A tremendous read!
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I was born in South Africa in 1968 so I lived through much of what Padraig O'Malley describes in his book. Being a middle class white person my perspective on the apartheid South Africa that I lived in was always going to be somewhat narrow. I recall Mac being part of the first democratic governement but I have difficulty picturing his face!
The best part about this book is the way that it is written. O'Malley is certainly no sycophant to Mac. Each chapter is introduced by giving context to Mac's words which follow later in the chapter thereby making it an excellent history book as well as imparting the personability of Mac. It is written is easily readable English!! Only occasionally does O'Malley demonstrate how clever he is by using "big" words. Many more biographers would do well to pay attention to his style.
My understanding of South African history has been very much enriched by reading this book and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of what the struggle was all about. I found the final chapter especially fascinating and probably not what I expected when I started the book ....
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