Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

· Sold by Little, Brown
4.3
203 reviews
Ebook
576
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

"Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history – and then go out and change it." –President Barack Obama  
Nelson Mandela was one of the great moral and political leaders of his 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. After his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela was 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 antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is still revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.

Long Walk to Freedom is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of history's greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela told the extraordinary story of his life -- an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph. 
The book that inspired the major motion picture Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Ratings and reviews

4.3
203 reviews
A Google user
April 11, 2011
A truly great capturing read, giving the reader a vivid image of his experience fighting for Africa's rights and his strong belief that Africans and "whites" are equal. Going through prison for him voicing his opinions and meeting some great friends along the way he also has to make sacrifices such as not being able to see his children. I think this a fantastic book! I reccomend you read it , its worth it to give your time to read it it has about 700 pages approx and goes through his life in the struggle.
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Danica
September 18, 2014
Read his book 17 years ago. I haven't seen the movie, I would rather keep his written words of his life and struggles in my head. An amazing life he has led with tons of hardships. An excellent book.
10 people found this review helpful
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DIANA J
November 28, 2019
This book was very insightful, it was sad to read all the sacrifices that were made by many people that I have impacted our lives even today. Very educational reading.
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa. His teacher later named him Nelson as part of a custom to give all schoolchildren Christian names. He briefly attended University College of Fort Hare but was expelled after taking part in a protest with Oliver Tambo, with whom he later operated the nation's first black law firm. He eventually completed a bachelor's degree through correspondence courses and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He left without graduating in 1948. Mandela was part of the African National Congress (ANC) and spent many years as a freedom fighter. When the South African government outlawed the ANC after the Sharpeville Massacre, he went underground to form a new military wing of the organization. In 1964, he was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. Instead of testifying at the trial, he opted to give a speech that was more than four hours long and ended with a defiant statement. While in prison, he received a bachelor's degree in law in absentia from the University of South Africa. In 1990, Mandela was released from prison after 27 years. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with former South African President F.W. de Klerk in 1993 for transitioning the nation from a system of racial segregation. After leaving the presidency, Mandela retired from active politics, but continued championing causes such as human rights, world peace and the fight against AIDS. He died on November 5, 2013 at the age of 95.

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