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Nelson Mandela: A History From Beginning to End

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A brief biography of an icon like Nelson Mandela is a difficult undertaking. This offering is ideal for someone, not from Africa, who would like to know what motivated a man to give his life to a cause that would see him spend the most productive years of his life in jail.


✓ A boy in rural South Africa
✓ Egoli...place of gold
✓ The African National Congress and the birth of an activist
✓ The Treason Trial
✓ Underground for the armed struggle
✓ The Soweto Uprising – the beginning of the end
✓ Pollsmoor Prison...”a modern face but a primitive heart.”
And much more!

To understand this, the reader must have an insight into the context of life in South Africa during the Apartheid era. But, they also need to know how the intense, unbreakable bond between the leaders of the African National Congress was forged and the effect the reluctant decision to form the armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, had on them. The author has included references to and quotes from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom which reveals some of “Madiba’s” personal anguish.

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2017

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93 people want to read

About the author

Henry Freeman

63 books88 followers
Henry Freeman is an author and archaeologist. He has a passion for history and loves to travel the world exploring various historical sites.

Henry graduated from the University of Cambridge with a double major in History and Archaeology and shortly after that started his career as an archaeologist.

After traveling the world getting first-hand experience with history, Henry was determined to take up his dream of becoming a best-selling author.

He decided to partner up with the newly formed publishing company Hourly History writing short, concise and straightforward history books that never takes more than one hour to read.

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5 stars
6 (18%)
4 stars
14 (42%)
3 stars
12 (36%)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Kristen.
408 reviews1 follower
January 16, 2024
A great snapshot of life of the famous Nelson Mandela.
This is a shortened version of a biography of his life and I do find it does jump a bit without explanation. However, the addition of links to find further info about speeches, events etc was a nice & unique bonus. This man dealt with everything in life, from living in a Very dangerous time in South Africa and being detained for 27 years in prison to being released and becoming an elected President and winning the Noble Peace Prize.
Truly the world would not be the place it is currently if Nelson Mandela had not existed.
Profile Image for Molly.
689 reviews
January 7, 2018
Unbelievably good

What an incredibly written book. Take lessons, folks. This is hoe you write a biography. Witty, sharp, well researched, links to back-up statements, and more. I was more than impressed, I was in awe. A must read...
Profile Image for Moo.
11 reviews
May 21, 2019
It tells you everything you need to know about Mandela's life
Profile Image for Eugene Kernes.
595 reviews43 followers
December 11, 2021
Overview:
Nelson Mandela admired and emulated his father who was in a leadership position. After his father’s death, Mandela came to be under the care of a cousin, at which Mandela was treated as part of the royal household. Learning the nuances of traditional leadership of a large and diverse tribe. Learning about governance, justice, and conflict resolution. Mandela became a political activist during academic studies, for which he got into trouble. Mandela’s early activism inspired many similar campaigns domestically and internationally, but it was inspired by the campaigns of Mahatma Gandhi. Activism got Mandela and other activist leaders thrown in jail and put on trial for treason. The activists appreciated their time in jail exchanging ideas about politics and strategies. The verdict of the Treason trials was not guilty, but it had caused the members to be banned and go underground. Later, Mandela and others started an armed group. For this, Mandela was put in jail, but not even this stopped his passion and determination for freedom. The activist group which Mandela belong to decided to break tradition of not celebrating any individual above another, and use Mandela as the personalized representative for the struggle for freedom. This paved the way for Mandela’s release, and popularity with which he became South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

Caveats?
This is a very short book, which means that there are a lot of details being left out. This book is a good start to an understanding of the background of South Africa, but additional sources would be needed.
Profile Image for Cristina.
94 reviews
August 25, 2021
3 stele pentru ca am crezut ca este THE story of Mandela, dar a fost doar o introducere si un overview la cele intamplate. Dar, m-a ajutat, acum stiu sigur ca vreau sa citesc cartea lui :)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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