Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.

His autobiography Long Walk to Freedom was published in 1995. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Under the apartheid government, Mandela was regarded as a terrorist and jailed on the infamous Robben Island for his role as a leader of the then-outlawed ANC. He has since achieved international recognition for his leadership as president in rebuilding the country's once segregated society.^[1] The last chapters of the book describe his political ascension, and his belief that the struggle continues against apartheid in South Africa.

We'll be talking about Long Walk to Freedom on February 19 at 6:30 pm. Books are available to borrow from the library.


Interesting Links

The Trial of Nelson Mandela (Rivonia Trial): Testimony of Alan Paton

Mandela quotes

Images of Nelson Mandela 

The Xhosa people