Madiba A To Z: The Many Faces Of Nelson Mandela

(Paperback)

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16 years went into the making of the forthcoming feature film Long Walk To Freedom, a fictionalised biopic based on Mandela's bestselling autobiography. Danny Schechter, who has spent 40 years getting to know Mandela, was asked to make a non-fiction documentary about the filmed biopic. This unique title complements the feature, the documentary, and Mandela's life itself. Madiba A to Z was born out of in-depth research, interviews and informal meetings with Mandela himself and the people who knew, loved, admired or fought with the man.

Reviews

"Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges--more nuanced than I ever understood and even more admirable--is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela's profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter's creative journalism."--Bill Moyers

"Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected. He knows Nelson Mandela's story deeply and his new book features insights and stories we haven't heard before."--Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push

"In Madiba A-Z, Danny Schechter gives credit to the many living and dead who carried the torch that helped light the way on Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom. No one is better positioned than Schechter to help us understand the challenges, complexities and triumphs of those who made that journey. Madiba A-Z is a must-read companion to Anant Singh's brilliant film adaptation of Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom, for anyone who wants to appreciate what it took in the past and what it must take in the future for us all to be truly free."--Charlayne Hunter-Gault, veteran activist, MacNeil-Lehrer Report news anchor, and reporter for CNN and NPR

"Danny Schechter has long earned his spurs by embracing our struggle and communicating its strengths and weaknesses from those risky times, to deepen a lifelong contribution over five decades as a committed and insightful writer, reporter, critic and filmmaker. He's an outsider who learned to think like an insider. Madiba A to Z tells the story from personal experience and goes beyond the surface with a lively sense of humor and deep caring that even we South Africans can learn from."--Ronnie Kasrils, former commander in the armed struggle and South Africa's Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government

Author Bio

DANNY SCHECHTER is an American journalist and a documentary filmmaker who made six non-fiction films with Mandela and who was asked personally by the filmmakers of LONG WALK TO FREEDOM to make a five-hour television documentary about the making of the forthcoming film. Schechter has worked in South Africa since the 1960s, which has given him unprecedented access to insiders. Schechter wrote about the liberation struggle and produced a TV news magazine for three years in its most crucial years l988-91. Having worked both in public television and for CNN and ABC News, Schechter has been part of the anti-apartheid movement globally, earning him the confidence of many activists and leaders. He continues to work around the world and lives in New York City. Residence- New York, NY Hometown- New York, NY