In The Words Of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela book In The Words Of Nelson Mandela
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by Jennifer Crwys-Williams (Editor)

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Walker & Company (April 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802779301
ISBN-13: 978-0802779304
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches

Reviewed by Robert Fleming

One of the greatest assignments of my career as a newspaper reporter was covering South African leader, Nelson Mandela, who had just been released in 1990 from that country's maximum security prison, Robben Island after 27 years in prison in his New York visit. So I've been waiting patiently for the new collection of his quotes, In The Words Of Nelson Mandela. He represented all of the greatest qualities of leadership, a true sense of wisdom, strength, compassion, and a moral vision. I read his autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, published in 1995, and rejoiced when he worked to heal the country from the bitter wounds of racial strife.

There have been many books published about Mr. Mandela and his achievements, both political and personal. Now Jennifer Crwys-Williams, a noted South African writer and media personality, has collected a generous sampling of the retired leader's opinions and observations. The words have been gathered from many sources, articles, speeches, writings, and interviews.

History buffs will marvel at his quiet, rational explanations found in the variety of subjects as friendship, struggle, oppression, love, marriage, women, violence, leadership, corruption, hope, conflict, and culture. There is a survey of opinions on various personalities on the world stage, both past and present: Presidents Bush and Clinton, Princess Diana, Steve Biko, Bishop Tutu, Gaddafi, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson, and General Colin Powell.

Here are some samples:

On Africa:
"Can we continue to tolerate our ancestors being shown as people locked in time?"

On change:
"Belief in the possibility of change and renewal is perhaps one of the defining characteristics of politics and of religion."

On children:
"The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children."

On freedom:
"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the lives of others."

If you want to know history, read Mr. Mandela's wise, witty, candid quotations. Never will you find them lacking in depth or rude or spoken in haste. This leader is indeed one of the world's living treasures and this collection will surely inspire and delight you.

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