This is the life story of an exceptional person and African National Congress (ANC) cadre, Ruth Mompati. It will be of interest and an inspiration to a wide readership in South Africa and beyond the country's borders, where she made numerous contacts and friends during and after South Africa's struggle against apartheid and colonialism. The book covers Mompati's early life and political awakening; her personal and political life while in exile as one of the very first women members of the ANC's military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe, and as a strong leader in the ANC's senior leadership. It also deals with her role in the negotiations to end apartheid in the early 1990s and her contribution to the reconstruction of the country after 1994 in various roles in government. The factual narrative and powerful reflective passages in Mongane Serote's portrait of a revered leader, draw on a great deal of original research and material. Mme Ruth Mompati: A Life of Courage and Service, however, is much more than the average biography. The tale spun by its author is a rich tapestry of interwoven strands. On more than one occasion, Mongane pauses to describe, lovingly and carefully, one of the wellsprings of Ruth Mompati's strength: the rich facets of African philosophy and traditions of her Setswana heritage, including beliefs about relationships between people, attitudes to the natural world, and the ancestral presence of the numerous warriors of both genders who gave their blood for freedom. Because this is in part a book honouring the contribution of women in the struggle, the author has paid special attention to the pain and strengths of women from the development of mining and throughout the twentieth century. This is a theme he returns to, then expands on in some of the most lyrical writing in the book. More than a tribute, Mme Ruth Mompati: A Life of Courage and Service is a means of salvaging and reviving the grandeur of various South African philosophical and political traditions. It offers readers a positive vision of enduring humanity.