Rating: 
Summary: Overall a Good Choice
Review: Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom is a compelling story that follows the life of a freedom fighter from his humble beginnings in a small African village to his inauguration as the first black president of a free South Africa. The book is filled with many delightful stories, collected over an entire lifetime. Through Mandela's eyes the reader experiences life in South African during the apartheid government, especially the hardships faced by an African active in politics. I found that one of the most interesting sections of the book was when Mr. Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island, which, in reality, ate up twenty-seven years of his adult life. It was intriguing to watch as the lives of prisoners changed with the passing years and new characters were introduced, some of them quite memorable. As much as I enjoyed the story itself, there were times that I felt that the book dragged, weighed down by in depth descriptions of South African political battles and trials, many of which did not appeal to me. I would recommend this book to political and history buffs who enjoy such passages, but not to the reader looking to read a good story. Also, there were times that I felt that Mr. Mandela was trying to hard to insert deep philosophical thoughts into his writing in the form of metaphors and similes. Overall, I believe that despite its shortcomings many readers will find this book an interesting read, perfect for nights when one's mind craves a thought provoking story.
Rating: 
Summary: The Struggle of One Man Can Change a Nation
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Mandela
Review: It is tough to say whether or not Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" is a good book.
It is mostly based on historical fact and lacks the intimate personal feelings that one would expect from an autobiography. I would say that about one eighth of the book is Nelson truely telling the story of his life, and the other seven eighths is Nelson throwing out political terminology. Although he did a good job at explaining all the different political terms and organizations, I still found it difficult to keep them all straight. My favorite parts of the book were the parts where Nelson told the reader about his family life and his attempts to find and equilibrium between being a father to his country/people and being a father to his children.
Had I not been assigned to read this book for school, I probably never would have picked it up and been exposed to the South African culture and history. I definately do not regret reading it but I do think that it could have been a couple hundred pages shorter.
I probably would recommend this book to people who have a strong interest in South African history (particularly in Mandela's struggle towards freedom).
Overall, this was an "ok" book, but nothing extraordinary.
Rating:
Summary: Long Crawl To Freedom
Review: Nelson Mandela's autobiography, "Long Walk To Freedom", has often been dubbed "Long Crawl to Freedom" by fellow classmates. Mr. Mandelawas, and is, a strong political figure in South Africa, insturmental is South African leadership. However, any man who can write 625 pages about himself is overdoing it a bit. The autobiography has a detailed history of the ANC, pre-dating even Nelson Mandela's life. Yet, the novel seems to be Nelson's "name-dropping" biography, constantly describing the famous (and infamous) people he's encountered. Perhaps to a native South African, or a historian, the names could be infomational. For a 16-year old student, the names simply became confusing and complicated. We understand Nelson Mandela is a great man, but how much do we really need to know about his life? Perhaps the most disapointing part of the entire novel is the ending. Though Mr. Mandela did aide in somewhat acheiving political equality for all South Africans, he sumarizes his entire 600 page novel in the last 20 pages of the book. It makes you wonder why you read all the details to begin with. The novel was informative, and fairly easy to understand, but the length is a major deturrent in ever reading this novel again.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written, but rather a snooze
Review: I felt that this book, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, was very well written. It went into wonderful detail and made you picture the rallies and towns that he went to and visited, it made you feel as though you were there beside him throughout the entire book . . .if you lasted that long. I thought as though the book seemed to drag on, not even the detail could save this book. At times, it just made you want to shut the book and think to yourself "Why am I reading this again?" or "When is this going to end? Where's the next chapter?" which I found me asking myself quite a few times, but I continued on the journey. The book had great use of literary devices mind you and the chapters are short, some only 1.5 pages long others possibly 10 pages and pictures were included so you got more of a feel for the book and time period to help you understand. The use of all the African words and names everywhere was also a bit tiring, I, myself, don't speak African, but I found it interesting to learn some new words, but not on every page. All in all, it was a nicely written and put together book, I just found it a total snooze and now I would like to go to sleep.
Rating:
Summary: Long Walk To Freedom Review
Review: The reason I enjoyed A Long Walk to Freedom, was how it showed Nelson's perseverance and how even when all odds were against him he stood strong. Throughout this book, it describes Nelson Mandela's heroics becoming a "freedom fighter". This happened when he was in court awaiting his sentence and instead of folding under the circumstances, he stood, not only for himself, but for all suffering black South Africans. From Nelson's childhood he learned the views people had on black citizens. He was very appalled because of the views whites had on blacks and how they treated them with hatred. He strived and worked hard to become a lawyer only to be neglected and unfairly treated in court. Whites gave the blacks no say in the government and took their lands from them which they had lived on long before whites moved to South Africa. Nelson joined a group that rallied and protested many unfair regulations the government set for the black population. With his persistence in protesting the government's laws he acquired many followers. Many of his protests ended bloody and many died fighting for their freedom. The black people did not quit and were relentless to gain peace, land and most of all freedom. He greatly influenced his wife Winnie who led many groups when he was sent to jail for many years. She raised their many children while being tangled up with fines, and appearances in the courts for her actions and protests. Though Nelson Mandela had many discouragements and struggles, he was able to make the largest black freedom movement in South Africa. He is a fascinating man because be started in poverty and through hard work and determination, became one of the most influential men in South Africa's history.
