The Rough Guide to Nelson Mandela

Book excerpt: The Rough Guide to Nelson Mandela is a fresh, honest overview of the life story and the impact of one of the world's greatest modern icons. It assesses the influence of his rural, traditional childhood on his later personality, and his early years as a revolutionary leader and master strategist; including his private life and troubled marriages. It explores his 27 years in an apartheid jail and reveals the inside stories of the white government's first secretive contacts with him and how he encouraged their intelligence chiefs to advise their political masters to abandon apartheid and negotiate a political settlement. The Rough Guide to Nelson Mandela attempts to explain Mandela's remarkable lack of bitterness and his commitment to reconciliation with the white minority after his release. Readers get a rare insight into Mandela's role in during the crucial negotiations period and his term as South Africa's first black president. It critically examines his iconic status and impact on the world stage. The Rough Guide to Nelson Mandela liberates Nelson Mandela from cloying myths and partisan portraits, pinpointing the true impact and legacy of one of the world's most recognizable figures.