Long Walk to Freedom

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Summary: Book Review: A Long Walk To Freedom-Nelson Mandela
Review: Since his release in Febuary 1990, Nelson Mandela has emerged as the world's most significant moral leader since Gandhi. The book A Long Walk to Feedom describes Nelson's incredible life. Nelson grew up a a foster son of a Thembu chief. In his childhod Nelson had to juggle two different worlds:the traditional culture of his tribe, and the hostile reality of a white dominated nation. Nelson was interested in the law but his growing political awareness moved him to become more avtively engaged, and he played a critical role in the formation of the ANC Youth League. In the early 1950's Nelson initiated his defiance campaign against the discrimia-tory policies of the South African government. Nelson also argued for non-violent resistance to aparthied. However, following the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 his positioned changed and he was forced underground to aviod the newly-imposed ban on the ANC. The horrors at Sharpville hardened Mandela and he took a new course of "non terrorist" action. This new course was aimed at the state but he hoped that it would prevent civilian unrest.In 1964 Nelson was arrested and was sentenced to imprisonment for life on charges of sabotage, treason, and violent conspiracy against the South African regime.Nelson for the next 27 years suffered through it mostly at Robben Island. After getting out of prison, Nelson was years behind the rest of the world and did not even know what a microphone was. This did not stop Nelson from being the savior of his people. Nelson was now huge in popularity and the ANC won an astonishing victory in the multi-ratial elctions of 1994. Nelson Mandela had become South Africa's first black President! After reading A Long Walk to Freedom, I realized that people can do amazing things. I really enjoyed this book and my favorite part were all of Nelson's vivid descriptions. For example, when Nelson described his prison cell, I could almost feel the pain he was going through. My least favorite part of this book is when Nelson had to wait years in jail while his people were suffering in the outside world. Nelson also describes the pain he felt because he wanted to help them but their was nothing he could do. I suggest A Long Walk to Freedom to everyone over the age of 14 and rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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Summary: A Long and Wonderful Walk
Review: "Long Walk to Freedom" is in no way an adventurous book, nor a novelists dream, but it is one the most inspirational and motivating books ever. It is the most realistic look at apartheid that really taps every boundary of the mind and soul. It is a book, a masterpiece if you will, that everyone should pick up at one time in his or her life and read. Actually, you should pick it up a couple times in your life and read it. Many of the concepts and terms in the book were hard to understand. After going over them a few times though, things started to make sense and all of his thoughts and experiences became one big life lesson. No matter who reads this book, it opens that persons mind to emotions that could only be felt by Nelson and his followers. How life can seem so short. But how a single man can accomplish so much in that short time.

It doesn't matter how old you are. Whether you are 15 or 75, this is a book that everyone can relate to. It was a book that I had to read for my honors English 10 class. I had heard horror stories about how long and boring it was. Long, yes. Boring, no way. It is a book that is captivating from start to finish. Granted, some of the parts in the middle of the book were a little slow. He had many stories about his jail time that could have been left out. At the end of the book though, it was those stories that you keep going back to. How he was in jail doing mindless things and at the same time starting one of the greatest activist groups ever. He never lost site of his ultimate goal. In doing that, he started a revolution that is still being impacted today. It is something that everyone knows about and appreciates. It is only when you pick up his autobiography and find out just really went on; and what he really had to go through just to set his people free.

For some younger adults, his book may seem quite boring at times. When you get older though, it all starts to make sense. You might pick it up a few years later and say, "Oh yeah, that's what he was trying to get across" or "He really was fighting for something he believed in more than life." Many of his thoughts and hopes can be shown in almost every sentence of the book. It is something evident from the very start. "Long Walk to Freedom" is indeed a long walk. It is a walk though that everyone should go on and not rush through. You should read every word and appreciate every word; for it can help you at times you would never imagine it could.

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Summary: A compelling story af a great idol
Review: A vivid story of a great man. This book contains a point of view that we tend not to look at. It is a long book but every page of it is worth reading. It also has some interesting histotrical facts. A good use of language and a real page turner

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Summary: An important read
Review: 'Long Walk to Freedom' is not a thriller, nor a novelists dream, but it is one that will stay with me always. An important story about Apartheid and an inside look at those living it. I wish that I could convince everyone that I knew to sit this book out, to review it and take it's lessons to heart. I found myself bookmarking many a page, just so that I could go back and study certain quotes, or things that were difficult for me to contemplate, but were NECESSARY for me to understand. There are so many things that are accesible to everyone- aids that will help them to open their minds and souls to the idea of freedom and equality towards every race, every background. But so often they go unread, unstudied. I urge you to have this book in your hands, in your heart, and later on your shelf to share with all who may come across it. Knowledge makes for a better tomorrow, and this book enlightens, encourages, and inspires. A must read.

