Tutu as I Know Him

This is a tribute to Desmond Mpilo Tutu, complied by Lavinia Crawford-Browne, for the occasion of his 75th birthday, in 2006. Each chapter, or piece, is written by a different person who has known Desmond Tutu, in a variety of settings and countries, right throughout his life.

It follows roughly the chronology of his life, starting with reflections from childhood by his two sisters and ending with a letter by Years 3 and 4 pupils of Fellview Primary School in Cumbria. The proceeds of the book will go to the Tygerberg Children's Hospital, in Cape Town, which celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2006, of which Desmond and Leah are the patrons.

Most pieces conclude with a relevant photograph, helping to demonstrate the multifaceted personality which makes up Desmond Tutu. He is a man of huge compassion and strong faith, persuing justice with a passion unequalled. His influence is enormous ranging from audiences with Heads of State to Hollywood filmstars. He strikes me as a man who always has time for people, listening with interest or concern, despite a pressing schedule. But he is also fun to be with, often surprising his visitors with his informality, telling jokes and laughing at himself, putting the most nervous at their ease with his often irreverent humour. His affectionate relationships with his wife and children are much in evidence and you can't help liking and admiring him.

It isn't a biography, but the writings give you a very good grasp of the breadth of his life's work and by the end you feel that you know so much about him.

The front cover illustration is taken from a patchwork embroidery depicting Desmond in his Red Archbishop's cassock talking to a group of children, with a typical South African township, the skyline of Cape Town and Table Mountain in the background. This typically sums up the man who manages to make everyone he meets feel like a 'Very Important Person'.

I thoroughly enjoyed this insight into his life and am now keen to read his full biography.