela for research purposes, then this is probably the most comprehensive tell-all guide ever made.

CONS: The extensive vocabulary was over my head. The background history felt textbookish. I didn't feel like I got to know Mr. Mandela at all. And yet, this contains almost everything there is to know about the man. I suppose it's my fault for not having a stronger reading comprehension, but many pages throughout the book were so hard to read that I skimmed over most of it. Mr. Mandela's handwriting was almost impossible for me to read.

All in all, I personally consider this more of a REFERENCE guide rather than an autobiography. This is great if one enjoys finding treasure within obscure details within Mr. Mandela's own handwritten letters.

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Excellent

This wonderful book gives a well-rounded view of Nelson Mandela, his country and times. There is a chronological biography, many pictures including copies of letters, etc. plus remembrances from people in his life so you can see Mandela from a variety of viewpoints and often glimpse personal moments that go so far to make up a real individual. I came away richer in understanding Mandela and his impact on the world, clearer in my knowledge of South Africa and amazed at the difference one courageous person can make. The size and weight of the book made me savor it rather than racing through it.

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Named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has dedicated his life to fighting racism, segregation, oppression, and exploitation?and championing democracy, equality, and education.

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait celebrates the courage, determination, and remarkable humanity of a great man and chronicles his extraordinary contribution to humankind.

Much of the story in Mandela: The Authorized Portrait is told by those whose very lives he has touched. Drawing on 60 original and extensive interviews with family members, close friends, colleagues, and many of the world's leading figures in politics and entertainment, Mandela: The Authorized Portrait tells the inspirational story of an incredible man?from his birth and early childhood in rural South Africa and his involvement with and eventual leadership of the African National Congress through his 27-year imprisonment and eventual emergence as one of the world's notable leaders and most active agents for change.

This richly designed portrait features a foreword by former U.S. president Bill Clinton and an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It is illustrated with 250 images and features material taken from private collections as well as the Nelson Mandela Foundation archive?some of it published here for the first time. Mandela: The Authorized Portrait features artifacts and facsimiles of Mandela's voluminous writings and correspondence?written records of his negotiations with the prison authorities, intimate letters to his family and friends during his imprisonment, and material from Mandela's personal diaries and calendars.

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait is one of the most lavishly illustrated and comprehensive tributes to Nelson Mandela's life and work ever produced.

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