Mandela

This book traces the life and work of South Africa's first democratically elected president. Beginning with his early years in a tiny village in the Transkei, the book follows him to Johannesburg and his involvement in the liberation movement. It traces his evolution as a politician from this leadership of the ANC Youth League, through the grim years of imprisonment on Robben Island, to the delicate talks that preceded his release from prison, and the complicated and tumultuous negotiations that culminated in April 1994, in the first democratic election. As president of a free and democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela has become an inspiration to South Africans and for millions of people around the world, and the book covers his many achievements as president and respected international statesman and his life as husband and father. A tribute to one of Africa's truly great men.

Charlene Smith is a Johannesburg-based journalist who specializes in politics and economics. Her work has been published in most of South Africa's major newspapers, as well as publications in North and South America, Asia and Europe. She has extensive radio and television experience, primarily in documentaries made for international television companies. She has two children