In the Words of Nelson Mandela

This brief book is a collection of quotes from one of the great political, social, and humanitarian figures in history. With his brilliant mind and eloquent way of speaking, Mandela has certainly provided a wealth of material for a project such as this. Unfortunately, his insight is not done justice. South African radio host Crwys-Williams organizes the quotes alphabetically by subject, i.e., "On Goals," followed by "On the Future." Most quotes are just one sentence long, many fewer than twenty words. These snippets sometimes lose their poignancy when taken out of context and feel contrived to fit into a particular category. In the "On Love" section, for instance, readers will find "I'm in love with a remarkable lady. She has changed my life," with the commentary following running longer than the quote itself. Other categorizations are downright odd: "Men must follow the dictates of their conscience irrespective of the consequences which might overtake them for it" is the sole member of the unlikely category called "On Men." Where this book does succeed is in making the reader want to go straight to the source, and look up Mandela's great speeches%E2%80%94un-excerpted. (May)