BOOK REVIEW: Conversations with Myself
Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy Published in Daily Times / Saturday, March 26, 2011 Reviewed by Afrah Jamal Mandela is known for playing two distinct roles in his lifetime. One was as Prisoner 466/64 on the infamous Robben Island (now a UN World Heritage Site); the other was becoming the first president of a democratic South Africa. He received worldwide accolades for making both performances memorable . Since 2009, July 18 has been declared the Nelson Mandela International Day for freedom, justice and democracy . Mandela — described as an “o bsessive record keeper ”, can now add another chapter to his extensive legacy; one that will give the world an opportunity to use his own words as the key to decipher his original message. Conversations with Myself is a compilation of private papers, prison letters, speeches, taped conversations with a fellow prisoner (Ahmed Kathrada), excerpts of interviews given to TIME magazine editor Richard Stengel, and a draft of a...