Edition: Abridged.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Steck-Vaughn
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780030565816ISBN:0030565812
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Like new condition. Glued binding. Paper over boards. 507 p. Contains: Illustrations. HRW Library. Audience: General/trade. read more
"If I could rate it a 4.5 I definitely would! I am wary of reading autobiographies as, although some people have fascinating lives, they themselves may not know how to WRITE about them in a captivating way. This book was definitely captivating, and through it I learned about what it was like to have a childhood in rural South Africa in the early 1900s, and then continued to learn about apartheid and South African history through the life of one of the most important individuals playing a part in bringing peace and freedom to all South Africans, black and white. The last few pages especially were absolutely inspiring."
"Not a book you'll pick up and read in a day. But worth reading if you enjoy reading about history, politics, social change and / or people who helped change the world. I bought this because I didn't have much of a clue about Nelson Mandela's life or the apartheid situation in South Africa before I read this and thought I should have at least some knowledge of such an important period of world history. Difficult to comprehend the attitudes back then but an ultimately inspiring book."
"The autobiography of a man like Nelson Mandela should be given five stars if only for the accomplishments of the man in question. But good golly, did he need 544 pages to be as vague and humble as he is? In the final pages, he reports being elected president as though it were the whole of the ANC that had been elected and not him personally... which I get and admire but makes for sometimes frustrating reading.
That said, I did cry through many parts of it, both for the atrocities of apartheid and the bravery of those who fought it. Despite there being a few too many notes, it's truly awe-inspiring to follow Mandela from his boyhood in a traditional Xhosa family to his starring role in freeing South Africa from a brutal, racist government."
"At first, I wasn't sure how many stars to give Nelson Mandela's biography, but when I read the last few pages, it was clear to me there's no other way then adoring it and feeling so touched by the South African history, that I will have to calm down before going to sleep today :D
I guess there's hardly another book in this world combining a man's life and a part of a history (that even takes so long as his life has taken so long) so colourful and just real.
Actually it's a pity he can't write another story this way, as it has already been his whole life - but I suppose this book is really one of those you could read over and over again ..."
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