Outstanding book from one of the most influential man of our times. A must read.

To evoke Nelson Mandela is to produce Africa in a general way so much his fight for freedom, dignity, and everything South Africa's racists have inflicted on him to break him, extinguish and stifle that Man's dream. Nelson Mandela is an icon of Africa but the most representative of this continent!
The Man has steel morale because he will be imprisoned for twenty-seven years in the sinister prison of Robben Island, and we remember this great moment in history, in 1990, when he went out with a big smile and relaxed. He greeted his compatriots, who had come to greet and cheer him. These images are transmitted by all television channels around the world and live. It was very moving!
In his novel, Nelson Mandela evokes all the stages of his life: his political beginnings, his fight against white racism, and the terrible system of apartheid.
He got out of prison without any grudge or resentment against whites.
He was elected president of the country for just one term. We can only admire this Great Man kneaded with great moral and human qualities.
A character who had marked the history of his country and history in general!

The Diverse Baseline

April Prompt C: A book by a BIPOC author about colonization

The star rating is for the story, and in no way indicative of how I feel about Nelson Mandela, and the work he did to end apartheid in South Africa. Had this been more about his presidency and politics, I think I would've liked it more. While his twenty seven year imprisonment is nothing to scoff at, I found at times it dragged. This just goes to show you the law is not always correct, and we must continue to fight for social justice as we see wrongdoings. Free Palestine.

If we do nothing else for those who suffer for a cause, we must at least bear witness and say, I have seen, and understood.

Many people the world over have waxed prolific and poetic on this book, and all that is left to say is, it is a must-read for anyone who cares about anything at all in this world. This struggle cannot be dismissed as a partisan "engagement". It is not just about apartheid; it is not about fighting a harsh regime; it is not about man's inhumanity to man -- and all that "stuff" that so many readily dismiss, once the book is shelved again.

It is about one man, walking, and holding his head up despite everything that was thrown upon his shoulders. It is how to preserve dignity, strength and integrity -- and have the moral constitution to wake up to it day after day after day, for the entire course of his life. It's easy to maintain a posture for a day or a week or a month; but to hold on to it for a lifetime -- that is a strength that only a very few can maintain.

To emerge out of the darkness of his prison, of his life, and still shine with hope for humanity -- and faith that goodness will prevail -- leaves me speechless.

حكاية نضال حقيقي وثبات على القيم وإصرار لا محدود عبقرية مانديلا تكمن بعدة أمور
إيمانه الصادق ..الثبات والإستمرارية ..التفاؤل بأحلك الظروف ومن ثم القدرة على التسامح
سيرة ملهمة لمناضل استثنائي
لم أولد برغبة جامحة في الحرية ..فكنت حرا أجري في الحقول المجاورة لكوخ أمي وكنت حرا "
"أسبح في الأنهار التي تشق قريتي وكنت حرا أشوي الذرة تحت نجوم السماء وأمتطي ظهور الثيران
إيافريكا ..اللهم احفظ أفريقيا

I want to start this review off by saying the universe is a funny thing. Given the time we live in and the circumstances we are all facing this book fell on to my lap at the perfect time. One detail I want to highlight off the back was how happy I was as a Jewish American to see that Mandela worked closely with Jewish allies from his first job in Johannesburg in 1946 when he was hired by a Jewish attorney Lazar Sidelsky to his close friend and advisor Rabbi Cyril Harris during his presidency. I guess it just felt good after seeing all the recent social media posts against jews to see them so frequently in this book.

So my initial thoughts on this man’s life were wow and they just never wavered from there. Before going into this book my knowledge of Mandela was Great Man, Fought Apartheid, President of South Africa. So right of the bat, reading about his childhood, reading he was Xhosa, reading that he was the son of a chief and destined for greatness from the very start was new to me.

It was clear from the beginning he was meant to disrupt. He showed us what life in South Africa was like for someone of his stature, how even with apartheid in place there were ways for men like himself to move up a certain amount in order to always keep the country divided. The system oppressed the right amount to turn neighbors on one another so a person could elevate their own status and see their countrymen as competitors.

