From the Publisher:
For the first time in his 62 years, Desmond Tutu -- Archbishop of Cape Town, Nobel Prize Winner -- was able to vote when in April 1994 South Africa held its first election open to all the citizens of that country. For many years, while Nelson Mandela was in prison, Archbishop Tutu was the focus of hope for racial justice in South Africa. Even today, Tutu is the principal representative of the peacemakers and a beloved and well-known figure to North Americans. The first entry in this collection is Tutu's moving letter as a young priest to South Africa's then-Prime Minister Vorster, pleading with him (as a grandfather who loved his grandchildren) to take pity on non-white South Africans and dismantle the injustice of apartheid. The second entry is Tutu's thrilling sermon at the grave Steven Biko. So it goes: At each turn in the story South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, Tutu is there, guiding and shaping the events with his words, and with the sheer moral force of his immensely power presence, so that this book becomes a kind of demonstration in how to conduct a peaceful revolution -- how to construct the words that will lead people in the direction of justice and not just toward counter-injustice. The entries by Tutu are linked to one another crisp and informative narrative, written by John Allen, a courageous and respected journalist and (since 1987) the Archbishop's media secretary, which makes the whole into a "You Are There" documentary history of the apartheid movement, with Archbishop Tutu as its focus.
From the Inside Flap:
inbow People Of God traces South Africa's glorious victory over apartheid in the writings and speeches of one its central figures, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. From the graveside of Steven Biko to the triumphant inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa, Tutu's words and presence helped shape events and led South Africa toward justice and freedom. This astonishing tapestry of narrative is not only a valuable historical document of those significant events, but it also showcases the unique sense of spirit of one of the foremost spiritual leaders in the world. Tested through the greatest adversity, these writings will endure for generations to come by their truly powerful combination of compassion and strength.
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