Young Mandela

October 4, 2010
Longtime journalist Smith (One Morning in Sarajevo) digs into newly discovered government documents and firsthand interviews (though none with the supportive but ailing Nelson Mandela himself) in humanizing the iconic leader. Smith ventures deep into the horror of apartheid to trace the burgeoning revolutionary's philosophical trajectories: from the tribal chauvinism and British "gentleman politics" of the African National Congress through the younger, more insistent elements coalescing around mentor Walter Sisulu to Mandela and the ANC's own more militant turn under the influence of South Africa's Indians led by Gandhi, the role of South African Communists, and the pan-Africanism of Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah. What sets this biography apart is its author's emphasis on Mandela's character and associations in the development of his political career, from boyhood through the Rivonia Trial of 1963–1964; as well as the impact of politics on his personal life, from first wife Evelyn Mase—heretofore neglected in the historical record—to the "woman of his dreams," Winnie Madikizela. No hagiography, Smith's measured study qualifies, lends nuance to, and even contradicts the mythology around Mandela's background and formative influences. Photos.

April 1, 2011

Journalist and true crime author Smith (www.davidjamessmith.net) recounts the early life of the titular first black president of South Africa, carefully and skillfully weaving together evidence of Mandela's all-too-human flaws with accounts of his political acumen and revolutionary struggle against apartheid. Narrator Allyson Johnson's (www.allysonvoice.com) pronunciations of the numerous names and locales are flawless, though the account's often nonlinear progression makes it at times difficult to follow the many characters and their actions. Young Mandela will appeal to anyone wanting to learn more about the real man behind the legend, though some listeners may get a bit bogged down in all the minutiae. ["Not a hagiography but a detailed and multidimensional portrait," read the review of the Little, Brown hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 12/17/10.--Ed.]--Valerie Piechocki, Prince George's Cty. Lib., Largo, MD

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.