Shaka

Informative and portable, this guide offers a brief yet lively introduction to the life and reign of Shaka Zulu, the most influential leader of South Africa's Zulu Kingdom. As it challenges the previous historiography of the early king, this account reassesses the white resources and delves into a large body of previously-neglected Zulu historical records. Revealing a complex, tough leader--who was neither illegitimate nor sexually deviant, neither mass murderer nor seamlessly successful military genius--this handbook sheds light on the existing myths surrounding Shaka and reconsiders his place in South African history.