This penetrating, timely portrait of Robert Mugabe is the psycho-biography of a man whose once-brilliant career has ruined Zimbabwe and cast shame on the African continent. Heidi Holland's tireless investigation begins with her having dinner with Mugabe, the freedom fighter, and ends in a searching interview with Zimbabwe's president more than 30 years later. The author charts Mugabe's gradual self-destruction, and uncovers the complicity of some of the most respectable international players in the Zimbabwe tragedy. Probing the mystery of Africa's loyalty to one of its worst dictators, Holland explores the contradictions that cloud the life of a man who had embodied the continent's promise.

2008-06-04 Very Good Effort to be Unbiased and Fair

I am a white Zimbabwean and I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an unbiased attempt at recording history. I certainly learned a few things and being white does not make me proud. The only consolation is that blacks are no better. But I applaud the author's endeavours and the kindness with which the subject matter is managed regarding the actions of all parties involved.