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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
Such an incredible work and life he had. Overall a great book though a little dry and bogged down during the legal proceedings (but completely accurate from the perspective of a lawyer)
It was beautiful to watch his vision of freedom transform over time and it is so important for me to hear him acknowledge the growth during his life.
Non-violence and high moral principles are all well and good but it was eye opening to hear the depth of struggle that brought his work to the places and decisions he was forced to make.
It was sad to me to hear that both of his wives were “warned” that he was already married to the work and that he did end up leaving them both.
It was beautiful to watch his vision of freedom transform over time and it is so important for me to hear him acknowledge the growth during his life.
Non-violence and high moral principles are all well and good but it was eye opening to hear the depth of struggle that brought his work to the places and decisions he was forced to make.
It was sad to me to hear that both of his wives were “warned” that he was already married to the work and that he did end up leaving them both.
As much as I love to read, Autobiographies had always been a "no way, I'm not reading that" for me.
But Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom drew me with highly riveting words into a world where I didn't want to be abruptly snatched; with great commitment, I read the big book to the last page, accomplished with lot of bookmarked pages and a whole lot of tears.
Mandela grew up In Qunu, a small town in South Africa where he experienced like most others the happy and free adventure of childhood and boyhood but he grew older only to realize boyhood was just a veil, an illusion to the inhumane laws he, his family and people of his colour were being subjected to in their own country. He got hungry, hungry to be free, hungry to free every black South African from the shackles of apartheid.
From childhood, to adulthood, to being a student, a husband, a father, a lawyer, a rebellion who went underground to fight apartheid, a prisoner and then A free man whose name would continue to reverberate in the hearts of South Africans and everyone.
Mandela didn't fail to inspire the world including me with his tenacity, resilience, courage, intelligence, strong spirit and his altruistic will to put his people before himself.
Mandela in the book was more human, more HEROIC than the stories we've heard and his Longgg Walk to Freedom made me angry, really angry, then inspired, hopeful and willed to always raise my voice in the face of oppression, to stand higher in the face of adversity.
This is a good book, should be read by everyone. The only regret I had while reading this book is being annoyed I left it my shelf unread all these while. And with this, I find myself adding autobiographies to my reading list.
But Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom drew me with highly riveting words into a world where I didn't want to be abruptly snatched; with great commitment, I read the big book to the last page, accomplished with lot of bookmarked pages and a whole lot of tears.
Mandela grew up In Qunu, a small town in South Africa where he experienced like most others the happy and free adventure of childhood and boyhood but he grew older only to realize boyhood was just a veil, an illusion to the inhumane laws he, his family and people of his colour were being subjected to in their own country. He got hungry, hungry to be free, hungry to free every black South African from the shackles of apartheid.
From childhood, to adulthood, to being a student, a husband, a father, a lawyer, a rebellion who went underground to fight apartheid, a prisoner and then A free man whose name would continue to reverberate in the hearts of South Africans and everyone.
Mandela didn't fail to inspire the world including me with his tenacity, resilience, courage, intelligence, strong spirit and his altruistic will to put his people before himself.
Mandela in the book was more human, more HEROIC than the stories we've heard and his Longgg Walk to Freedom made me angry, really angry, then inspired, hopeful and willed to always raise my voice in the face of oppression, to stand higher in the face of adversity.
This is a good book, should be read by everyone. The only regret I had while reading this book is being annoyed I left it my shelf unread all these while. And with this, I find myself adding autobiographies to my reading list.
I was surprised how readable this was; usually thick memoirs drag a bit. Mandela’s refusal to categorically reject violence (the oppressor determines the nature of the conflict) and his belief that he sacrificed his family life for the liberty of his people were fascinating. I found myself highlighting illuminating passages more in this book than I usually do.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A giant book for a giant of a man.
Nelson Mandela stands tall in my imagination. He's always been one of my heroes. While he frequently downplays his own accomplishments in A Long Walk to Freedom, "Madiba's" journey was nothing short of a miracle. Many people have had the strength to undergo adversity. But Madiba had the incredible gift of not only withstanding intense suffering during his years of persecution and imprisonment, but also seeing the humanity of his jailers and torturers.
