Winnie and Nelson

Nelson Mandela's marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a part of his life that has stayed largely untold, is the subject of Jonny Steinberg's account, which draws on material not seen before. While he was in prison, Nelson came to love an idealized version of his wife ever more deeply, wooing her by letter as though they were still young sweethearts. Winnie, every bit his political equal, drifted away from her jailed husband's politics, and without his knowledge tried to organize an armed seizure of power, a course he feared would mean endless civil war. Steinberg presents the marriage as a contest over how apartheid should be fought. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Tyler Cowen made it his pick of the year on his list of the best non-fiction books of 2023, suggesting that his nudge was perhaps most valuable for this title.