Nelson Mandela

December 2, 2009
With beautiful color photos and well-chosen text, including contributions from South African journalist Battersby and six of Nelson Mandela's seminal speeches, this enlightening coffee table tour covers all stages of Mandela's career: a young and passionate activist, an eloquent spokesman for his oppressed countrymen, a political prisoner of 27 years, a transformative president, a larger-than-life international figure of peace, and an eternally charming elder statesman (one of many memorable full-page photos shows Queen Elizabeth breaking into an uncharacteristically broad smile in Mandela's presence). Battersby quotes Mandela the outspoken ("The grave plight of the people compels them to resist to the death the stinking policies of the gangsters that rule our country") and unafraid ("Democracy is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die"), and explains the man vividly on Mandela's own terms and the world's: "As he was paraded on the rooftops of limousines, in pickups, and on podiums, Mandela walked the talk." Editor Cohen has amassed a worthy, crowd-pleasing tribute to one of the world's living legends.

Starred review from February 1, 2010
Another Mandela biography? Yes, and even library collections that have Mandela: The Authorized Portrait (2006) will benefit from this beautiful, oversize photo biography, which includes, published in full, the South African leaders six great historic speeches, with a detailed overview of the apartheid struggle as well as an essay on Mandelas personal role in the countrys history. Highly readable, up-to-date, and relatively inexpensive, the volume features more than 100 beautifully reproduced photos, many of them in color, on most of the spacious double-page spreads. No slogans here. With great insight about the history, the speeches include No Easy Walk to Freedom (1953), given upon Mandelas election as president of the African National Congress; An Ideal for Which I Am Prepared to Die (1964), delivered at the Rivonia Trial, where he was sentenced to life; his response to the Soweto uprising in 1976; his remarks when released from prison (1990); his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; and his inaugural address as president of South Africa (1994). With clear, unobtrusive footnotes explaining the references in the speeches, the book is designed for both browsers and those who want to read every word, with very spacious type on thick, high-quality paper. The up-to-date coverage includes not only the photos with celebrities (Princess Diana and Rosa Parks) but also recent images in glowing color, including a final stunning portrait with an aerial view of Robben Island.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)