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Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela [Paperback]

Nelson Mandela
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 1, 1995
Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality. The foster son of a Thembu chief, Mandela was raised in the traditional, tribal culture of his ancestors, but at an early age learned the modern, inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid, one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In classically elegant and engrossing prose, he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in Johannesburg, of his slow political awakening, and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s. He describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family, the anguished breakup of his first marriage, and the painful separations from his children. He brings vividly to life the escalating political warfare in the fifties between the ANC and the government, culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964, at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Herecounts the surprisingly eventful twenty-seven years in prison and the complex, delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid. Finally he provides the ultimate inside account.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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.

From Publishers Weekly

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Mandela began his autobiography during the course of his 27 years in prison.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 656 pages
  • Publisher: Back Bay Books; 1st Paperback Ed edition (October 1, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780316548182
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316548182
  • ASIN: 0316548189
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.8 x 8.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nelson Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa, on 18 July 1918. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948 before being arrested in August 1962. In November 1962 he was sentenced to five years in prison and started serving his sentence at Robben Island Prison in 1963 before being returned to Pretoria, where he was to later stand in the Rivonia Trial. From 1964 to 1982, he was again incarcerated at Robben Island Prison and then later moved to Pollsmoor Prison, during which his reputation as a potent symbol of resistance to the anti-apartheid movement grew steadily.

Released from prison in 1990, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. He is the author of the international bestsellers Long Walk to Freedom and Conversations with Myself.

© Nelson R. Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation / PQ Blackwell Ltd

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
99 of 101 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars He is like every one of us afterall June 16, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I spent the whole of last weekend reading 'Long Walk to freedom'. For two days I didnot leave the world Nelson had trapped me in. As I finished the book and took a walk outside, I stopped seeing people as Hausas or Yorubas, Northerners or Southerners(ethnic groups in Nigeria). All I saw were brothers who could bury the hatchets of ethnicity and forge a country of love and peace. Before I read the book I saw Mandela as a super human with no flaws at all. In the book he painted himself in true colours; accepting his flaws and proclaiming his successes. He is afterall human. I have always believed that life is worth nothing if one can not stand up for what one believes in. I have always advocated to the Marcus Garvey/ Malcolm X forms of freedom fighting. I always thought that peaceful protests were for the spineless. Why would I like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., watch while the enemy unleashes violence on my people? Nelson in the book took me through the intricacies of peaceful civil disturbance and I have come to realise that this form of protest is even more demanding than sheer brute force. 'Long walk...' is a must-read for any one who still has humanity in his being... If you want to share more on 'Long Walk to Freedom' or the struggle of African progressives against oppresive governments, you can reach me at pokigbo3@hotmail.com
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79 of 84 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Polit thriller January 16, 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite due respect for a great leader, I did not really expect to like this autobiography very much. Mandela is no great speaker, his TV presence is rather flat, his English apparently not masterful. The life story in summary does not seem to have that much interest either, considering the long jail time and the fact that most of the "hot action" of the anti-apartheid movement happened while he was on Robben Island.
All wrong. The writing is surprisingly fluent, the story telling surprisingly efficient and free of waste as well as redundancies. Also free of sentimentality and exaggerated pathos.
If there is anything that I wished to be more detailed it is the period of his childhood and youth. This period is described in a rather remote way and with a sometimes irritating lack of explanation or reflection. I realized that may have happened due to the conditions under which the book was written: in jail. Also I could imagine that editors suggested some shortening: after all the book is still quite hefty.
If there is one negative comment that I have to make, it refers to NM's insistence that all trouble between black groups, such as the Inkatha violence problems, or tribal conflicts, have been caused by the perfidy of the whites. As much as I can understand the psychology behind this wishful thinking, I do not think it is a realistic approach.
Despite this comment and despite the book's size, it is never boring. Highly recommendable.
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78 of 84 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is not a book about a man, but a Manuscript for Life December 20, 1999
Format:Paperback
Please allow yourself a moment to Think before you turn the first page of this manuscript: Think about your name; Think about your family; Think about the warmth of sunlight on your skin; Think about the gift you have to think; Think about things you love and tastes you cherish most; Think about someone you would never wish to live without;and then Think for just a moment, about the cause for which you'd be willing to sacrifice all of the above and so much more for a period of indescribable sufference of spirit-breaking duress. Such strength of mind is perhaps too rare for most of us to even contemplate, however welcome now to the mind that could.

This manuscript is one of the most important pieces of literature ever laid to ink - cherish it and use it to make your own world a little wiser.

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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars The Struggle of One Man Can Change a Nation May 29, 2003
Format:Paperback
Long Walk to Freedom is an experience to be remembered. Although the book is an autobiography, the details are exquisite. It is apparent that Mandela wrote this book not to boast over a life of fame or fortune, but to guide us through a lifetime struggle filled of humiliation and pride, success and defeat. Throughout Mandela's journey, we learn insight into Mandela's thoughts, and the long walk he took to overcome the odds. Although his struggle was not easy, Mandela never quit, and for that he is a man to be commended by millions. Perhaps, Mandela wrote this book to teach us all a lesson in the true merit of human heart, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of their 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." (622) Though the book is long, and at times tedious, it is filled with a variety of storylines that keeps the reader intrigued. Between the fight to keep his family alive and well, Mandela also battles the South African government, other political organizations, oppressors of freedom, and the South African court of law. In doing this, Mandela shows how a man's life is not only a complex event, but also a road with many paths. He also shows us how one man's paths can cross and change the course of history, and the oppression of a nation. This book is bound to keep readers captivated, as it involves more than one element of Mandela's life. No matter your name, your age, or the color of your skin, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela is a book that will guide you through a struggle that we all are fighting for; the struggle against discrimination.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
I really loved this book. His life is so amazing that I enjoyed every bit of it. A person to admire , an example to follow , a hero.
Published 2 days ago by Nivia Martínez
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!
I got this book before a trip to South Africa and I'm glad I did. Compelling and beautifully written story! Nelson Mandela is an inspiration.
Published 13 days ago by Sandler93
5.0 out of 5 stars Important book!
This is a must read. We've just returned from South Africa and Nelson Mandela's story gave me the background to ask the questions of our guides to help us understand. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Alicia Foster
4.0 out of 5 stars good to go
my copy was in good shape, and this is another story that I think improves the quality of the character that reads it.
Published 21 days ago by Michael McCoy
5.0 out of 5 stars what an inspiration.
Great story of a revolution that took extraordinary sacrifice and courage. Great read. I highly recommend this biography. The world needs more Nelson Mandelas.
Published 1 month ago by David M. Jaffe
3.0 out of 5 stars Long Walk to Freedom
Interesting story but too detailed for my reading. It was too political for my personal interest, but still a book to recommend.
Published 1 month ago by Beaux
5.0 out of 5 stars Ndiyindoda!
There are three great men from the study of whose lives I have sought to gain. They are Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ElliottCB
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Biography!
After my visit to South Africa, I wanted to learn more about the culture and Nelson Mandela. SO, I bought his biography and couldn't stop reading it until it was finished. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful Story About the Triumph of a Human Spirit
Long walk to freedom is an elaborate and very candid account from the pespective of one Nelson Mandela, an ordinary boy from the rural who found himself at odds with the white... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Motsima KK
5.0 out of 5 stars A real page turner...
This man is one of the greatest role-models of our time and his book is a fascinating unforgettable un-put-down-able read. Here's the history you didn't get in school. Read more
Published 2 months ago by kcar
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