When he’s young, after he’s adopted by another tribe and becomes best friends with the successor, we get a glimpse of the pathways available for men in his position as well as a vivid description of the living conditions. It’s clear that men in his situation aren’t just expected to go to the mines, but they’ve been brainwashed into thinking it’s the most noble thing a man can do through propaganda and that it’s real work. So again we see the system keeping everyone in the place the system has decided they belong. I’m going to transition away from a full synopsis now because to retell this story would take multiple days.

What I learned next is that disruption is an admirable trait. What made him so unique was he had no fear of being a disruptive force and always had a plan. I think that’s one takeaway I got from this book. He wasn’t always peaceful disobedience or pro-violence. His opinions were fluid given the circumstances he faced at any given time. He was prepared for any situation though, and it’s strange to say that a man who was locked in prison for 30 years made sure he always had options and always disrupted the system. Whether it be something as small as staying fit with morning workout routines or starting a garden and using the fresh food to get in the warden’s good graces, he was a master at understanding the motivation of others and tackling them one by one. I think that’s why he made such a great lawyer. Speaking of which, going back to my point on always having options, this wasn’t a man who went the traditional route to study law. He was studying it right up to his life sentence and even while he was in prison when the guards were saying he had no hope of ever getting out.

He never faced a wall he couldn’t find a way to climb. When he was on the run he hid in plain sight as a chauffeur and still running ANC meetings when he was out of the country learning the skills his resistance would need there was never any question that he would return with the knowledge he gained, it always came back to the liberation of those oppressed by apartheid.

He accomplished so much but he also admitted to having a single regret. I think he summed it up well when he said he couldn’t be the father of a nation and the father of a family. He regretted not being able to have a traditional husband and wife life and that moment of vulnerability only furthered his humanity. Maybe that’s the best way of describing Mandela, he was one of the most complete humans you could ever learn about. His goal never wavered, his integrity never waned, he was never too much of an idealist to change strategies but was far too much of one to ever change the end goal.

It's always interesting to know more about the lives of the people who changed our world for the better and from their perspectives, nonetheless.

Visionaries always have to sacrifice their personal lives in order to fight for the greater good.

Nelson Mandela himself came to know this. He sacrificed the life he could have had with the people he loved and cared the most, simply because he had a higher calling.

At some point he said something along the lines of 'it is hard to hear your young child asking why you're never home and you having to answer that there are other children like them out there.'

That might have been one of the parts that made me more emotional. Just imagine not being able to be by your child's side, because you're trying to make the lives of other children better.

It really makes you think about the twisted ways of this world.

Anyway, a great read indeed, recommended to young and old alike.

Sometimes the politics might be a little too heavy on this autobiography, hence why I didn't give it 5 stars, but it is expected giving that this is about a prominent freedom fighter and politician.

Ein beeindruckender Mensch und eine überwiegend gute Autobiografie.

Das Buch schildert Nelson Mandelas Kampf gegen die Apartheid und umfasst die Zeit von seiner Kindheit bis zu seinem Amtsantritt im Jahre 1994.

Es lässt sich weitestgehend flüssig lesen, enthält für jemanden wie mich - mit zugegeben recht wenigen Vorkenntnissen - aber auch einige schwierige Passagen.
Es werden regelmäßig eine Vielzahl von Personen und Organisationen angeführt und – wie ich fand – nicht immer klar herausgestellt wie deren Bedeutung für den weiteren Verlauf der Geschichte sich darstellt.
Teilweise war es somit etwas schwierig den Überblick zu behalten. Ein Personenverzeichnis hätte dem Buch unwahrscheinlich gut getan. Dies gab es aber zumindest in der von mir gelesenen Fassung nicht.

