A Long Walk to Freedom Vol 2: 1962-1994: Triumph of Hope, 1962-1994 v. 2 [Kindle Edition]

This is a long book, but extremely worthwhile in its insights into South Africa as well as to Nelson Mandela himself. I got a real feeling from this book of what it feels like to live in a society where the state is constantly tightening the screws on your rights and freedoms. The contrast between the way that Mandela is treated outside the country (as a scholar and statesman) and at home (as a dangerous terrorist and member of a racial underclass) comes over most strongly.

Mandela's tales of prison life (of 27 years) also give an insight into the way that the political mind works. Where many would have succumbed to desperation and terminal introspection, Mandela is still compelled to debate, to organise, to protest and to educate. Finally, Robben Island was widely considered an "ANC University", and the authorities were still afraid of Mandela and his colleagues even after they had been in prison for two decades.

A fascinating personal history of one the key conflicts of the 20th century, and a must for students of democracy.

Mandela combines the gift of a natural story-teller with a lawyer's skill in presenting his tale, and from the evocative pictures drawn of his childhood in a rural tribal settlement to the impulsive adventures of youth in Johannesburg, there is an unerring sense of destiny. The image of the run-away youngster gives a telling hint of the spirited courage Mandela would need later when he took on the mantle of political pioneer in a national cause.
The sense of destiny is also there in the long years of imprisonment when Mandela's patience and tolerance are fully tested by the cruelties of long-term confinement. His accounts of rare visits from family and friends, equally rare letters, read and re-read, plus living with memories and photographs of people and places last seen up to two decades before, all have an authentic and poignant ring. Far from being dull or monotonous, the account of the years in prison is absorbing, as Mandela has a gift for bringing alive some colourful anecdotes.
Mandela manages to smooth over some events such as the circumstances of his arrest, his deteriorating relations with Winnie, and whose idea it really was to open negotiations with de Klerk, since I remain unconvinced he could have really been operating outside of previously agreed ANC criteria. However quite enough information is provided to make a full story, and nothing can detract from Mandela's towering achievement in delivering a fledgling democracy without an accompanying and much-feared bloodbath.
The many references Mandela makes to being a "freedom fighter," and his backing for the use of arms in the struggle against apartheid, could read uncomfortably in the light of more recent global terrorism concerns, and it is clear that only someone with his natural integrity could have harnessed those energies to such a constructive outcome.
Heroism, adventure, the fulfilment of destiny following a long period of adversity, plus a measure of the politician's polish in smoothing over the awkward passages, all combine to make Mandela's autobiography a great read. His fluent use of the English language alone makes the book worthwhile , and having finished it I found myself missing the companionable authority of the author's tone. The book as whole helped me to glimpse the workings of the mind of a great statesman at some key historic moments. Highly recommended.

This book has over 800 pages and even its own index, but don't let that scare you off. It is far from being a boring historical report on the events surrounding his life. If you want to know what he did, go to an encyclopedia and read such a historical report. If you want to know Nelson Mandela, to know his way of thinking, to feel every emotion as he feels it, to really get a picture of the pain he and the oppressed felt, read this book.

As the book progresses, the development of Mandela's character and his way of thinking is made apparent to the reader. Every emotion that Mandela feels is shared with the reader in a deeper way than in most autobiographies, as alongside his personal struggles, there is the struggle for freedom that can incite strong feelings of injustice and sympathy in anyone. This is definately an emotionally and politically heavy book, but there are several moments of light-heartedness where Mandela expresses certain past events with an irony or humour. As he looks back on certain bad experiences, he can laugh about it.

This is a man that everyone should learn about, and this is certainly the book to read in order to do so.