Mandela the authorized biography

I have long been fascinated with the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, but my interested was piqued after the Nobel Peace Prize-winner’s death in at 95 years of age. I selected this “authorized” biography on the basis of a friend’s recommendation, although the work was published in prior to Mandela’s death (and therefore unfortunately did not include that portion of his life). Biographer Anthony Sampson had the advantage of knowing Mandela since , and had unlimited access to information, papers, and correspondence unavailable to many other historians at that time. One of my concerns, however, was whether Sampson could provide an objective analysis of Mandela, the ANC (African National Congress), and those who surrounded and influenced the future South African president (especially his controversial second wife, Winnie). Objectivity remained the major reason why I could not give the biography a full five star rating. Given those concerns, I still highly rate this informative and readable work on a man who helped change the course of history for South Africa, Africa, and the world. Nelson Mandela (“Madiba”), was born into the Thembu royal family of the Xhosa tribe, which provided the future president with a royal, chiefly bearing which never failed to impress those with whom he worked with, and confronted. Mandela was raised as a Methodist, and trained as a lawyer at the University of Witwatersrand, though he claimed his greatest education was obtained at the “University of Robben Island,” the prison where Mandela was held captive for much of his 27 years of incarceration. He was arrested for his involvement with the ANC, which the Afrikaner apartheid government had declared to be illegal. This is where I found the biography to be most informative. The main charges against the ANC was that it was communist and promoted violence. According to Sampson, Mandela was never a member of the South African Communist Party (SACP)