Die Person Nelson Mandela wiederum hat mich schwer beeindruckt. Angesichts der sich ihm darbietenden Widerstände so nachhaltig an seinen Überzeugungen festzuhalten und trotz aller persönlicher Opfer nie im Kampfe für sein Volk nachzulassen. Das war schon wirklich faszinierend zu lesen und nötigt mir allerhöchsten Respekt ab.

Bitte deshalb die - im Vergleich mit anderen von mir gelesenen Biographien - niedrige Bewertung von 3 Sternen nicht als Beurteilung des Menschen Nelson Mandela verstehen. Natürlich beurteile ich hier das Buch. Und 3 Sterne sind nach meinem Verständnis ein gutes Rating.
Dem Lesevergnügen wurde aber durch die teilweise unübersichtlich wirkende Struktur der Erzählung nicht geholfen. Mit einem vernünftigen Verzeichnis der Personen und Organisationen hätte das Buch in jedem Fall 4 Sterne von mir erhalten.

Nelson Mandela gibt das von ihm erlebte in einem sehr nüchternen Stil wieder. Dies hat mir weitestgehend gut gefallen und mich nur an einigen wenigen Stellen gegen Ende des Buches gestört. Ein Mensch der 27 Jahre von seiner Familie getrennt in Gefangenschaft verbringt. Dies ist für mich wirklich nur schwer vorstellbar. Und im Hinblick auf seine persönlichen und insbesondere familiären Beziehungen wäre dann doch ein tieferer Einblick in sein Gefühlsleben hier und da wünschenswert gewesen. Mandela selbst führt gegen Ende des Buches jedoch an, dass die öffentliche Schilderung seiner Gefühle ihm immer schwer gefallen sei.

Am Ende bleibe ich zurück mit einem guten Verständnis für das Leben Nelson Mandelas (wenn auch nicht immer seines tiefsten Inneren) aber einem für mich persönlich etwas unbefriedigenden Überblick über die Verhältnisse in Südafrika.
Das ist zwar schade. Aber ich habe es trotzdem keinesfalls bereut dieses Buch gelesen zu haben.

It is difficult to describe in words how powerful and transformative Mr Nelson Mandela's life is. In order to understand the ANC and the freedoms that are enjoyed today by all South Africans regardless of skin colour or social standing, it is highly recommended that one reads "The Long Walk To Freedom". To me it is a privilege to read about his life because I have not learnt about his life and the ANC in such depth before. Nelson Mandela offers remarkable and genuine detail on his life and the injustices he had to endure in order to enjoy freedom. It is an impressive insight as you begin to reflect yourself on the role of the oppressor and the oppressed, dynamics dictating that particular relationship. You also begin to grasp the concept of the struggle within the context of his time and him becoming an outlaw for pursuing his path towards a free South Africa for all, being imprisoned as a political prisoner on unjust reasons. Nelson Mandela thoroughly explains the motivations of the ANC with the insights of an extraordinary leader that he is. To have the patience to be imprisoned and to continue the struggle while being imprisoned, a man needs to have an extraordinary character and no doubt great intellect. I am deeply moved by his descriptions on the sacrifices of the struggle which were essential for his struggle to be one with a successful outcome, one of his biggest sacrifices being his family. From his childhood to his very first political engagements, Nelson Mandela is superior and observant in ways that were threatening to white supremacy. A man of his greatness is a threat to a government that wants to maintain its rigid system of racist practices. Furthermore, he reminds us of the significance of education and language. Education is fundamental. Even while in prison, Nelson Mandela pursues his education, studying where possible. His life was for the people of South Africa and reading on his life it becomes clear his education as an attorney has provided him also with the knowledge he needed in order to protect himself from the deceitful prison system which would use any opportunity to manipulate him. They couldn't because he is always a step ahead being well informed about his rights. Nelson Mandela is a remarkable man, leader, father, son and role model for humanity as a whole. He is also a friend who was dearly loved. He remained calm and collected, patient and motivated in times where white supremacy dictated every sphere of life in South Africa and took away a large amount of his years from him. He embodies hope. I am left speechless after having turned to the final page because I could not understand how a man can stay so strong after the many defeats he has encountered. Nelson Mandela made a difference to the conditions of people all his life and his mark in history and time will forever be important for generations to come in South Africa as well as across the world. It takes greatness to change your country and the world. To me he achieved both. He devoted his life to a cause worth fighting for, teaching us to reflect on ours. Nelson Mandela teaches us through his life important lessons, there are many but most of all and I will be unable to count them: we are all humans and humanity is within us, we all have a capacity to be human. Hate is taught. We are not born with it.

