Long Walk to Freedom

The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

By: Nelson Mandela

Narrated by: Michael Boatman

Length: 27 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The autobiography of global human rights icon Nelson Mandela is "riveting...both a brilliant description of a diabolical system and a testament to the power of the spirit to transcend it" (Washington Post).

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 anti-apartheid 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©1995 Nelson Mandela (P)2011 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Narrator Michael Boatman has a gentle but insistent voice that suggests a certain grace and is well suited for the memoir of this worldwide symbol of persistence and justice. Boatman’s authentic pronunciation of South African tribes and other words also lends great credibility to his reading. He narrates at an unhurried pace and lingers on certain words throughout the book in order to let us inhale Mandela’s meanings." (AudioFile)

Long read, much shorter than his walk...

I knew so little about Nelson Mandela, it seemed only right to read his autobiography at the time of his death. The book is not a polished literary masterpiece and there are sections where you can space out as lists, abbreviations, repeated thoughts and the machinations of politics mire the story... a good edit would help. There is very little about his childhood, not much of anchoring South African history and it was written prior to his presidency... so left me wanting a more, as well as a little less. That said, it was a fascinating read and I enjoyed stepping into his mind and prison cell. He is very frank, admitting his own errors and those of his people, along with the many offenses of the apartheid government. Well worth the credit and time for me to better understand the South African fight for freedom though his eyes and experiences..

Wonderful autobiography but poor narration

What made the experience of listening to Long Walk to Freedom the most enjoyable?

Amazing and personal story

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Michael Boatman?

As a South African I was disappointed that a South African narrator was not chosen. Mr. Boatman does a good job of imitating Madiba's speech but cannot manage the pronounciation of places and people. He could not pronounce any of the Afrikaans names and places. It was very disappointing and sloppy.

A must read for all seeking the truth about SA!

The autobiography of Nelson Mandela is a breath taking account of apartheid South Africa and how the African National Congress through great men and women like Madiba saved the country for civil war and lead its people to freedom. This book is a must read for anyone seeking the truth about the life, love, and sacrifice of liberation.

Patience, you must have

The book shared Mandela's grieves and sorrows as well as his happy moments in a spectacular degree of accuracy. It felt like being with him. This book was very entertaining & inspiring for patience and resolve.

Nelson's life was filled with grieve. Despite the injustice he faced and the continuous betrayal by his oppressors he never hated them.

After seeing both Ghandi's & Dr. King's struggles I found that Mandela's was the most difficult.

Enlightening

It’s about time I learned about this prominent and influential person. I knew he’d been imprisoned for many years and had eventually been freed and become president but that’s about it. I am going to look for a good history of what happened in South Africa while he was imprisoned because he didn’t mention much about that except for a couple big incidents. He just didn’t hear much while he was in prison, I think.

Such an inspiring story

I'm glad I took the time to listen to this inspiring story that not only shares the remarkable history of Mandela, but also South Africa, and the ANC.

Fantastic book! Spellbinding.

This book held my interest all the way thru, there were several sections that seemed a bit heavy with information but overall I recommend this book to everyone. Amazing, and perspective shifting. I am so grateful he took the time to produce this.

Riveting | Thought-provoking | Authentic Narration

My head and heart are full and I hope they remain full forever. I never want to forget this story of struggle, oppression, humanity, and compassion.

Throughout the book, I found myself thinking:
What would I do?
What do I believe?
This is not an easy book.
It's easy (for me) to advocate for passive resistance and live in the Ghandi camp. But, through this honest account, I found myself grappling with the use of force sabotage, guerilla warfare and freedom fighting. I still am in conflict. However, the clarity of Mr. Mandela's message helps me to engage the topic by cracking open the door to understanding.

Narration: Amazing. Like music. Listening to a 27 hour book turns into an endurance race, but Michael Boatman's performance brings music to that marathon.

Great informative and definite read for all

the story is very captivating and filled with facts, the performance however leaves a lot to be desired first of all if you are going to attempt to be authentic then you should really have got a local person to narrate this book the accent is completely off most of the words local names and places are incorrectly pronounced I really think that Madiba would be turning in his grave if he had to listen to it, the performance of the book has been undermined by this poor and relatively unprepared account the book in my opinion would be far more impactful if it had been read by a local South African preferably a Xhosa Who would know and understand what the author was trying to convey as well as getting the pronunciation correct I did enjoy the book but was annoyed by the bad performance of the narrator

Fantastic

Kept my attention, despite its length. An important story and very well done all around.