"It provides new perspective and insights into the man and his times. . . . [Meredith] is particularly good in recounting the parallel rise and inevitable clash of white Afrikaner and black African nationalism in this century . ..." - The Washington Post "Meredith paints an insider's canvas of recent South African history as well as an epic tale of a freedom fighter." - San Francisco Chronicle "[R]evealing insights, particularly into the contrast between the disciplined Mandela who emerged from prison and the impetuous figure of the late 1940's and early 1950's." - The New York Times Book Review "Meredith carefully avoids adulation while tracing the course of Mandela's remarkable career. . . . [He] skillfully depicts Mandela's complex relationships with the close circle of white Communists who supported the African National Congress [and] writes vividly but unsentimentally about the tribulations and betrayals that racked Mandela's family."- The Los Angeles Times
