Young Mandela

David Smith introduces Nelson Mandela with the news of his arrest in 1952, and spends the first chapter describing the ensuing trial. He then jumps back to Mandela's birth and childhood, and from there he generally proceeds in an approximately linear order. His prose is very pleasant to read. He writes in short, clear sentences that smooth the flow of ideas and events. However, the overall order of events can seem jumbled and unsettled as the linearity is muddled by apparent digressions. Smith has escaped the biographer's trap of writing a hagiography, and he seems to deal fairly with the mystery and denial surrounding Mandela's love life. He provides an insightful picture of Mandela's ideological and pragmatic assessments. Overall, I would recommend this book to historically minded readers.