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    Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
    Unavailable
    Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
    Unavailable
    Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

    Written by Nelson Mandela

    Narrated by Danny Glover

    4.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Read by Danny Glover, with an introduction by Kofi Annan.

    Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our 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. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been 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 anti apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is 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 tells the extraordinary story of his life--an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateAug 1, 2005
    ISBN9781594833182
    Unavailable
    Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
    Author

    Nelson Mandela

    Nelson Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on 18 July 1918. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies for many years before being arrested in August 1962. Mandela was incarcerated for over twenty-seven years, during which his reputation as a potent symbol of resistance to the antiapartheid movement grew steadily. Released from prison in 1990, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. He is the author of the international bestseller Long Walk to Freedom. He passed away on 5 December 2013, aged ninety-five.

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    Reviews for Long Walk to Freedom

    4.5/5

    800 ratings47 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Mr. Mandela's autobiography is extremely well written. Don't let the length intimidate you because it's highly readable. Don't worry that 27 years in prison might not give the author much to say about that period because it is one of the most interesting parts of the book. A wonderful book about standing your ground, and a tribute: to patience, to loyalty to your supporters, your organization and your estanged spouse; to faith that things could and would change for the better.Even knowing little detail about Mr. Mandela's life, I have admired him. After reading this book, he's become one of my heroes (and I don't have many of those). The way he managed to maintain such a balanced outlook, untainted by bitterness is truly inspirational. Also inspiring is his belief in true reconciliation, uniting the oppressed and the oppressors against a flawed system. Something we in Canada could learn from as we attempt to reconcile with our Aboriginal peoples.
    • 5/5
      It took me a few weeks to get into this book, but I persisted and by about page 100 or so was well and truely hooked. Captivating and inspiring and at times made me furious with the current political situation in South Africa. Its about standing your ground no matter how difficult it is and what barriers are thrown your way. And to come out of it all with such a balanced outlook and no inbuilt embitterment or hostily is truly staggering. Inparticular, the last few chapters, negiotiating with the enemy for the better of the country was truly remarkable and resulted in a changed South Africa. One of the most enthralling books I've read.
    • 5/5
      "How could anything interesting happen in prison?" I thought. And yet, it does. What Mandela thought and did during those years in prison had a lasting influence on South Africa. His patience and estute perceptions about people and how to bring them together made him uniquely qualified to bring the country together after apartheid. I am not usually a fan of long biographies because they usually just end up doing a lot of name dropping and factoid listing. Not so, here. Every event, every person mentioned is there for a reason. A fascinating read.
    • 5/5
      There are some people who inspire such awe that it is difficult to conceive that they are only flesh and blood: Nelson Mandela is one of them. After 27 years in prison, for nothing more than believing a black man to be an equal to a white, how does one treat one's captors with dignity?This book, not only gives an insight as to how Mr. Mandela so did, but also tells of a modest man who brought his country into the twenty-first century with the minimum of bloodshed.My favourite story, is the tale of his eventual release when President de Klerk told Mandela that he was to be released with immediate effect and Nelson declines; he wants a week to make arrangements! Typical of the man, he accedes to de Klerk's request when he learns that the World press are expecting his release and anything else will start rumours of a breakdown in negotiations towards a free South Africa.The 600 pages of this book fly by: an excellent read.
    • 5/5
      This book puts front and center the magnificence of Nelson Mandela. Yes, it is true -- this book is long. For some reason, the beginning of the book is slow, even though it was interesting to learn about Mandela's youth. If you only want a biography of Mandela, this may not be the book for you, but if you are also interested in learning more of the history of South Africa, this book is very good. It describes how the more conservative National Party came to power after WWII and changed the laws to increase the power of apartheid in South Africa. I was amazed to learn more of the details of apartheid -- how even in prison, people of different skin color had different clothing and food. Watching South Africa turn into a police state -- for example, the banning of people from being in the company of more than 1 other person because of their political ideology. The restrictions on travel. Incredible.After reading about 25% of the book, I became more involved in Mandela's personal story. One of the really interesting aspects of this book is that you learn how Mandela's thinking developed over more than 50 years of struggle against apartheid. He talked about his movement from pure pacifism to civil disobedience and his rationale for armed struggle after the government outlawed nonviolent protest. He also describes about how the government linked the ANC with the Communist Party, because the ANC reached out to many organizations with differing agendas, as long as they shared the goal of eradicating apartheid. Reading about Mandela's attempt to bring dignity to his 27-year incarceration was incredible. The strength and intelligence of this man is so humbling. All in all, a great book. And the ending? A dream come true.
    • 3/5
      Bit of a slog in places but this man had an amazing life
    • 5/5
      The generous spirit of Mandela shines through his detailed account of his life story. This is a very powerful story that is well told. Must read.
    • 5/5
      This is one of those books that everyone should read. Mandela has such a beautiful voice that sucks you in from page 1 and won't let you go...even after you turn the last page.
    • 5/5
      Whenever I see an interview when they ask the person who is the one person they would most like to meet, Nelson Mandela is the name that always comes to me. To read the story of what he has gone through and been able to go on to lead his country is amazing to me. I found this book to me fascinating and moving.
    • 5/5
      A brilliant book that captures the Madiba Magic. It originated in the prison cells of Robben Island and is a riviting read for anyone interested in history, psychology or African culture.
