Heidi Holland is an eminent liberal journalist from the old South Africe – she is usually well-informed and has a keen eye for the injustices and absurdities of the apartheid system. Still, when in the 1980s she decided to write a book on her and many South Africans' hero Nelson Mandela, she found it so hard to find relevant information and material, that instead she settled for a piece on the ANC. And it shows: The book is pretty Mandela-centred, aöthough it is not a complete biography. And it covers many interesting aspects of the ANC's history, but certainly not everything that is necessary to get at least a rudimentary idea of what made and makes this organisation tick the way it does.

So, the book is not an exghaustive source of information for any relevant or interesting topic. On the plus side, it is well written and an easy, interesting read for all those who have some basic knowledge of the ANC. These readers may also discover amusing anecdotes and revealing episodes in Holland's work.

What makes the second edition of this book even better is an added chapter with thoughts on Mandela's mistakes and shortcomings – you seldom get to read about these, certainly not from a liberal and well-informed mind as Heidi Holland's.

To sum it up: A good read for anyone with a basic familiarty and interest in the apartheid history of South Africa.