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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
4 1/2 stars. This was a very good book, but it was a slow read for me. I learned a lot about Mandela's struggles and his fight for freedom and equality in South Africa. The reason for the missing 1/2 star was the some of the long speeches dragged a bit. I recommend this book.
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2022 #24: Pick a challenge from any of the previous years' challenges (2021 #18: Read a book by/about a non-Western world leader).
challenging
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hopeful
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medium-paced
Just as incredible and moving as you’d expect Nelson Mandela’s autobiography to be!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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medium-paced
did it take me like three years to finish this book? yes. was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. such a good book, such a worthwhile and informative read, and I wish I could give nelson mandela a hug and just be in his presence
A brilliant and brave man. The best parts of his book were brief asides that showed how human he was. Listened via audiobook.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it was long, it was an interesting description of a struggle that I knew very little about. I remember hearing about and being disturbed by 'apartheid' and admiring Mandela, but without a lot of background information. We had a wonderful discussion at our biography book club. I do feel that I need to read some other perspectives about The Struggle and what occurred, but I finished this book with an admiration and appreciation of the man, his life and his message.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
“I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
An informative and inspiring life story, but also that of a nation, of it's people and their struggle against colonialists, oppression, Apartheid. It is hard to fathom the recentness of Apartheid and the constant struggle for a majority to be freed from the rule of a minority group. Mandela's life was dedicated to this struggle, decades of sustained defiance that took much from him personally. What may be most surprising is the optimism in mankind that Mandela seems to have retained even after seeing so much loss and violence, and experiencing the non-stop attempts at dehumanization. I am genuinely in awe of Mandela's refusal to give in to bitterness and hopelessness.
An informative and inspiring life story, but also that of a nation, of it's people and their struggle against colonialists, oppression, Apartheid. It is hard to fathom the recentness of Apartheid and the constant struggle for a majority to be freed from the rule of a minority group. Mandela's life was dedicated to this struggle, decades of sustained defiance that took much from him personally. What may be most surprising is the optimism in mankind that Mandela seems to have retained even after seeing so much loss and violence, and experiencing the non-stop attempts at dehumanization. I am genuinely in awe of Mandela's refusal to give in to bitterness and hopelessness.
“I realized that they could take everything from me except my mind and my heart. They could not take those things. Those things I still had control over. And I decided not to give them away.”
At over 700 pages this is a fairly comprehensive autobiography, from Mandela's birth, through his formative and career years, and the long years of political struggle and imprisonment, all the way to the first free elections in South Africa. There is a lot to tell in this story, there is much to explain, not just about Mandela's life, but the history of the nation into which he was born and the political and demographic breakdowns within South Africa, as they are all intertwined. The writing is clear. Information is measured out in a way that seems neither too teacherly nor embellished. The man's keen reasoning is on display on the page, much in the way it must have been in the court room or on the debate stage.
His is a story that I imagine many think they know, but there is much more to be learned from his own frank words. Mandela humanizes himself in this autobiography and humbly tells of all the others that formed him, helped him, enabled him, fought with him, and carried on the struggle when his freedom was denied him. His is a gracious story.
“Friends, comrades and fellow South Africans. I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all! I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.”
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced