Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
by Nelson Mandela, 2008, Kindle Version, Little, Brown and Company
I read most of this book while on a trip to South Africa. It provided me with an understanding of what the country had gone through under apartheid and helped me appreciate what I was seeing so much more than if I hadn’t read it, especially the attempt of South Africa to be a multi-racial country.
Mandela’s writing is brutally honest. He acknowledges his missteps and failures, is honest in his assessments of other individuals and accepts satisfaction for his accomplishments. I also found that he had a real appreciation of his role and place in history without any self-promotion on his part. He shows no bitterness regarding his 27-year imprisonment and treatment. I found him to be an amazing individual, almost in the same category as Abraham Lincoln.
The only downside of this book is that I have no knowledge of the many individuals who are named in the book and had only a slight knowledge of the events that took place in South Africa during and before his time. Mandela provides a great introduction to these individuals and events up until his inauguration as president, but I am still not very knowledgeable regarding South Africa’s current affairs. I know that he has written another book about his presidential years which would be a natural sequel to Long Walk to Freedom.
The book is 627 pages long and requires a bit of fortitude to read it all, but it is extremely well-written and organized. I am so glad I read it!
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