Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela is a comprehensive autobiography that covers Mandela’s life from birth to his presidency of South Africa. I was drawn to this book as I wanted to know more about Mandela’s incarceration; why he was unjustly confined and how he survived 27 years in custody. My curiosities were satisfied and I gained significantly more knowledge about Mandela and how he fought so diligently for human rights and racial equality. Additionally, this book provided a history of South Africa, which helps one understand why the cause was so important….and continues to be important for others to carry the torch.

A key point that Mandela repeatedly visited throughout the book was the sacrifices he made for the cause. He definitely showed his humanness with each step of the fight for equal rights. He talked about leaving his wife and children to go underground, and then during his incarceration. He grieved the loss of his mother during his confinement. Mandela also divorced both of his wives. It’s easy for me to see a public man who fought for change and to forget about the man’s private life and personal struggles. To see the whole person is one of the reasons I love reading autobiographies.

I purchased this audiobook through Audible and the narration by Michael Boatman was fantastic! It’s a lengthy book, so the narrator is very important. The book concludes with an interview with the author who collaborated with Mandela on the writing of his autobiography.

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