Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years

Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years is a biographical account of Nelson Mandela (duh). Said book examines the man before he became the mythological figure. It touches on Mandela's political alliances, his relationships, and gives us insight into the man that we know Mandela to be publicly today. 

Reading this, it was obvious that Smith is a journalist, as he uses the "exciting" journalist tone that so many journalists-turned-authors use (Robert Kaplan is also big on this). The book was well-researched, and, when reading, one can tell that Smith had passion for this subject matter. Yet, I did feel that it lacked continuity as it seemed choppy in some parts. While there were sources listed in the back, I feel that footnotes might be more appropriate for this text (given the large amount of information).

I recommend this book as an introduction into Mandela's life, but also believe that there are better texts out there on this subject. Perhaps check out Mandela's own autobiography first.

I received this book as part of the early reviewers program on Librarything.


2/5


Information:

Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years David James Smith Little, Brown and Company (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 416 pages