From Mandela’s Enemy to His Right Hand

Zelda la Grange grew up white in segregated South Africa, supporting the regime and the rules of apartheid. Her conservative family referred to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela as “a terrorist.” Yet just a few years after his release and the end of apartheid, she had become one of the president’s most loyal and devoted associates. La Grange’s memoir, Good Morning, Mr. Mandela, looks back at her time as one of Mandela’s private secretaries during his presidency and as an aid and spokesperson in his retirement. Working and traveling by his Mandela’s for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, supporting Mr. Mandela in his many roles.