Nelson Mandela

The Compact Guide: Nelson Mandela is the definitive short chronicle of perhaps the most recognised and best-loved statesman and activist in history. Starting from the very beginning of Mandela's life in the tribal Thembu clan, read how this unassuming young man became a figure that led the people of South Africa into a new world, away from the apartheid regime and into a multi-racial democracy. Nelson Mandela will always be seen as the face of world freedom, an ambassador for civil rights, and a heroic liberator whose influence and image of moral integrity extended way beyond his homeland. He spent 27 years in prison; his eventual release and election as South Africa's first black president were landmark events in twentieth-century history. Packed with narrative colour, this is the essential life of one of the world's most revered leaders.

Christina Scott was an award-winning journalist for radio, television, print, and the Internet. She first went to South Africa at a time when it seemed that Nelson Mandela was never going to get out of jail. Just after she arrived, martial law was imposed. While covering the mayhem in the townships, the police tried to kick Scott out, calling her a security risk, but she stayed, enduring death threats, arrests, and assaults. Scott covered the day that Mandela was released from jail and his first visit to some of the most war-torn parts of the country. She also produced Mandela's first-ever radio talk show.