Reviews
"In Madiba A-Z, Danny Schechter gives credit to many living and the dead who carried the torch that helped light the way on Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom. Among those was Danny Schechter himself, who from an early age joined that journey with his innate sense of rights and wrongs, expressed in his own gifts of expression--his writing and his filmmaking. No one is better positioned than he to help us all understand the challenges, complexities and triumphs of those who made that journey and why--not least Nelson Mandela, himself. Madiba A-Z is a must-read companion to Anant Singh's brilliant film adaptation of Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom, for anyone who wants and indeed needs to appreciate what it took in the past and what it must take in the future for us all to be truly free." --Charlayne Hunter-Gault, veteran activist, MacNeil-Lehrer Report news anchor, and reporter for CNN and NPR "Many sympathetic Americans who come to South Africa are mesmerized by the country's beauty and our political 'miracle' dominated by the iconic figure of Mandela. Foreign journalists regularly 'parachute in'and out. Danny Schechter is uniquely different. For a start he served in the trenches from as early as 1967 when as a graduate student in London he smuggled in leaflets for the banned ANC and became extremely close to the exiled leadership. He has long earned his spurs by embracing our struggle and communicating its strengths and weaknesses from those risky times, to deepen a lifelong contribution over five decades as a committed and insightful writer, reporter, critic and filmmaker. He's an outsider who learned to think like an insider; his book, Madiba A to Z: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela , tells the story from personal experience and goes beyond the surface with a lively sense of humor and deep caring that even we South Africans can learn from." --Ronnie Kasrils, former commander in the armed struggle and South Africa's Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government , "Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges--more nuanced than I ever understood and even more admirable--is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela's profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter's creative journalism." --Bill Moyers "Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected. He knows Nelson Mandela's story deeply and his new book features insights and stories we haven't heard before." --Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push Reverend Jesse Jackson "In Madiba A-Z , Danny Schechter gives credit to the many living and dead who carried the torch that helped light the way on Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom. No one is better positioned than Schechter to help us understand the challenges, complexities and triumphs of those who made that journey. Madiba A-Z is a must-read companion to Anant Singh's brilliant film adaptation of Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom , for anyone who wants to appreciate what it took in the past and what it must take in the future for us all to be truly free." --Charlayne Hunter-Gault, veteran activist, MacNeil-Lehrer Report news anchor, and reporter for CNN and NPR "Danny Schechter has long earned his spurs by embracing our struggle and communicating its strengths and weaknesses from those risky times, to deepen a lifelong contribution over five decades as a committed and insightful writer, reporter, critic and filmmaker. He's an outsider who learned to think like an insider. Madiba A to Z tells the story from personal experience and goes beyond the surface with a lively sense of humor and deep caring that even we South Africans can learn from." --Ronnie Kasrils, former commander in the armed struggle and South Africa's Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government , "Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges--more nuanced than I ever understood and even more admirable--is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela's profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter's creative journalism." --Bill Moyers "Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected. He knows Nelson Mandela's story deeply and his new book features insights and stories we haven't heard before." --Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push "In Madiba A-Z , Danny Schechter gives credit to the many living and dead who carried the torch that helped light the way on Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom. No one is better positioned than Schechter to help us understand the challenges, complexities and triumphs of those who made that journey. Madiba A-Z is a must-read companion to Anant Singh's brilliant film adaptation of Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom , for anyone who wants to appreciate what it took in the past and what it must take in the future for us all to be truly free." --Charlayne Hunter-Gault, veteran activist, MacNeil-Lehrer Report news anchor, and reporter for CNN and NPR "Danny Schechter has long earned his spurs by embracing our struggle and communicating its strengths and weaknesses from those risky times, to deepen a lifelong contribution over five decades as a committed and insightful writer, reporter, critic and filmmaker. He's an outsider who learned to think like an insider. Madiba A to Z tells the story from personal experience and goes beyond the surface with a lively sense of humor and deep caring that even we South Africans can learn from." --Ronnie Kasrils, former commander in the armed struggle and South Africa's Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government , "Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges--more nuanced than I ever understood and even more admirable--is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela's profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter's creative journalism."--Bill Moyers "Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected. He knows Nelson Mandela's story deeply and his new book features insights and stories we haven't heard before."--Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push "In Madiba A-Z , Danny Schechter gives credit to the many living and dead who carried the torch that helped light the way on Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom. No one is better positioned than Schechter to help us understand the challenges, complexities and triumphs of those who made that journey. Madiba A-Z is a must-read companion to Anant Singh's brilliant film adaptation of Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom , for anyone who wants to appreciate what it took in the past and what it must take in the future for us all to be truly free."--Charlayne Hunter-Gault, veteran activist, MacNeil-Lehrer Report news anchor, and reporter for CNN and NPR "Danny Schechter has long earned his spurs by embracing our struggle and communicating its strengths and weaknesses from those risky times, to deepen a lifelong contribution over five decades as a committed and insightful writer, reporter, critic and filmmaker. He's an outsider who learned to think like an insider. Madiba A to Z tells the story from personal experience and goes beyond the surface with a lively sense of humor and deep caring that even we South Africans can learn from."--Ronnie Kasrils, former commander in the armed struggle and South Africa's Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government
Table of Content
Athlete Physical discipline. Boxer, tennis player. His admiration for athletes. Bully: "Wild Branches" Early days and "wild branches"--conflicts with ANC leaders. Lessons learned. Comrade How "comradeship" helped him and his fellow prisoners cope with their long years of incarceration. Diplomat His role in fashioning a diplomatic compromise and avoiding a race war. Eloquent Life as a lawyer. Written statements, letters, and speeches that inspired millions. Forgiveness Empathy for Afrikaners, and faith in peace and reconciliation. Global An international outlook. Global travel and the ability to galvanize support worldwide. Humble Origins and an austere lifestyle. Making his own bed. Interest in the lives of ordinary people. Indigenous Xhosa traditions, and the abiding interest in and connection to people of all races and ethnic identities. Jailed Prison years. How he coped, how he led. Kafkaesque The treason and Rivonia Trials. Prison regulations and his responses to them. How the law was used to legalize inhumanity. Love and Loss His search for love, his flirtatiousness, marriages, love of Winnie, love of children, of family. The measure of the price he paid with his years in prison away from them all. Militant From his days in the ANC Youth League to launching Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC. Negotiator Dealings with internal conflicts and external threats. Outreach to whites and other minorities. Onward His philosophy and commitment to creating a new future for his country. His optimism and concern for peace in Africa and the world. President How he was elected and his term in office. Questions The questions people around the world ask most frequently about Nelson Mandela. Recognition The world recognizes and honors Madiba, but what does he think of this adulation? How does Madiba see and recognize himself? Stalwart Standing up for his beliefs. Fighting for the poor and those afflicted with AIDS. Terrorist He helped push a nonviolent movement into armed struggle. Was he a terrorist? Unknown There are many sides to Mandela that many do not know. Voices Raised up in Song The power of music and praise poetry in the Mandela story, seen through the eyes of two of his favorite artists. Waiting Millions waited years for Mandela's release after twenty-seven and a half years of incarceration.The wait continued, even on the day he left prison. X Factor The role of external pressure in winning South African's liberation and the need, even now, for rebirth away from the old ways. Youth Youth made the revolution, and Mandela began as a youth leader. Zuid-Afrika to .za As it becomes clearer that enormous challenges remain, the country evolves from the Zuid-Afrika of Dutch origin to its Internet domain .za--and beyond.
