The book I'm currently reading is called Mandela: A Critical Life by Tom Lodge. I first off want to say that I love reading autobiographies about revolutionaries in their countries. My thesis for this book is that life itself is a long and difficult odyssey; however if you can go along and perserve till the end, your success will be extraordinary. This book overall talks about the life of Nelson Mandela, the critical political activist that was heavily involved in about bringing freedom and equality to the nation of South Africa and in the end how he received overwhelming amounts of approbation to become South Africa's 1st president after the apartheid. In all chapters of the book however, Lodge uses a variety of different endnotes and references, so that readers can refer back to where Lodge got his sources from.
In the 1st chapter of the book, Lodge discusses the childhood and upbringing in South Africa, Transkei. He grew up in the tribe of Xhosa and his birth name actually was Rolihlahla. Along with Mandela's sense of upbringing, Lodge included the sense of education that Mandela went through. "Mandela told Nadine Gordimer in 1962 that he was 'bitterly disappointed' at Clarkebury because his textbooks and teachers 'recognized only white leaders... Africans were described as savages and thieves." (Lodge 4.) I felt that Lodge directly attacked an important issue at the source of South Africa's apartheid. Education in general is a huge issue for any country. This issue was especially important with the apartheid that was taking place. With Africans only reading about white leaders, they had no sense of culture nor understanding.
Another key point I saw in the first 20 pages I read in the book was that it had no set chronological order. However the sections somehow coalesced into a piece of literature that's understandable to the reader and details the beginning of Mandela life. Along with the upbringing of his life, Lodge accurately describes Mandela early activism even at an early age. "Mandela was involved in the SRC electoral boycott because he had been nominated before the elections and in fact was elected by the very small minority who chose to vote."
In the 1st chapter of the book, Lodge discusses the childhood and upbringing in South Africa, Transkei. He grew up in the tribe of Xhosa and his birth name actually was Rolihlahla. Along with Mandela's sense of upbringing, Lodge included the sense of education that Mandela went through. "Mandela told Nadine Gordimer in 1962 that he was 'bitterly disappointed' at Clarkebury because his textbooks and teachers 'recognized only white leaders... Africans were described as savages and thieves." (Lodge 4.) I felt that Lodge directly attacked an important issue at the source of South Africa's apartheid. Education in general is a huge issue for any country. This issue was especially important with the apartheid that was taking place. With Africans only reading about white leaders, they had no sense of culture nor understanding.
Another key point I saw in the first 20 pages I read in the book was that it had no set chronological order. However the sections somehow coalesced into a piece of literature that's understandable to the reader and details the beginning of Mandela life. Along with the upbringing of his life, Lodge accurately describes Mandela early activism even at an early age. "Mandela was involved in the SRC electoral boycott because he had been nominated before the elections and in fact was elected by the very small minority who chose to vote."
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