Rating:
Summary: My Nelson Experience
Review: It is tough to say whether or not Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" was a good book. It is mostly based on historical fact and lacks the intimate personal feelings that one would expect from an autobiography. Some chapters seemed to fly by while others were tedious to get through. It is probably not a book that I would have read on my own time (I was assigned to read it in school). I probably would recommend this book to people who have a strong interest in South African History (particularly in Mandela's sturggle towards freedom). Although he does a good job at explaining all the political organizations, I still found it difficult to keep them all straight.
Overall, this was an "ok" book, but nothing extraordinary.
Rating: 
Summary: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM = FANTASTIC BOOK!
Review: Nelson Mandela's autobiography, LONG WALK TO FREEDOM is simply incredible! The casual style of writing is very efficient. Nelson speaks simply, hooking readers from the very beginning. To imagine a 600+ political memoir, one predicts a strenuous read with long, dull spots. This does not prove true in the case of LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. Nelson's epic tale flows at a very fast pace, and at times, is so vastly entertaining, that it actually feels fictitious. The story of Nelson's life is truly unbelievable. An awe-inspiring tale of one man's struggle, both inner and political. Recommended to everyone (that can read)!
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: A Long Walk To Freedom is a book filled with information, power, and perseverance. This is the first autobiography that I have read, and I must say that I chose a great example to start out with. This book takes readers inside the life and times of the political genius Nelson Mandela. It starts out with a wonderful description of Nelson's childhood in South Africa. Telling a story about how he was a normal "free" African boy, able to fun in the dry fields and swim in the cool streams. Nelson had the rare opportunity as an African boy to become educated. This allowed him to explore opportunities and politics. Nelson met many people on his long journey that taught him how to be a good leader, negotiator, and debater. He became a very influential and powerful leader of the African National Congress, and President of Africa. He arranged many strikes and rallies to encourage freedom of Africans.
At a young age Nelson learned that he was not even free in his own country, and the white Africans had no freedoms. At first Nelson wanted freedom for himself. He was a young boy who wanted to be able to live where he wanted to, eat where he wanted to, and say whatever he wanted to. As he grew wise he realized that he not only yearned for freedom, but he yearned for the freedom of his people. He wanted freedom for his brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, and even for his enemies. He set a goal, to unite and free Africans of every color. This is a story of a freedom fighter. A man who's goal in life was to free others. This one man changed the history of South Africa, taking this country into his own hands. He often faced court hearings, banning, and lost his tight family connections through his struggle, but in the end, he prevailed. If you are interested in politics, South African history, or Nelson Mandela, I suggest reading this autobiography.
Rating:
Summary: A long walk and a lot to learn
Review: A Long Walk To Freedom is a book filled with information, power, and perseverance. This is the first autobiography that I have read, and I must say that I chose a great example to start out with.
This book takes readers inside the life and times of the political genius Nelson Mandela. It starts out with a wonderful description of Nelson's childhood in South Africa. Telling a story about how he was a normal "free" African boy, able to fun in the dry fields and swim in the cool streams. Nelson had the rare opportunity as an African boy to become educated. This allowed him to explore opportunities and politics.
Nelson met many people on his long journey that taught him how to be a good leader, negotiator, and debater. He became a very influential and powerful leader of the African National Congress, and President of Africa. He arranged many strikes and rallies to encourage freedom of Africans.
At a young age Nelson learned that he was not even free in his own country, and that the white Africans had no freedoms. At first Nelson wanted freedom for himself. He was a young boy who wanted to be able to live where he wanted to, eat where he wanted to, and say whatever he wanted to. As he grew wise he realized that he not only yearned for freedom, but he yearned for the freedom of his people. He wanted freedom for his brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, and even for his enemies. He set a goal, to unite and free Africans of every color.
This is a story of a freedom fighter. A man who's goal in life was to free others. This one man changed the history of South Africa, taking this country into his own hands. He often faced court hearings, banning, and lost his tight family connections through his struggle, but in the end, he prevailed.
If you are interested in politics, South African history, or Nelson Mandela, I suggest reading this autobiography.
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