pbobrit's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting 'autobiography' of Mandela. Made up of letters, random jottings, transcriptions of interviews and the draft on an incomplete follow up to the Long Road to Freedom. This collection whilst sanctioned by NM was collated by others, who have done a great job in showing what a complex man he is.
maha_eshraa's review against another edition
3.0
تقيمى للكتاب كان سببه عدم تنسيق الكتاب بشكل يسهل على القارئ . فعزل النبذة الصغيرة للشخصيات التى موجودة فى الكتاب فى اخر قسم مما تسبب إلى رجوعى عدت مرات لآخر الكتاب ادا إلى تشتت ذهنى و ملل . و لكن كان منذ البداية يجب أن اقرا كتاب مشوار طويل إلى الحرية قبل هذا الكتاب خصوصا لمعرفتى قشور عن نيلسون منديلا. الكتاب يعتمد على حوار بينه و بين أشخاص فى الغالب و ليس سيرة ذاتية عن أعماله بشكل نصوص مما لا يناسب من لا يعرفون شئ عن نيلسون .
mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, and Grief
danicapage's review against another edition
5.0
A thoughtful read...not one that a lot of people would like. But one that I really enjoyed.
It's interesting to learn more about the man behind the legend.
A great book--definitely not one to rush through.
It's interesting to learn more about the man behind the legend.
A great book--definitely not one to rush through.
character_tea_time's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
audreysova's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping (and expecting) that this book would have more that would tie it together. Instead the chapters had a theme, and within it there were various elements from Mandela (letters, excerpts from conversations, writings, journal entries, etc). While there were a lot of moments that spoke loudly, there were so many others that I missed because I didn’t have enough context of everything happening at that point in time and who some of the people referenced were. I could see this book being a great complement to reading a history of South Africa or even a more robust biography of Mandela. All that said, I’m glad to have read it, and the audio of conversations with Mandela at the end of the audiobook was a fun surprise treat.
zohal99's review against another edition
4.0
It was fascinating to get a more raw portrayal of Nelson Mandela from writings that were mostly never intended for public reader consumption, compared to his autobiography (which I highly recommend reading).
My favourite parts were the transcribed interviews between Stengel and Mandela, which I felt gave a great deal of insight into his character.
Mandela sees the goodness in people and does not view that as a weakness. His optimism and his emphasis on the power of hope is something leaders such as Barack Obama hold dear. I think it is a very powerful weapon to hold, even when the world is hell-bent to tell you that hope is pointless.
My favourite parts were the transcribed interviews between Stengel and Mandela, which I felt gave a great deal of insight into his character.
Mandela sees the goodness in people and does not view that as a weakness. His optimism and his emphasis on the power of hope is something leaders such as Barack Obama hold dear. I think it is a very powerful weapon to hold, even when the world is hell-bent to tell you that hope is pointless.