The emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign state in 1971 is a tribute to the sagacity and leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Through the long years spent in prison, Mujib, as he is known, burnished his political beliefs and eventually emerged as the single most significant spokesman for Bengali rights in East Pakistan. Author Syed Badrul Ahsan traces Mujib's meteoric evolution from a young follower of the All Indi Muslim League to a mature political leader who clearly believed that the Bengalis of Pakistan needed to return to their secular traditions.