The Rainbow People of God: South Africa's Victory Over Apartheid

Through a collection of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's speeches, letters, sermons and off-the-cuff remarks, this book sketches the story of South Africa from 1976, when apartheid oppression was at its peak, to the birth of democracy in the 1994 elections. As it recounts the Soweto youth rebellion in 1976 and the difficult years up to 1989, when the country experienced steadily-growing resistance to apartheid and the campaign of civil disobedience, readers are offered a reminder of the severity of South Africa's social and political problems during that time. The book also reflects the sense of national euphoria felt upon the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, tempered by the subsequent confusion and violence of the transition to democracy. The book's editor is a prize-winning South African journalist and Tutu's media co-ordinator.