Learning about Forgiveness from the Life of Nelson Mandela Book

A brief biography of the South African civil rights worker and president who serves as an example of forgiveness.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-When an author ascribes a particular value or moral attribute to the subject in the title of a biography, readers wisely cringe, suspecting-usually correctly-that a sermon rather than a good biography is forthcoming. However, readers of Nelson Mandela are safe; Strazzabosco reveals the essential facts and drama of this Nobel Peace Prize-winner's life without preaching or being didactic. She infers rather than dictates that Mandela is a hero worthy of emulation. The book is so brief-24 pages, including a full-page color photograph across every page of text, that it is little more than an outline of the man's life. Nevertheless, this easy-to-read introductory profile does summarize and highlight the heroic nature of Mandela's fight for human rights and calls attention to his mighty accomplishment in the peaceful transformation of South Africa into a full democracy for all its citizens, black and white.-Jerry D. Flack, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs