Good Morning, Mr Mandela - Softcover

Grange, Zelda La

3.8

1,353 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241014948 ISBN 13: 9780241014943

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2014

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Zelda la Grange grew up in South Africa as a white Afrikaner who supported the rules of segregation. Yet just a few years after the end of Apartheid she would become a most trusted assistant to Nelson Mandela, growing to respect and cherish the man she had been taught was the enemy.

Good Morning, Mr Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman had her life, beliefs, prejudices and everything she once believed in utterly transformed by the greatest man of her time. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young typist in her twenties later chosen to become the President's most loyal and devoted servants, spending most of her adult working life travelling with, supporting and caring for the man she would come to call 'Khulu', or 'grandfather'.

Here Zelda pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him - a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. 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 Zelda from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning. Now she shares his lasting and inspiring gifts with the world.

This is a book about love and second chances. It will touch your life and make you believe that every one of us, no matter who we are or what we have done, has the power to change.

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Review:

Zelda la Grange has a singular perspective on Nelson Mandela, having served as his long-time personal aide, confidant and close friend. She is a dear friend to both of us and a touchstone to all of us who loved Madiba. Her story of their journey together demonstrates how a man who transformed an entire nation also had the power to transform the life of one extraordinary woman (Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, Actor and Producer of "Invictus")

Uplifting. . . generally charming, occasionally faintly indiscreet, but always reverent. Surely no one but Mandela - with the possible exception of the Duke of Edinburgh - could have got away with greeting the Queen with a cheery: "Oh Elizabeth, you've lost weight!" (Sunday Times)

A searingly honest, moving and entertaining account of her years orbiting President Nelson Mandela... Between the rich anecdotes of Madiba's numerous encounters with the world's powerful, wealthy and (in)famous - which she witnessed at close range - as well accounts of his personal quirks, virtues, foibles and torments, La Grange's book sets out her own journey from na�ve, completely unaware, conservative white South African to more conscious human being (Daily Maverick)

Compelling and ultimately heartbreaking ... her unguarded honesty allows her to tell a remarkable story (Telegraph)

A delightful, delicious read packed with anecdotes (John Carlin)

About the Author:

Zelda la Grange was born in 1970 and brought up in the apartheid South Africa. She began working as a secretary for the government in 1992, in the Department of State Expenditure. In 1993 she moved to the Human Resources division and in 1994 she joined the office of the first democratically elected President of South Africa as a Senior Ministerial Typist. She was promoted to one of President Mandela's three Private Secretaries in 1997 and in 1999 Nelson Mandela requested her to remain in his services beyond retirement. In 2002 she left government and became a full time employee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. She served Nelson Mandela in different capacities over nineteen years, ranging from Typist, Assistant Private Secretary, Private Secretary, Manager of his office his Spokesperson and Aide-de-camp. She was serving as his Personal Assistant when he passed on in December 2013.

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