161: 'The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela'

The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela is a book very much for today.  Mandela has left us a rich treasure of letters that document his 27 years in prison. They speak of the anger, the self-control and his love of country and people that led to such a sacrifice. But above all, it speaks of the human toll that the separation from his family —his children especially— took on such a man. This the ultimate and cruelest expression of state control and power.  Sahm Venter was born in Johannesburg and was not a year old when Mandela was sent to prison. She worked as a journalist more than twenty years, 14 of which was with The Associated Press. Most of her reporting focused on the anti-apartheid struggle and South Africa's long road to democracy. She is currently a Senior Researcher at The Nelson Mandela Foundation.