    • 5/5
      muy buen libro. ojalá pudiera darle más de 5 estrellas
    • 5/5
      This is a must read. Awesome and inspiring!Amazing narration by Danny Glover and good real voice insertion from the speeches by Mandela.
    • 5/5
      Such an amazing and truly inspirational story. I would listen to this again and most probably read the book as well.
    • 4/5
      Not a thorough biography. No mention of Indian freedom struggle and how it impacted African freedom struggle.
    • 5/5
      My respect for Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela increases having witnessed his determination to live and act in accord with principaled integrity. I was too young, witnessing international sanctions and the final struggles for his release. how our world needs leaders of such integrity now.
    • 5/5
      just keep in mind this is an Abridged version, it's good, but it's not the whole book
    • 5/5
      Wonderful production with actual speeches by Nelson Mandeka. Freedom for the oppressed and the oppressor.
    • 5/5
      Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela is an intriguing autobiography of one of the world’s foremost civil rights leaders. Born in 1918 in the Thembu tribe of the Xhosa people the book described Mandela’s upbringing as a child and adolescence. His education was at a Thembu College, and the University of Fort Hare. Later he earned a law degree while in prison. By the 1950’s Mandela had joined the African National Congress (ANC). During that time Daniel Francois Malan implemented the apartheid policies in South Africa. Mandela played a major role in the formation of ANC’s Youth League, and its policies shifted from peaceful civil disobedience to armed conflict.The 1960’s saw ANC being forced underground as it grappled with the concept of armed struggle. In 1961 Mandela was convicted for inciting people to strike, and leaving the country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Three years later in 1964 Mandela was arrested again and sentenced to life imprisonment for incitement of sabotage, treason, and an involvement in violent conspiracy. Mandela was to spend 27 years in prison on Robben Island. His experience in prison was harsh, a microcosm of South Africa’s apartheid world, and years in solitary confinement with hard labor. While in prison he was able to receive glimmerings of news about the apartheid struggles, received redacted letters from family members, and an occasional media report about the world.It was in 1990 Mandela initiated, and was able to meet with South African president Frederik Willem de Klerk, who eventually freed him from prison. In 1993 he and de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize. Multi-racial elections that followed in April 1994 and the ANC under Mandela’s leadership came to power. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.
    • 5/5
      An excellent work by the world's greatest elder statesman, giving a great deal of interesting detail and background about South Africa's liberation struggle.I was quite surprised to read that in the 1960s Mandela and the ANC were open to compromise. He relates that they told the apartheid regime that they knew it would be politically impossible to give them majority rule at that time, but they asked for just a few seats in parliament, to be reviewed and increased gradually every few years. How different the history of southern Africa might have been if the white regime had had the common sense to accept that remarkable offer then!
    • 5/5
      Though Nelson Mandela wrote these words about his colleague Oliver Tambo, they are fitting to him as well: 'He too epitomized Chief Luthuli's precept: 'Let your courage rise with danger.''Nelson Mandela's autobiography is simply a must read. Mandela's writing captures your attention and dares you to disbelieve that he is not in the room telling you these things himself. Though a thumper of a book at over 600 pages, it was impossible for me to read less than 50-75 at a time. I highly recommend it to everyone. He wrote the first draft while in prison on Robben Island, and it eloquently and deftly tells his story: his noble birth and legal training, the rise of his political consciousness and activism, his struggles against the apartheid regime, his trials for treason and his decades of political imprisonment on Robben Island. No matter the challenge, Mandela's courage rises to meet it: going underground, representing fellow prisoners for grievances for color-blind food rations and clothing, and being separated from his wife and family with visitations separated by years. Mandela recounts numerous anecdotes to point out lessons learned, disparities impossible to ignore, changing perceptions of the political and social world (both inside and outside prison), and what is required of a leader. “Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.” His cognizance and candor about what his re/actions represent and symbolize to others amazes me. As a person who possesses the inner strength, self-control, and follow-through, Mandela fits the billing of a real-life superhero, on the scale of Gandhi and Moses.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully narrated story of a mans personal journey to become the leader of the freedom struggle for South Africa. Amazing to see the humbleness in Nelson Mandela while being one of the giants of modern history.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      One of the most inspirational book I ever read.
      Devotion a life for the most important thing, Freedom. Perfect book.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful audiobook, not only in the story it tells but in its production too. Wonderfully read and with other bits and pieces that set the mood and real excerpts of Mandela speaking at the end.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great narration and audio inserts of traditional songs and real Mandela through the narrative. A very powerful story it is

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      To learn about the struggle of a man so selfless that he spent many years of his life locked away for the freedom of his people was such a moving experience. He did so much to protect the people that came after him. I enjoyed learning more about the apartheid. Truly a gem of his time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I enjoyed listening to Mandela’s story! I only wish it was spoken with a clearer voice. I enjoy reading audiobooks during long drives; the person reading had a rough voice that made it a bit difficult to understand when listening in a car.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Excellent book, with the world going through so many challenges is good to learn about the people who made a difference.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a must read. There's really nothing else much to say.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This is a detailed history of Nelson Mandela's struggle to help South Africa overcome apartheid. Strangely, there is not as much about himself as I expected. It is more of a recitation of who did what, and when, rather than how he felt about anything. It's very long. Twenty years after the end of events portrayed in this book, I wonder what people think has been the result.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      There is not much to say here. Mandela is such a dignified man. His character inspires us all.

      1 person found this helpful