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Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Aug. 20th, 2010 09:23 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
bkworm9.livejournal.comLong Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is a leading and notable figure in the fight against racial inequality and social injustice, but beyond a few vague facts, I found that I didn't know much about his life. That's why I decided to read this book.
In terms of educational value, Mandela's autobiography is gold, far outweighing the physical heftiness of the book (my copy clocks in at 638 pages). Beginning with his birth and childhood in the Transkei, moving through his schooldays and young adulthood, his introduction to and escalating involvement in the African National Congress (ANC), his work underground, the long years of imprisonment on Robben Island, his long-awaited release, and negotiations with the government, Mandela's autobiography is incredibly detailed. Yet, it was also readable and easily understandable. What I found most surprising was Mandela's stance on violence as an option in effecting democratic change to a nonracial society, as I had previously thought Mandela followed in the footsteps of Ghandi in advocating nonviolence as the only means of protest.
This is an important book and as a reviewer from the Boston Sunday Globe stated, it "should be read by every person alive." Mandela's life story, especially his descriptions of the political maneuvering of the ANC and other groups, would be particularly helpful for readers who are engaging in other movements for social justice.
My only complaint with the book is that I would have liked to read more of Mandela's contemporaneous writings and opinions during the times in which he was experiencing momentous events. While there are a few excerpts of his writings and speeches, it's not enough to really understand what he was personally thinking or considering at any given time. However, I hope this flaw will soon be remedied with the release in October of Conversations with Myself, which one publisher has described as "a look behind Long Walk to Freedom. This book, however, has provided an excellent foundation with which to move forward in understanding Mandela's lifelong struggle.
Nelson Mandela is a leading and notable figure in the fight against racial inequality and social injustice, but beyond a few vague facts, I found that I didn't know much about his life. That's why I decided to read this book.
In terms of educational value, Mandela's autobiography is gold, far outweighing the physical heftiness of the book (my copy clocks in at 638 pages). Beginning with his birth and childhood in the Transkei, moving through his schooldays and young adulthood, his introduction to and escalating involvement in the African National Congress (ANC), his work underground, the long years of imprisonment on Robben Island, his long-awaited release, and negotiations with the government, Mandela's autobiography is incredibly detailed. Yet, it was also readable and easily understandable. What I found most surprising was Mandela's stance on violence as an option in effecting democratic change to a nonracial society, as I had previously thought Mandela followed in the footsteps of Ghandi in advocating nonviolence as the only means of protest.
This is an important book and as a reviewer from the Boston Sunday Globe stated, it "should be read by every person alive." Mandela's life story, especially his descriptions of the political maneuvering of the ANC and other groups, would be particularly helpful for readers who are engaging in other movements for social justice.
My only complaint with the book is that I would have liked to read more of Mandela's contemporaneous writings and opinions during the times in which he was experiencing momentous events. While there are a few excerpts of his writings and speeches, it's not enough to really understand what he was personally thinking or considering at any given time. However, I hope this flaw will soon be remedied with the release in October of Conversations with Myself, which one publisher has described as "a look behind Long Walk to Freedom. This book, however, has provided an excellent foundation with which to move forward in understanding Mandela's lifelong struggle.
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