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Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1 cover art

Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1

By: Nelson Mandela
Narrated by: Michael Boatman, Kofi Annan
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Summary

The riveting memoirs of the outstanding moral and political leader of our time, Long Walk to Freedom brilliantly recreates the drama of the experiences that helped shape Nelson Mandela's destiny. From his beginning in the Transkei to his being taken to Robben Island, this is the remarkable story of how a man rose so far, only to be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Emotive and compelling, this is the story of an epic life. This audiobook includes a foreword written and read by Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela's Presidential Oath of Office, an afterword from Sharon Gelman, and an interview with Long Walk to Freedom collaborator Richard Stengel.

©1994 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Burns with the luminosity of faith in the invincible nature of human hope and dignity...Unforgettable" (Andre Brink)
"Enthralling...Mandela emulates the few great political leaders such as Lincoln and Gandhi, who go beyond mere consensus and move out ahead of their followers to break new ground" (Donald Woods in the Sunday Times)

What listeners say about Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1

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Oh dear!

Audible should hang their heads in shame about this audio. Using Boatman to narrate the autobiography of one of the world's most respected political leaders, who is also black, is surely akin to using white actors to play black people in theatre. Addiing insult to the injury, Boatman has made little effort to discover how to pronounce isiXhosa words and mangles a large part of the text by pronouncing many, many words incorrectly. My ears have been assaulted. Audible has a responsibility to respect the integrity of its authors. This audio is a disgrace

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20 people found this helpful

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Dreadful Narrator, Great History

The publishers can now rename themselves as Hatchet audio for the singularly dreadful choice of narrator. While he does a better job than Danny Glover, it is only marginally better. I simply cannot fathom why the publishers couldn't have found a South African narrator to do the reading. There are plenty of good ones.

Any narrator who reads a South African novel and cannot manage simple words like "veld" and "Drakensberg" should not bother to apply. And the phony black accent is insulting. Really insulting. Didn't they learn anything by reading the book?

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What Did He Say?

The autobiography of one of the most influential human beings this world has ever known, a fascinating story... and the narrator could not pronounce names of people and places, or local expressions and language. I'm sorry to say that along with the intense emotions this book evoked in me as a South African, I will have a memory of Michael Boatman's butchering of Mqhekezweni, Qunu and Constand Viljoen

Mr Boatman's voice has a lovely timbre and pace but his inability to pronounce Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans names, expressions, and colloquialisms really detracted form his performance. If there are other narrators of this work available, I'd recommend that you give them a try.

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An intriguing learning experience

What did you like most about Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1?

As an ex-pat of South Africa it was a major eye opener. We were taught history in a way that removed us from reality. Reading Mandel's recounting of what really happened, was exciting and stomach churning at the same time. We acted disgustingly and it is amazing that this man could have forgiven us for it all.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1?

Mandela's ability to make things happen, first with his school and then with work, and finally with his business interactions with the bigoted whites.

What about Michael Boatman and Kofi Annan ’s performance did you like?

It gave a flavour of Africa, which I miss so much, well read and very engaging.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It upset me to think that a large portion of my life was lived under a lie. Created by a bigoted nation.

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Narration issues

Although the narrator has a great voice and is easy to follow it is quite clear that he is not a native South African speaker evident in the appalling pronunciation of South African names and places. He should of been given much more assistance with pronunciation as at times he is completely wrong with pronunciation.

Other than that this is an excellent auto-biography and a real insight into one of the great minds of our time.

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Great book, great performance

Long walk to freedom is one of the most inspiring books for me. Impeccable life very well written and presented.

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A true Saint

I was not only amazed by the journey, but also the strength, courage and tenacity shown by a true Saint.

Of course to regular politicians his goals and desires must have felt so awkward !!

And of those that labelled him a terrorist and then later embraced him. Shame on Margaret Thatcher who not only called him a terrorist but went to lengths to support big business in South Africa, not least Barclays Bank...

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One of the best autobiography ever written!

This is, by far, one of the best autobiography ever written! It's narrated like a novel, full of political and military lessons as well as key principles of life. This first volume will take you on a roller coaster ride full of suspense and thrills. Take lessons about life in an apartheid state and build an extensive vocabulary from a village boy who became a lawyer then an outlaw and later went on to make history!

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Madiba's life says it all!

Where does Long Walk to Freedom, Vol. 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've read the book several times but that did not take away from my enjoyment of hearing Madiba's story again! So inspirational! Thank you!

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Perfectly fine narrator except for the foreword!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The narration by Michael Boatman is perfectly fine, or even quite excellent! The only point of worry here when it comes to 'narration', is the hagiograpgic foreword by Kofi Annan. But then the latter is rather short, and it is easy to scroll past the usual, empty rhetoric and substandard reading at the beginning.

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