Includes bibliographical references

Nelson Mandela has always been perceived as a flawless hero of the liberation struggle. But this is the man people have forgotten or never knew: the committed, charismatic freedom fighter, who left his family behind to go on the run and whose historic achievements came at a hefty price, creating emotional turmoil for all those close to him. Young Mandela reveals many new, often surprising, and sometimes shocking details about Mandela's early personal and political life. Sanctified, lionised and revered, it turns out that Mandela is a human being after all, only too aware of his flaws and shortcomings. This re-evaluation of his life finally reveals the man behind the myths.