I read this biography because it is connected to our Social Studies content and our South African unit. I have always admired Mandela and his work against apartheid. He seems like a very human hero. He did sacrifice a lot for the people in his country, to fight the wrongs his country's government created in 1948. But he has always seemed very human, not perfect. I was very disappointed when he divorced his wife, Winnie, less than five years after being released from jail. From a distance it always seemed like she was the one who stood by him throughout his 27 years in prison, only for him then to leave her and move on to a younger model. After reading this book, I realize that she, too, was not perfect and am reminded that live can be messy.
I never realized the price Mandela's activism must have cost his children. He had two boys and two boys by his first wife, Evelyn Mase. He later had two more girls by Winnie. The book mentioned how his oldest son would not have anything to do with Mandela while he was in jail. I saw a picture of his inauguration as the first black president of South Africa while only one daughter in the background. This was a very sad result to all his selfless work. I wonder how his children's biographies might read about their father.
No matter the world is lucky to have had a Nelson Mandela. I know he will always be remembered, at least in public, as a great historical figure.
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