Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

• Genre: Nonfiction; autobiography
• Originally Published: 1994
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 10 and up
• Structure/Length: Multiple parts; approximately 656 pages (unabridged); approximately 27 hours, 44 minutes on audiobook
• Central Concern: This autobiography traces the life of Nelson Mandela from his childhood in a rural village to his role as a key figure in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The narrative chronicles his experiences, including his activism, imprisonment, and eventual presidency. The central conflict revolves around Mandela’s fight against racial segregation, injustice, and oppression, as well as his journey to unite a divided nation and bring about social change.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racial discrimination; apartheid; imprisonment; political turmoil

Nelson Mandela, Author

• Bio: Born 1918; South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist; imprisoned for 27 years due to his activism; played a crucial role in dismantling apartheid and establishing democracy in South Africa; became the country’s first Black president in 1994; advocate for reconciliation, human rights, and social justice; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; regarded as a global symbol of resistance and leadership against oppression
• Other Works: No Easy Walk to Freedom (1965); Conversations with Myself (2010), Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017)
• Awards: The Sunday Times CAN Literary Award for Non-fiction (formerly the Alan Paton Award; 1995)