Unbeknownst to many, Mandela did not advocate non-violence for its own sake. He recognized the need for the oppressed to strike back using violence if all other forms of resistance failed. In his words, the oppressor is the one who dictates the terms of the struggle. However, Mandela had the tenacity to hold onto non-violence and dialogue even in moments when it would have been easier for him to give into anger. His strength was in knowing when to rise and when to be silent, when to strike and when to talk, when to comfort the afflicted when to afflict the comfortable. When I get to Heaven, I can't wait to pick Mandela's mind on all kinds of issues. But until then, we'll have to keep up the struggle for dignity and humanity that he started.
Nkosi, Sikelel' iAfrika! God bless Africa! Amandla! Ngawethu!
Nelson Mandela stands tall in my imagination. He's always been one of my heroes. While he frequently downplays his own accomplishments in A Long Walk to Freedom, "Madiba's" journey was nothing short of a miracle. Many people have had the strength to undergo adversity. But Madiba had the incredible gift of not only withstanding intense suffering during his years of persecution and imprisonment, but also seeing the humanity of his jailers and torturers.
Unbeknownst to many, Mandela did not advocate non-violence for its own sake. He recognized the need for the oppressed to strike back using violence if all other forms of resistance failed. In his words, the oppressor is the one who dictates the terms of the struggle. However, Mandela had the tenacity to hold onto non-violence and dialogue even in moments when it would have been easier for him to give into anger. His strength was in knowing when to rise and when to be silent, when to strike and when to talk, when to comfort the afflicted when to afflict the comfortable. When I get to Heaven, I can't wait to pick Mandela's mind on all kinds of issues. But until then, we'll have to keep up the struggle for dignity and humanity that he started.
Nkosi, Sikelel' iAfrika! God bless Africa! Amandla! Ngawethu!
When I picked this book up, I realised I knew virtually nothing about Nelson Mandela! How could that be? Especially as he is known for being a Great Man! So what did I know... His (only) wife was Winnie, he was in prison for a long time (possible wrongfully?), there was a song about freeing him and he became the first black president of South Africa. Then 10 years ago I was lucky enough to visit South Africa, whilst there I stumbled across Robben Island (and got super lucky to visit it, as I was so ignorant and hadn’t booked it months in advance). I can’t remember if that was where I was casually told he was put in prison for planing bombs. Gasp! But he’s a great man! What was going on here? To be honest until I picked up This book I’d not found time to find out any more.
I was astounded by what I read! And now I understand why he is a Great Man. This book takes us through his whole life from his childhood of just over 100 years ago in rural Africa, to the city of Johannesburg where he became a man and realised he couldn’t explore his full potential in his own county unless he gave everything to fight for the freedom to do so. It’s truly frightening to think what kind of world we could still be living in had not a few people realised the system was so dangerously broken that they had to sacrifice everything to fix it. It’s also depressing in 2020 to realise we still have so far to go. I do wonder how he would feel to realise that we still have to be reminded Black Lives Matter! How many People now would be willing to leave their families and give up everything to organise everybody else, ending up in prison and/or with a death sentence hanging over them to fight for what is right? He really was prepared to die for the cause. You can’t even begin to imagine the how the odds were stacked against them too. I didn’t realise until reading this that he spent a life time (27 years!) in prison, and he’s wasn’t a young man when convicted either. The only Nelson Mandela of my life time was the old man, so I didn’t consider what he had been through or how old he was and still so committed to getting the only outcome that was just - freedom for everyone. One speech he gave in court, in 1964 really stands out for me too. From page 438:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
I am so happy he lived long enough to make history and see his dreams start to be achieved. It’s amazing how he managed to stay so grounded, humble and absolutely dedicated to his beliefs.
I really think this book should be studied in schools, to make people think, to give everyone a clear understanding of supremacy being wrong, stamp out racism and to prevent this from ever happening anywhere again.
