Sara Niles's Blog: Sara Nile's Blog - Posts Tagged "books-autobiography"
Nelson Mandela: A Living Legend in his time
Review of the book: Long Walk to Freedom
It was said by psychologist Abraham Maslow, that when it comes to human growth, only a special few ever reach the pinnacle of altruistic achievement that marks the best they could be, the point of being self-actualized. Nelson Mandela was one of the special few, as his point of achievement reached legendary proportions: after spending twenty-seven years in prison on manufactured charges designed to stop him from his mission of freeing the South African people from an unjust and tyrannical Apartheid, he was set free (1990), only to almost immediately become the president of South Africa (1994). The story of Nelson Mandela’s life sounds almost magical, as though it was concocted in the mind of a fantasy author-yet, it was true. Mandela was a living legend in his time; and until only a few days ago, he was a living legend all of my life. A Long Walk to Freedom is now a chronicle of world history, and Mandela is part of the ‘ages’.
In a Long Walk to Freedom (I first read it in the 1990’s), Mandela speaks of all the happenings in his life that made him the person he became, from his birth and childhood, his relationship with family members, and into his adulthood, and his eventual mission to end Apartheid and the cruelty it inflicted upon his country. Mandela spoke of what nature and nurture added to his determination, and of how his family culture added to his development as a man. Mandela recounted his education and his role as a reformer; his imprisonment and the ordeal that lasted for almost three decades, and finally, his freedom: The Long Walk to Freedom.
There is no ‘poor me’ attitude, nor is there an air of superiority in his story, only the honest revelations and inner reflections, of what we now know for sure, was the mind of one of the world’s greatest leaders. Mandela, the son of a ‘kingmaker’ who himself became ‘king’, the president of South Africa, and an international icon.
The writing style is polished, and full of insight and detail, making it a very enjoyable read. This book should become one of the great autobiographies of all time, along with The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Malcolm X.
It was said by psychologist Abraham Maslow, that when it comes to human growth, only a special few ever reach the pinnacle of altruistic achievement that marks the best they could be, the point of being self-actualized. Nelson Mandela was one of the special few, as his point of achievement reached legendary proportions: after spending twenty-seven years in prison on manufactured charges designed to stop him from his mission of freeing the South African people from an unjust and tyrannical Apartheid, he was set free (1990), only to almost immediately become the president of South Africa (1994). The story of Nelson Mandela’s life sounds almost magical, as though it was concocted in the mind of a fantasy author-yet, it was true. Mandela was a living legend in his time; and until only a few days ago, he was a living legend all of my life. A Long Walk to Freedom is now a chronicle of world history, and Mandela is part of the ‘ages’.
In a Long Walk to Freedom (I first read it in the 1990’s), Mandela speaks of all the happenings in his life that made him the person he became, from his birth and childhood, his relationship with family members, and into his adulthood, and his eventual mission to end Apartheid and the cruelty it inflicted upon his country. Mandela spoke of what nature and nurture added to his determination, and of how his family culture added to his development as a man. Mandela recounted his education and his role as a reformer; his imprisonment and the ordeal that lasted for almost three decades, and finally, his freedom: The Long Walk to Freedom.
There is no ‘poor me’ attitude, nor is there an air of superiority in his story, only the honest revelations and inner reflections, of what we now know for sure, was the mind of one of the world’s greatest leaders. Mandela, the son of a ‘kingmaker’ who himself became ‘king’, the president of South Africa, and an international icon.
The writing style is polished, and full of insight and detail, making it a very enjoyable read. This book should become one of the great autobiographies of all time, along with The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Malcolm X.
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