"It provides new perspective and insights into the man and his times. . . . [Meredith] is particularly good in recounting the parallel rise and inevitable clash of white Afrikaner and black African nationalism in this century . ..." --The Washington Post "Meredith paints an insider"s canvas of recent South African history as well as an epic tale of a freedom fighter." --San Francisco Chronicle "[R]evealing insights, particularly into the contrast between the disciplined Mandela who emerged from prison and the impetuous figure of the late 1940"s and early 1950"s." --The New York Times Book Review "Meredith carefully avoids adulation while tracing the course of Mandela"s remarkable career. . . . [He] skillfully depicts Mandela"s complex relationships with the close circle of white Communists who supported the African National Congress [and] writes vividly but unsentimentally about the tribulations and betrayals that racked Mandela"s family."--The Los Angeles Times