Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Synopsis: Autobiography of anti-apartheid South African political leader.

Writing Style: Smooth, Reflective, Straightforward... and Amazing Storytelling!

Pacing: Fast (especially considering length).

Personal Highlights: First, I must point out Mandela’s autobiography was over 500 pages, which from beginning to end took a week to read.

I had to keep two aspects in perspective. Time and Geography. With that, what stood out was the opening; how a foreign minority of population...estimated at 13%...were able to set and enforce laws on a majority population native to the land as air is to the sky.

I learned a lot. Narratives of how the African National Congress (ANC) and other congresses were formed, and what they represented, were detailed and clear. The mention of Jan Van Riebeeck’s arrival to the Cape in 1652 was news to me. Laws and Acts designed and passed to exploit natives were so straightforward it was beyond audacious. Most enlightening however, was the cursory (save for the Xhosa people) breakdown of governing systems practiced within African cultures. This was where I had to tighten up on the geography, remembering Africa is a continent, not a country as the mainland often mistakenly implies. This point may seem innocuous, when in fact it is the catalyst for how a small group adhering to one general system, so effectively dominates separate systems/also cursorily described as divide and conquer. I inserted 'cursorily' because systems inherently divided only expends one step. To conquer; what makes Mandela’s patient account of participants contributing to its national climate an altruistic keepsake.

There was just so much content in this tome. Not only does he provide a clear understanding of the apartheid government, but he provides a good education on numerous Afrikaan (or Afrikaners) and African controls, to include African Chiefdom rulers. Also particularly insightful were the details of Mandela’s familial background, education and professional career. It tickled me thinking Mandela had to have included every debate he had with anyone, ever. The saving grace was, he is a phenomenal storyteller, and I include this with the utmost respect. I just loved the way he personalized many legal cases he took on; the most dramatic being him holding up undergarments, in court, on the tip of an eraser. He actually won that case, which was the other thing. It’s rare to come across attorneys, particularly of that day and time, describing their work in near microscopic detail. Accordingly, Mr. Sidelsky’s perspectives were highly regarded. I, as well, respected Walter’s perspectives. And of course, too, found Mandela’s sustained unwavering petition that South Africa’s longstanding customs, traditions and systems be left alone (alas respected) irreproachable. This is a must read, from page one to the end! Highly recommended.