The defendants had little hope of winning the case.... On the first day of the trial, Mandela startled the courtroom by arriving in the traditional leopard-skin cloak of Xhosa royalty to dramatize the fact that he was an African entering a white man's court.... "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination," he told the court. "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and see realized. But if it need be, my lord, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." They were found guilty, as they knew they would be.... Mandela was forty-four years old when he entered prison. He would be seventy-one when he was released. Book jacket. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, offers a balanced, thoughtful account of Mandela's political activism and accomplishments and his pivotal role in South Africa's modern history. The book's title is a translation of Mandela's birth name, Rohihlahla, which, both fittingly and ironically, refers to a troublemaker. As bureau chief for the Times in Johannesburg from 1992 to 1995 (he won a Pulitzer Prize for his work there), Keller witnessed Mandela's campaign for president and South Africa's transition from apartheid to granting full citizenship--and voting rights--to black and white South Africans alike. Keller's personal experience and contact with Mandela imbues his often graceful prose with immediacy and offers insight into the leader's personality ("In my time watching him at work, I often marveled at his ability to wear down hostility through endless patience, gentle humor, and charm"). Reprints of 15 pertinent Times articles, four written by Keller, give additional dimension to the biography, although the graphically intense design--packed with dramatic photos, swathes of paint,handprints and images of the African continent--may be somewhat cluttered (color art not seen by PW). A solid portrait of an awe-inspiring man. Ages 10-14. (Jan.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 8 Up-Keller draws on his years of experience as the Johannesburg bureau chief for the New York Times in this compact profile of South Africa's leading political figure. Beginning with the 1994 visit of Mandela and his surviving fellow former prisoners to Robben Island, he looks back to the history of white colonization and the National Party's introduction of formal apartheid in the mid-20th century. The treatment of Mandela's rise from a student headed for a career in tribal government to leader and revolutionary in the antiapartheid resistance movement, then political prisoner and eventual president of his country, is absorbing and fair-minded. Keller doesn't gloss over the less-savory aspects of Mandela's character ("He sometimes misled his allies and manipulated his followers. He was willing to let innocent people die in the cause of liberation"), but paints a portrait of a man of courage and leadership who, when faced with difficult choices, did whatever was necessary to achieve his goal. The period spent in prison ("Robben Island University") is covered briefly, and the author's compelling first-person account of postapartheid unrest emphasizes the messy reality of the major social upheavals that make up history. Articles from the Times and other sources provide historical viewpoints on apartheid and Mandela's story. Well-chosen black-and-white and full-color photographs enhance the text. A good first purchase for biography and current-events collections.-Rebecca Donnelly, Loma Colorado Public Library, Rio Rancho, NM Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Keller was a New York Times journalist in South Africa in the early 1990s, and his on-the-spot reporting of the end of apartheid, of Mandela's release from prison, and the excitement of the country's first democratic elections makes this more than the usual biography especially since Keller also includes personal interviews with Mandela and commentary on past and present social conditions. Following a quick summary of the country's early history and a general overview of the apartheid system, with its bogus homelands, Keller discusses Mandela's role as leader of the resistance movement, his trial, and his long imprisonment on Robben Island. All that is a lot to cram into one small book, and the page design, with dark, blurry silhouettes behind the type, makes reading somewhat difficult. But the authoritative account is supported by stirring black-and-white photos and quotes, and the excellent back matter includes not only a bibliographic note on important further reading but also the full text of several landmark Times articles by Keller and other close observers.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Foreword: The Old Men	p. 8
Black & White	p. 14
Tree Shaker	p. 24
Apartness	p. 34
Robben Island University	p. 46
The Road to Power	p. 62
President Mandela	p. 76
Afterword: Saviors and Politicians	p. 88
Articles	p. 90
Timeline	p. 118
Source Notes	p. 122
Acknowledgments	p. 124
Picture Credits	p. 125
Index	p. 126

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.