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Book Review of Nelson Mandela: The Life and Legacy of the Father of South Africa

Nelson Mandela: The Life and Legacy of the Father of South Africa
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Before picking up this ebook, I knew little about Nelson Mandela, other than he was an activist and president of South Africa. This book gives him additional descriptive words -- anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist. Before Mandela was born in 1918, South Africa's pro-white business groups had already legislated and codified apartheid as the norm. This is an inspiring book about a man who went from prison to president of South Africa.

He understood that he must protect the white civil service jobs to protect the economy. If Mandela destroyed the white-based economy, the country would collapse. So, Mandela did the pragmatic thing; he reluctantly preserved those jobs to protect the country. That must have taken great courage during a time of turmoil and pressure upon him to right the wrongs of apartheid.

This story gathers together the strands of history to present a cohesive whole. Mandela's story spanned decades and this tied up all the loose ends. Mandela took on the presidency at a time when most men would be thinking about retirement. The ebook was superficial on the facts of Mandela's marriages, particularly when he divorced Winnie (his second wife).