A World Apart: Apartheid in South Africa

Peace is a set of multi-sided dice. We can't say 'we' want a peaceful world, unless we are willing to grant peace to all people. Mandela's autobiography covers the long and agonizing struggle for the right to live on their own continent by the black South African people. It can be seen as polarizing and controversial, due to some of the violent methods advocated by Mr. Mandela, who after years of brutal 'peaceful' protest, formed a group to commit acts of sabotage against government installations. But, interestingly, the government was murdering and imprisoning protesters long before the 'taking up arms' by the protesters.

"I was angry at the white man, not racism."

One thing I found most interesting in Mandela's book was the fact that the imprisonment of many in his generation only angered the young growing up afterwards. A new generation of men grew up with their fathers in prison for political opinions and these young men were much angrier than their parents had been. When the situation began to simmer with violence, the government had no choice but to release Mandela who was seen as a moderate by current standards. They hoped to use him to calm the uprisings, yet without giving into any of the demands for voting rights and majority rule. Needless to say, just as Mandela had foretold, his people would never accept this situation. It reminded me much of the story of Moses in the Bible demanding the freedom of his people without compromising his plan to be free.

"But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free but my brothers and sisters were not free. I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I did."

The African National Congress is the Republic of South Africa's governing political party. It has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa since the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election, winning every election since then. The ANC was the party that Mandela belonged to, and they were outlawed, due to their opinions. Their members were banned from expressing political opinions. They burned their passes and were arrested. (All blacks were required to have a passport to be out at night.) Members were imprisoned and hidden from the public. Mandela believed that since his people were being treated with violence, their only option was to respond with violence, in self-defense.

"In the past whites took land by force now they secured it with legislation."

He argued that "the state dictates the method of protest," by the rights that are granted to the oppressed. For example, he responded to the later complaints that Dr. King promoted non-violent protest in the US by pointing out that Americans had legal avenues to protest non-violently. The non-violent protests worked. In South Africa, anyone protesting or participating in stay-at-home strikes was imprisoned, beaten, or killed. The Afrikaner government acted swiftly to maintain minority white dominance in a predominantly black country. This was what Nelson Mandela fought for... majority rule and all the political rights that much of the world take for granted today.

"A freedom fighter learns the hard way that it is the oppressor who defines the nature of the struggle, and the oppressed is often left with no recourse but to use methods that mirror those of the oppressor. At a certain point, one can only fight fire with fire."

The time frame covers most of a half-century, and Mandela spent much of forty years underground and then serving a life in prison. The book is by all means a must-read and should be considered a classic work of human rights. Mandela eventually became president of the country, so his was a significant life in the great contributions he made for many people in the world. Through his willingness to go to prison for his principles, and his work to bring about peace in his country without sacrificing the rights of his people, he was a positive force for change. His work was inspired by the work of Gandhi in India, and his preprison struggle later inspired Dr. King in the United States, who had an effect on Mandela's later struggles in return. The Civil Rights struggle is a continuum that neither starts, nor ends, with one human being.

"It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another."

A word about editions of his autobiography is necessary. The edition here pictured by Holt Rinehart, and Winston is pathetic. In my opinion it is simply stupid that a publisher would decide to abridge a major work like Mandela's and then add in 'Connections' material written by other people. Whatever their purpose in doing such an idiotic thing, it serves no benefit. Anyone who wants to read Nelson Mandela's autobiography is obviously interested in hearing what he had to say. Why slice out half of it? Worse yet, who cares for reading the commentary when you do not even get half the book? Sadly, this is one of the only editions I have found currently in print.

