The A&E Biography of Nelson Mandela tells, in clear, complete, and exciting detail, the story of the man who dedicated his life to the struggle to end the domination of the black race by the whites in South Africa. Through interviews with colleagues and scholars and wonderful historical footage, we learn both about Mandela's amazing life story and the sweeping transformation that his nation has undergone. The son of a tribal chief, Mandela was groomed for leadership in the countryside, far from urban racial tensions. When he ran away to Johannesburg as a young man, he was shocked by the violent inhumanity of apartheid, the government-enforced policy of racism. He soon became involved with the African National Congress (ANC), which was working to overturn this unjust and oppressive system. In response to their campaign of civil disobedience and sabotage, he and other ANC leaders were arrested, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, South Africa's Alcatraz.
Against all odds, Mandela continued to fight apartheid from inside one of the world's harshest prisons, himself becoming a universal symbol of freedom. His release, after nearly three decades, electrified both his country and the world. At age 75, he was elected president in a landslide victory. It was Mandela's iron will and unshakable belief in the inevitability of his cause that made it possible for a man once imprisoned as a dangerous traitor to lead a nation. --Laura Mirsky
