Written by Brenda Nicholas

After spending roughly 3 decades in prison, Nelson Mandela was the first democratically State elected President of South Africa in 1994. He retired in 1999 when his term ended, after a lifetime of apartheid violence. Journalist and author Bill Keller witnessed what he describes as “the complete transformation of a society” and writes about it in his biography, "Tree Shaker: The Story of Nelson Mandela".

Mandela is considered a hero to many, known for his diligent stance against oppression against African people, for making speeches such as this one from the dock at the Rivoina Trial:

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. "

According to Ruth Conniff, in her New York Times book review of "Tree Shaker," Keller “resisted the temptation to tell a more heroic story” because of a newspaper headline that said “Mandela: I’m Not Messiah.” Keller’s account of Mandela’s life story honors the man rather than the myth because, Keller writes, “exaggerated legends, even when they contain a large measure of truth, create impossible expectations.”

Tree Shaker: The Story of Nelson Mandela , by Bill Keller