"...I am convinced that Apartheid turned many otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals."

But, the good news is that the Audible edition includes the whole book. I also found an older out-of-print edition which is in large print on Amazon. It was a discarded public library book from overseas. And, it was only the first volume of the book published in two volumes. So, I enjoyed reading along for the first half of the book with the large print. Then I tried to pick up with this worthless edition for the second half, but found most of it missing. How I would love a copy of the second volume of the better quality large-print early edition to complete my set! Or really, any older edition that is faithful to the original and complete would be a treasure. But, I was quite satisfied with the Audible format, which was read very well and in a complete edition.

"Is politics merely a pretext for shirking one's responsibilities, an excuse for not been able to provide in the way one wanted?"

I read Mandela's Long Walk for my first stop in South Africa on my Journey Around the World in 80 Books for 2019. I have already been reading portions of The Scramble for Africa by Pakenham for my next stop in Lesotho. Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa, and I will need to cross back through South Africa to get to Eswatini, or the formerly called Swaziland. I realize that some of these very long works are slowing me down on a journey that is already seriously delayed. But, I can not ignore the fact that these are integral works for understanding African history. Whether I finish on time or not... it is this understanding that is my ultimate journey.

"It was a dizzying experience, as though time sped forward in a Science fiction novel, to suddenly hug one's fully grown child." (After being imprisoned when his daughter was a baby.)

I certainly knew none of the particulars of Mandela's life before my journey began. I only knew that he stood for racial equality and was imprisoned for it. It really is sad that African history is ignored in not just American schools, but world-wide. And, this is the reason Africa is called a 'dark continent,' because we have our eyes closed and are in the dark. That is our loss.

Where does one start with this? The story of freedom fighter, head of state, and world leader, Nelson Mandela--a book that spans his childhood, years spent in prison, and subsequent election as president. I grew up constantly reminded that a man, this man, was seated somewhere in South Africa in a prison cell, fighting for freedom for an entire nation and group of people.

The former president started this manuscript while in prison (sometime around 1974) and concocted a plan to have the original manuscript snuck out of prison (which ended up being a smart plan since prison guards confiscated what they thought was the original manuscript). The book is long and quite detailed (at times wordy), with extra care paid to conversations and political names and roles, travels Mandela had with political heads of state, the making of the political group The ANC, the start of the movement to denounce apartheid, and a detailed family tree in the beginning.

It is a book you usually see written by a biographer (like this one written about Warren Buffet: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life Instead, the former president wrote this one himself, taking careful pains to even talk about his childhood school and upbringing (another thing you normally see omitted from autobiographies, and sometimes biographies). Excerpts from this book could be studied in history and literature classes.

It is a poignant read written in classic autobiography style, with a strong "voice," one that has serious life lessons and inspiration for anybody at any stage of life.

The best way I can discuss this book is by talking about the highlights of each of its eleven parts:

Part 1: This is about Mr. Mandela's childhood in the country. He talks about his family tree. His family came from the royal household of the Thembu tribe: his father was an adviser to kings, and a wealthy nobleman who lost his holdings when he was fired by a magistrate from England--even though he believed that he only answered to Thembu custom and not "by the laws of the king of England." The Mandela family chieftainship was then ended. His father died when he was young and his mother handed him over to a Xhosa chief named Jongubtaba, who had offered to be his guardian.

Part 2: Mandela escapes the chief's house (along with the chief's biological son) when he learns that marriage, and a set lifestyle that included rules and no personal freedom, had been arranged for them ("My head told me it was the right of every man to plan his own future as he pleased and choose his role in life.") He escaped to Johannesburg, where he worked as a night watchman and later as a law clerk as he completed his law degree ("my performance as a law student was dismal").

