Green Barrow Publishing

Nelson Mandela was lucky to be held in jail for twenty seven years. It's true! I'll tell you why. I'll also tell you how a number of Australians helped, in their own way, to free Mandela and to make South Africa a better place.

heyy, mr.D

How r you? That's good im great. Do you know what? no ok ill tell you. I have read two of you books! yayy ! I read Nelson Mandela first then Aung San Suu Kyi. But im just going to tell you what i thought about your book Nelson Mandela.  
Well... in class ive got to admit i only read 7 pages because i couldn't be bothered and didnt know there would be an assignment, but as soon as you told us that we were going to have an assignment on it i straight away read the book. i really liked it. like really really like it. It's a short book but its able to fit every littled detail of Nelson into it. and i especially like it how you wrote it in your own style. I also enjoyed the illustrations very funny. I don't think i need to tell you what i thought about Nelson Mandela because i already told you what i think in my assignment! but i have to say i am very overjoyed that Nelson Mandela is our class role model. Because his cool. and yes so keep on writing books. you good at it.

Georgia Jones

Nelson Mandela, I will have to admit, is one of the most unbelievable men I have ever read about. He is unbelievable in an unbelievably good way. And not only because he became president of a country he had no freedom in previously. While reading this short book I endeavoured the prospect of a self-sacrificing, courageous, intelligent, patient, persevering, forgiving, justice-filled, selfless and calm-headed man. How can one individual be so much things? Have so much qualities? Though I know I thought Nelson was all those things I still can't fully comprehend how someone cna be so much things, so gifted. I think he is so self-sacrificing to have dealt with being held in prison for 27 years, for a crime he needn't pay for, and be let out to resume helping his country. And of course, to invite someone who was so cruel to you (your gaoler for example) to your swearing in as president you would have to be forgiving. Very forgiving. Whereso many other coloureds were too  scared to speak up for freedom, he held protests, demonstrations and spoke up louder than anyone else who wished to have a say. I think he had a very good taste in justice yet he was so unlike others when it came to revenge and punishment. He knew, despite the wrong doings of the white, that violence wouldn't help anything or anyone, rather make things worse. And though so many people had killed and murdered during South Africas time of hardship he believed the best way to handle these viscious crimes was not to punish them all but to let the criminals got to confession and ask for forgiveness. And it's obvious from the book that Nelson couldn't just walk up to the government and ask that the aprtheis law, please, be dropped. No he couldn't, infact not a lot of the things he tried worked. But he didn't just give up and say " Oh well I better just let the government treat us badly". He persevered so much that not even a 27 year imprisonment could set him back, though it's obvious cells don't exactly let you do what ypu want.

Mandela is such a great man, so noble. It would've taken a lot of work from God to create such an individual, such a gift and credit to South Africa and all those seeking freedom.

Raychel Barallon

Dear Allan  

Your book Nelson Mandela has shown me that racism is not a good thing because people get hurt and feel alone sometimes or always and I've felt that way before so I know what it feels like when being abused by others.
Oh I almost forgot where did you get the infomation in your book? If you do not want to answer then it's okay.

Teresa Bol

We have read ur book about "Nelson Mandella"and we think its really good.It was really wierd how they had black n white ambelances.its good that Nelson is now the president coz he is a good man.

bye 4 now but not 4 eva(I might rite again one day)

Jasmine and Linh

Hi Mr Drummond!

To start off, I'd like to say that it's really great that you are writing books on fantastic people.Not necessarily people with fame and fortune, but the ones who really stand out, who make a difference in our world. Nelson Mandela, he is a great man. To have the quality to not care about what others think of you and to just do what you want no matter what the consequences is truly heroic. For what he did for South Africa was risky but amazing. I had no idea that all of this took place before you told us about it in class. I thought that South Africa was just a normal country but living in a bit of poverty. To be banned from the Olyimpics! Gosh! And to not have black people in your rugby team! What were they thinking? First off, the apartheid laws were probably costing South Africa more money than it would have to not have the laws, to have a black peoples ambulance and a white, why do they bother? They're not achieving anything!The book was extremely interesting and I couldn't put it down towards the end!

I have a friend from South Africa and I told him we were talking about South Africa in class. He thought it was fantastic! I wonder if his family lived through this....how dreadful! When you mentioned your son's band: British India, it made me think; its just like saying: Dutch South Africa...that doesn't sound right! But it makes you think, doesn't it? Well, I must say, not that I'm the expert but I did find some grammar and spelling mistakes in the book! Oh well, it was preobably the people at the printers or something, charging $4.50 a book! I read some bits in the book that lead me back to my wise quote, returning violence for violence, and if they did return violence for violence then South Africa would not be what it is today.Nelson Mandela is a hero in himself, for being true to his country, family, tribe and most of all to himself and his race, colour. Nelson is an inspiration, a role model, and as you said, his time is up and he will die, like all of us, but he can die knowing that South Africa is no longer invaded, living under no pressure, no stupid, wrong, useless, mean apartheid laws, no passes to get out of your TOWN! That is one great thing to live for. And, I have a WISE saying my grandmother told me: knowing a little about a lot is better than knowing a lot about a little! Well, hopefully you get famous one day because of your books!

Ellie Harvey

I think this book is great. Allan describes the characters as if he were them. With words I didn't understand, the meaning and pronunciation was always there to see. Candice's pictures are great. It helps you to imagine what it was like. Great for projects.
Four and a half stars!

Brighid Davies