I rarely
read non-fiction, but when I was approached about this one, it sounded
too interesting to resist. You can enter to win a copy at the end of
this post!
GOOD MORNING, MR. MANDELA A Memoir by Zelda la Grange
Viking ▪ $28.95 ▪ Strict On-sale date: June 24, 2014 ▪ ISBN:
978-0-525-42828-2
A white Afrikaner, Zelda
la Grange grew up in segregated South Africa, supporting the regime and
the rules of apartheid. Her conservative family referred to the
imprisoned Nelson Mandela as “a terrorist.” Yet just a few years after
his release and the end of apartheid, she would be traveling the world
by Mr. Mandela’s side, having grown to respect and cherish the man she
would come to call "Khulu," or “grandfather."
Good Morning, Mr. Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman’s life, beliefs, prejudices—everything she once believed—were utterly transformed by the man she had been taught was the enemy. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young secretary in her twenties who rose from a job in a government typing pool to become one of the president’s most loyal and devoted associates. During his presidency she was one of his three private secretaries, and then became an aide-de-camp and spokesperson and managed his office in his retirement. Working and traveling by his side for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, all in the cause of supporting and caring for Mr. Mandela in his many roles.
Here La Grange pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him—a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. The Mr. Mandela we meet in these pages is a man who refused to be defined by his past, who forgave and respected all, but who was also frank, teasing, and direct. As he renewed his country, he also freed La Grange from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning. “I was fearful of so much twenty years ago—of life, of black people, of this black man and the future of South Africa—and I now was no longer persuaded or influenced by mainstream fears. He not only liberated the black man but the white man, too.”
This is a book about love and second chances that honors the lasting and inspiring gifts of one of the great men of our time. It offers a rare intimate portrait of Nelson Mandela and his remarkable life as well as moving proof of the power we all have to change.
Good Morning, Mr. Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman’s life, beliefs, prejudices—everything she once believed—were utterly transformed by the man she had been taught was the enemy. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young secretary in her twenties who rose from a job in a government typing pool to become one of the president’s most loyal and devoted associates. During his presidency she was one of his three private secretaries, and then became an aide-de-camp and spokesperson and managed his office in his retirement. Working and traveling by his side for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, all in the cause of supporting and caring for Mr. Mandela in his many roles.
Here La Grange pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him—a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. The Mr. Mandela we meet in these pages is a man who refused to be defined by his past, who forgave and respected all, but who was also frank, teasing, and direct. As he renewed his country, he also freed La Grange from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning. “I was fearful of so much twenty years ago—of life, of black people, of this black man and the future of South Africa—and I now was no longer persuaded or influenced by mainstream fears. He not only liberated the black man but the white man, too.”
This is a book about love and second chances that honors the lasting and inspiring gifts of one of the great men of our time. It offers a rare intimate portrait of Nelson Mandela and his remarkable life as well as moving proof of the power we all have to change.
About the Author
Zelda la Grange was born in 1970 in Boksburg, South Africa, and began working as a secretary for the South African government in 1992. She joined the President’s office in 1994 as a typist and she became one of President Mandela’s three private secretaries in 1997. In 2002 she left government and became a full-time employee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Zelda la Grange was born in 1970 in Boksburg, South Africa, and began working as a secretary for the South African government in 1992. She joined the President’s office in 1994 as a typist and she became one of President Mandela’s three private secretaries in 1997. In 2002 she left government and became a full-time employee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
ZELDA LA GRANGE WILL BE TOURING TO:
NEW YORK, NY BARNES & NOBLE UPPER WEST SIDE / 7PM JULY 21
WASHINGTON, DC POLITICS & PROSE / 7PM JULY 24
GIVEAWAY
U.S. Only/No PO Boxes
1 Copy of GOOD MORNING, MR. MANDELA
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