Part 3: Nelson Mandela as a freedom fighter. This section goes into details about the startup of the ANC, dispelling some myths. He also talks about his first wife, Evelyn Mase. The most profound and telling statement from this section (and arguably, the book) is this one:

"I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments, produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, From henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise. "

Part 4: This section details the beginning of the struggle. During this time, President Mandela opened his law firm. He talks about being harrassed in court by judges and attorneys, about being served an order from the police that would legally ban him from the ANC at age thirty-five.

Part 5: Mandela discusses his first divorce and his second marriage, as well as prison life. This is where the female contribution to the apartheid struggle is introduced: "...when the women begin to take an active part in the struggle, no power on earth can stop us from achieving freedom in our lifetime." I enjoyed seeing the admiration he had for his second wife, Winnie Madikizela, pour through in this section.

Part 6: The part that stood out for me in this section: his travels to West Africa where the anti-apartheid movement received financial and moral support from West African heads of state in Liberia, Mali, Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone, etc. This is also the section where he discusses the violence that had increased in African townships and the decision the ANC made to add guerrilla fighters to the resistance (MK).

Part 7: After living underground for seventeen months, President Mandela was arrested for "inciting African workers to strike and for leaving the country without valid travel documents" (1962). At first he was given five years. Later, someone from his organization (the guerrilla MK) would become a snitch for the police and a few executives from the organization, including Mandela, would be jailed for years.

Part 8: This was a heart-wrenching section. He talks about the dark years on Robben Island: "I could walk the length of my cell in three paces. When I lay down, I could feel the wall with my feet and my head grazed the concrete at the other side....I was forty-six years old, a political prisoner with a life sentence." He was entitled to have only one visitor and receive one letter within a six month timeframe. During this time, his wife was being harassed, jailed, interrogated, held in solitary confinement, and he wondered, "What were the authorities doing to my wife? How would she bear up? Who was looking after our daughters? Who would pay the bills?"

Part 9: Mr. Mandela's role as an underground leader was finally visible to the public. Keep in mind, when he was first jailed, people had no idea how he looked like because pictures were banned and the prisoners even had to steal newspapers which were considered contraband. Negotiations had started and this is also when he started to write this book, "I adopted a rather unorthodox work schedule: I would write most of the night and sleep during the day." He also mentioned a student boycott in this section that was mentioned in Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa

Part 10: Serious negotiations with the government and the incoming president, De Klerk. This section showcased one of Mr. Mandela's strengths: inclusiveness. He even stated that he wasn't in favor of having his white brothers leave, he just wanted his black brothers to have rights to their country. Pivotal moment I think, especially if you've read a lot of books on post colonialism.

Part 11: Freedom, separation from his wife, details of diplomatic meetings. This section is an invigorating read as President Mandela describes the crowds upon his release, his meetings with old friends, etc. One great moment was his reminder of seeing Mrs. King seated on the stage when he gave his first speech after being released: "Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the wife of the great freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr.. was on the podium that night, and I looked over to her as I made my reference to her husband's immortal words..." Breathtaking moment. It made me want to re-read a few of the biographies I've read on Dr. King.

"I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free." -Nelson Mandela

I particularly like Mandela’s description of his twenty-seven years in prison. You get a real sense of what he has gone through. He does not dramatize, and he has never a pity me attitude. He kept a diary.

The telling is detailed but clear and understandable. Acronyms are sufficiently clarified. One need not be an expert to follow the text. I do wish that the year events take place had more often been stated. I also wish a map of the South African provinces and townships had been provided in a PDF.

Mandela does not emphasize the personal or his emotions. What is delivered is his life story as well as that of his nation. It concludes with his 1994 inauguration as president of the first democratic non-racial government of South Africa. At the close, the reader truly understands that which has been achieved!

Michael Boatman’s narration of the audiobook is exemplary. The narration I have given five stars. Every word is clearly spoken, and the pacing is perfect.

The book is not dry. It keeps your attention all the way through. I thought when I started, that it being so long, I might get bored. This did not happen! I highly recommend it.