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Summary: Mandela's memoir is an inspiration for everyone
Review: Whether your 15 like me or 85 like Mr. Nelson Mandela, you will learn, cherish, and be greatly inspired by his book. I read this for my English 10 class in school, and at the beginning thought it was just a book for english that I had to read. Boy, was I wrong. By the time I got half way through this 544 page book, I would be doing something else and actually wanting to go read this book. Not many books, especially memoirs, do that to me. The last memoir I read, I hated, so I thought that this one would be boring too. How could I have been so wrong!! Mandela has great courage not only for going through all he has, but for laying out himself for the world to read about. Before I read this book I knew little about him, except he was a great freedom fighter for the African, Indian, and Coloured people of South Africa. I am one of those people who don't understand racist people to be more unsophiscated, they make me angry. I was greatly intrigued by Mandela, and this book goes on the top of my favorite books list. It is a need-to-read book.

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Summary: A fufilling story of one man's life
Review: Nelson's words create realistic pictures in your mind. As he is struggling, you feel as though you too are stuggling with him. When he is overjoyed, you are overjoyed, when he is locked in his jail cell, you feel as though you are with him. He draw's you in with the fine art of writing as no one has done before. Every sentence, paragraph and phrase is filled with description only to leave the reader in awe and amazement. Nelson allows us to take our lives into perspective. He asks us to understand a world that most of us know nothing about. This book will leave your mind in wonder and with more respect for Nelson Mandela than ever before.

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Summary: mandela's Long walkis a lesson in patience and determination
Review: Nelson Mandela's autobiography ,"Long Walk to Freedom" was a long and difficult read, but a rewarding experience for the patient reader. This life story chronicles the freedom movement in South Africa and is an awesome description of the struggle experienced by Africans over several recent decades. The triumph of right over wrong (aparteid) is an eye-opener for everyone outside South Africa. It was a pleasure to read this book and will remain an influence in my life. My respect for Nelson Mandela remains higher than ever. This is a book for everyone to read.

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Summary: Now I know Nelson Mandela
Review: Take out a pen and sheet of paper and write down everything you know about Nelson Mandela. If you can't go beyond a few sentences then you should read his autobiography. Not only will you know who he is, but you will also get a sense of knowing him personally.

I myself did not know too much about the man, despite having lived in South Africa for two years in the early 1980s (from age 10 to age 12).

The first two sections of the book, covering his childhood and his first years in Johannesburg (up to page 92), is disjointed, covering various moments that wre particularly memorable for Mandela. Of course this is nearly mandatory for an autobiography. However after Mandela starts law practice, a coherent story finally develops and the big payoff begins. Don't expect any earth-shattering revelations--there are none; what you'll get is a progressive page-turning story of someone, who through determination and tactful mediation, gradually became the largest force in the movement to dismantle apartheid.

Mandela does not preach his political views. You will get insight into them no doubt, but Mandela prefers to indulge in his and others' circumstances and his tactics to improve them. As strange as it may sound, a "stubborn man of compromise" is how I would describe him in keeping the movement intact. Of course only one so stubborn would reject a virtually inherited position as a "counselor" to pursue something more worthy, despite being pigeon-holed under apartheid. His wit and charisma proved valuable. When his activities inevitably led him into legal trouble, many enforcing apartheid could not hide their respect.

One may expect the coverage of his decades in prison to be boring. In fact, enough had transpired over those thousands of days for condensation into very interesting prose. The funniest and most amazing instances occurred here.

After finishing the book, I had a sense that persistence is the best attribute for outright success.

There is one minor weakness I want to mention: Mandela occasionally throws a lot of names at you, especially in the beginning. I have trouble remembering the names of people I meet, so how am I supposed to remember who's who for people with whom I cannot associate a face? I think Mandela wanted to make sure no friend was excluded from the book.

If you find yourself confused by all the names concentrate on Oliver and Walter, they are two of the most important figures.

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Summary: A fascinating autobiography
Review: Wonderful story of the man's life, much of which i didn't, of course, previously know. He is occasionally a little more defensive ~ explaining his position or actions ~ than i would choose, still, it is his own autobiography, and he can choose how to present himself; and not quite as able to explain his motivations, his changing motivations, as would have been useful. Philosophically, i do disagree with him about the use of and the need for violence in the struggle for freedom; it is easy to do that, however, from a relatively free country (the US), being one of the priviliged minority in the world. His openness to accept even those utterly opposed to him certainly shows him to be a singular character. As with most autobiographies, how he says it reveals more about himself than what he actually says; it was delightful, interesting, and unusual, to read this and see underlying the words the accepting, open, and essentially honest man. Surely those who know Mandela are honoured to do so.

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Summary: A true hero
Review: I rarely feel compelled to read a book in one go, but this one was unputdownable despite its length. I was particularlly impressed by Manela's brilliant memeory, his sense of humour and most importantly, the lack of self-aggrandizement that usually occurs in autobiographies. Mandela situated himself amidst the struggle and not above it, providing useful insights into the intricate and complex relationship between the white minority and oppressed majority. It also revealed the extent of foreign intervention in both entrenching and the later removal of the white government. It is true that the plight of the blacks in South Africa has not ended with their assumption of power and civil strifes (typical of post-independance countries in Africa) are continuing to threaten peace yet an understanding of the history of South Africa should start with Africans themselves. Manela is the best starting point.