Mandela

Born in 1918, Nelson Mandela's initial response to the institutionalized racism of South Africa was a militant belief in African control and distrust of collaboration with whites. This comprehensive biography by British journalist Martin Meredith draws on interviews with Mandela and colleagues to trace his evolution from political prisoner to leader of a multiracial democracy. Meredith also cogently depicts the complex personality of an autocratic, often remote man "more at ease with strangers than ... friends," who sacrificed much of his private life to the collective struggle. Nelson Mandela is essential reading for understanding modern South Africa.