I was astounded by what I read! And now I understand why he is a Great Man. This book takes us through his whole life from his childhood of just over 100 years ago in rural Africa, to the city of Johannesburg where he became a man and realised he couldn’t explore his full potential in his own county unless he gave everything to fight for the freedom to do so. It’s truly frightening to think what kind of world we could still be living in had not a few people realised the system was so dangerously broken that they had to sacrifice everything to fix it. It’s also depressing in 2020 to realise we still have so far to go. I do wonder how he would feel to realise that we still have to be reminded Black Lives Matter! How many People now would be willing to leave their families and give up everything to organise everybody else, ending up in prison and/or with a death sentence hanging over them to fight for what is right? He really was prepared to die for the cause. You can’t even begin to imagine the how the odds were stacked against them too. I didn’t realise until reading this that he spent a life time (27 years!) in prison, and he’s wasn’t a young man when convicted either. The only Nelson Mandela of my life time was the old man, so I didn’t consider what he had been through or how old he was and still so committed to getting the only outcome that was just - freedom for everyone. One speech he gave in court, in 1964 really stands out for me too. From page 438:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
I am so happy he lived long enough to make history and see his dreams start to be achieved. It’s amazing how he managed to stay so grounded, humble and absolutely dedicated to his beliefs.
I really think this book should be studied in schools, to make people think, to give everyone a clear understanding of supremacy being wrong, stamp out racism and to prevent this from ever happening anywhere again.
Due to my inability to read in a moving car and my long commute to work, I listened to the audiobook read by Danny Glover. After listening to the first 50 minutes, I was hooked and listened to it any chance I could while ironing clothes, folding laundry etc. I was initially intimidated by the sheer length of the audio but I was surprised at how fast I finished it. As I read the book, I kept reverting back to my visit to Mandela House in 2015. The pictures I took there added more context to the story. I don't think I'll read another biography for a while. I just to revel in Mandela's glory and his resolve.
Twas a LONG WALK. WOW. Quite possibly my favorite autobiography out there. An amazing story. 10/10 would recommend.
An incredibly detailed autobiography of the life and work of Nelson Mandela, from his youth and early politicalization, to his activism and negotiations as part of the ANC after being released from three decades in prison.
I was over at Nathaniel's house and said the one thing I've changed my mind on recently was political passivism as an absolute. Like, it's never okay to be violent to achieve political ends. Nathaniel almost immediately got up and returned with a copy of Nelson Mandela's biography. I didn't know much about South Africa, partially because everyone I know whose gone their comes back as an "expert" and wants to talk about all they've learned indirectly, like it's deeply ingrained knowledge that spills out because it has so many applications to their present-day life and they're just so *worldly*. So yeah I didn't know anything but if it was from a book I was willing to learn.
And yeah it's a good book. Mandela writes like a politician, but well, although it did make crave a biography — an outsider's perspective, someone who could criticize his decisions and his moral failures (I had to Google about his infidelity). Every action he took was carefully reasoned and, since we got his reasoning for each move, every step seemed artfully calculated. Who knows if that was just Mandela going back to set the record straight, you know?
Nathaniel's intent for me with this book, to see a famous world leader who eschewed peace in the name of achieving political change, worked. I'm certainly on board with the idea that violence is justified in certain contexts. Opposition must be expected, but an outside observer can't fault the freedom fighter. Also, it taught me violence isn't a commodity, and has gray areas. Attacking government facilities is a step below attacking government officials. By stating a clear set of targets, Mandela and the rest of the ANC were able to execute a campaign of controlled violence. That's impressive.
Anyway. Good book, especially for an autobiography. (I'd recommend skipping the childhood and youth sections of the book, though, you can jump right to when he's a lawyer. Damn histories and their reliance on chronological structures.)
And yeah it's a good book. Mandela writes like a politician, but well, although it did make crave a biography — an outsider's perspective, someone who could criticize his decisions and his moral failures (I had to Google about his infidelity). Every action he took was carefully reasoned and, since we got his reasoning for each move, every step seemed artfully calculated. Who knows if that was just Mandela going back to set the record straight, you know?
Nathaniel's intent for me with this book, to see a famous world leader who eschewed peace in the name of achieving political change, worked. I'm certainly on board with the idea that violence is justified in certain contexts. Opposition must be expected, but an outside observer can't fault the freedom fighter. Also, it taught me violence isn't a commodity, and has gray areas. Attacking government facilities is a step below attacking government officials. By stating a clear set of targets, Mandela and the rest of the ANC were able to execute a campaign of controlled violence. That's impressive.
Anyway. Good book, especially for an autobiography. (I'd recommend skipping the childhood and youth sections of the book, though, you can jump right to when he's a lawyer. Damn histories and their reliance on chronological structures.)
Great read.
It doesn't only have political lessons, but also have many life lessons.
It doesn't only have political lessons, but also have many life lessons.