A Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela |
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Nelson Mandela
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Pages: 784 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0349106533
Pub: Abacus
Pub date: 1995-10-12
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1287
Editorial Review:
The famously taciturn South African president reveals much of himself in Long Walk to Freedom. A good deal of this autobiography was written secretly while Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island by South Africa's apartheid regime. Among the book's interesting revelations is Mandela's ambivalence toward his lifetime of devotion to public works. It cost him two marriages and kept him distant from a family life he might otherwise have cherished. Long Walk to Freedom also discloses a strong and generous spirit that refused to be broken under the most trying circumstances--a spirit in which just about everybody can find something to admire. --Amazon.com
Reader Reviews:
Balanced and yet one sided (0/0 people found this helpful)
I enjoyed most of this book, though like all autobiographies it has a problem that is the author. Events are one sided and we do not get the full picture. It is a good book though I felt that towards the end something was lacking and there were events not quite fully explained or details were left out. Nelson Mandela says in his autobiography he is an ordinary man, though I feel in reality the myth very much over shadows the man. This should be read by anyone interested in South Africa, though read other books to get an overall picture.
Shaping the World (2/2 people found this helpful)
I am honoured to have had the priveledge to share Mandela's story - a humble man who, at every chance commends those that shared his vision of a democratic system not just in SA but around the World. 2 last words in my review - READ IT...
An essential read (5/5 people found this helpful)
This book has over 800 pages and even its own index, but don't let that scare you off. It is far from being a boring historical report on the events surrounding his life. If you want to know what he did, go to an encyclopedia and read such a historical report. If you want to know Nelson Mandela, to know his way of thinking, to feel every emotion as he feels it, to really get a picture of the pain he and the oppressed felt, read this book.
As the book progresses, the development of Mandela's character and his way of thinking is made apparent to the reader. Every emotion that Mandela feels is shared with the reader in a deeper way than in most autobiographies, as alongside his personal struggles, there is the struggle for freedom that can incite strong feelings of injustice and sympathy in anyone. This is definately an emotionally and politically heavy book, but there are several moments of light-heartedness where Mandela expresses certain past events with an irony or humour. As he looks back on certain bad experiences, he can laugh about it.
This is a man that everyone should learn about, and this is certainly the book to read in order to do so.
Ok, but a bit dull. (1/53 people found this helpful)
I'm not going to nag, but really you should'nt try writing an autobiography unless you have done something with your life and you have stories to tell. In my opinion he should have waited 30 more years before writing it.
Exhilarating and inspiring. Well worth taking the time to read (6/7 people found this helpful)
An exhilarating book, Long Walk to Freedom allows you to walk in the footsteps of a man that sacrificed everything in order to achieve what he believed - equality for the people of South Africa - and who has lived to tell the tale.
This book details not only Mandela's upbringing but how he viewed the world as a boy, and how this view changes with age and experience. His eye-opening description of the oppression many experienced under South Africa's apartheid regime takes you from utter horror to anger and complete disbelief. He details the courageous support of the anti-apartheid supporters, and even pays homage to pro-apartheidists who "rose above their prejudices, their education and their background."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very easy to get into, and I can honestly say that it has influenced the way I look at the world. I don't expect to be the next Nelson Mandela, but this book has shown that with determination and hard work any individual can have influence on the world around them. Perhaps the most inspiring thought is in part one, where Mandela states "...training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline." He compensated well.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Government & Politics -> Civil Liberties & Political Activism
Books -> Special Features -> Search Inside!
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback