Long Walk to Freedom
| Long Walk to Freedom | ||||||||||||
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Hardcover - USA - 1st edition. |
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Long Walk to Freedom is the autobiography of Nelson Mandela first published in 1994.
The book details his childhood growing up in apartheid South Africa, his work in the African National Congress, political protests to bring equality to black people, 27-year-long incarceration, and how he eventually became the first democratically-elected President of South Africa.
Personal
| Own? | No. |
|---|---|
| Read? | Audiobook read by Danny Glover. |
| Finished | 2025-03-29. |
Knowing Nelson Mandela was an important civil rights figure, I decided to read his autobiography. It was quite moving.
Review
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Overall: |
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Good
- The book describes how horrible life was like for indigenous South Africans under the extremely racist British colonial rule and how that racism was government-required until 1994, and continues unofficially to this day.
- The description of the circumcision ritual, though barbaric, was quite informative.
- The book actually makes a strong case for nationalism when one's homeland has been conquered. And why being colorblind is a helpful tool for the racist oppressors. If they have all the money, land, and power, refusing to let the conquered talk about race prevents them from being able to do anything about it.
- It's interesting how, in South Africa, the term "coloured" doesn't refer to black people, who are described as "black," but mixed-race people.
- There is a very eye-opening scene when Mandela is on an airplane and initially becomes fearful when he discovers the pilot is black. But he quickly realizes that the racist culture in which he was raised made him feel like black people couldn't become pilots, and this causes him to strive even harder for freedom.
- The descriptions of incarceration in South Africa reminds us just how horrible and racist people can be. The forced labor meant it was slavery, and the inhuman conditions meant it was torture.
- The audiobook includes songs from the native people and audio excerpts from television.
Bad
- Nothing.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Representation
The book goes into great depth on the abuse and oppression of people of color in South Africa.
Quotes
- No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
- A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it's lowest ones
- Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.
- It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.
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