Mandela: The Rebel Who Led His Nation to Freedom Book

Nelson Mandela comes to life in this portrait of a diplomatic man whose commitment to freedom gained him both the Nobel Peace Prize and Time’s Man of the Year honor. The son of a Thembu chief in South Africa, Mandela began his life-long campaign against white colonial rule while a college student. Kramer’s eloquent, yet approachable text describes the leader’s dedication to nonviolence, his role in the African National Congress and his arrest in 1962 for sabotage and conspiracy. During his 27 years in prison, Mandela continued his fight for a democratic and free society, and ultimately was released and elected president of South Africa.

Sarah Nelson - Children's Literature

Kramer presents an involved history of the life of Nelson Mandela for the "Twentieth-Century History Makers" series, complete with a detailed chronology of the political struggles of South Africa. Apartheid, racism, and European dominance paired with Mandela's non-violent opposition are themes that emerge from the struggles of the people of South Africa. Kramer deals at length with Mandela's interest in politics, the people whom he worked with, as well as the conditions and extent of his imprisonment. Kramer is frank and impartial in her assessment of Mandela's struggle for equality in South Africa and his attempt to govern the country in its post-apartheid state. The book is well written and packed full of complicated facts regarding various ethnic groups, political organizations, and movements within South Africa. Helpful maps and photographs are included throughout the book to familiarize the reader with Nelson Mandela and those people and places surrounding his journey. A glossary and timeline help the reader become familiar with difficult terms and to place events within a meaningful context. This would be a necessary addition to a middle school or high school library and a worthy resource for a middle school or high school unit on civil rights. 2003, Raintree Steck-Vaughn/Harcourt,