Book SummaryLong Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom chronicles Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary life story, as told by the man himself. Mandela is known as one of history’s great peacemakers, but his own life wasn’t a peaceful one. He spent his childhood in troubled, segregationist South Africa. Then, he fought against South Africa’s racist government policies and its system of apartheid from the 1940s to the 1960s, first using nonviolent methods but eventually forming a guerrilla group to fight for racial equality. He then spent 27 years in prison, where he became a worldwide symbol of the South African struggle for freedom. After his release from prison, he was elected President of South Africa, and **his legacy is one...

Long Walk to Freedom Summary Background: Segregation and Apartheid

Mandela notes that he lived in a time of brutal segregation and white supremacy in South Africa—first under British rule and then later under the South African government’s apartheid policies. Black South Africans’ autonomy was severely restricted during this period. Under British rule, Black adults were required to carry identification papers at all times and produce them on demand. They had to work through numerous layers of bureaucracy to travel around their own country. They could’ve been arrested, imprisoned, or fined for failing to obey any of the numerous laws restricting their autonomy. White colonizers forced many Black South Africans to work long hours in gold and gem mines for little pay, with no workers’ rights or protections.

(Shortform note: Dutch and British colonizers were responsible for the racism and segregation described here. From the 19th century onward, they shaped large parts of South Africa’s history. Notably, the British and the Dutch [both relied on slave...

Long Walk to Freedom Summary Mandela’s Early Life

Mandela explains that he was born in 1918, in a small South African village called Mvezo. He was a member of the Thembu tribe, which is part of the Xhosa nation. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was the chief of Mvezo and the Thembu tribe. Unfortunately, Mphakanyiswa passed away when Mandela was only nine years old.

(Shortform note: While Long Walk to Freedom says that Chief Mphakanyiswa died when Mandela was nine, the Nelson Mandela Foundation claims that it was most likely three years later, when he was 12. In fact, the original manuscript for Long Walk to Freedom gave the year of his death as 1930, which would confirm that Mandela was 12. The newer version of the book doesn’t specify the year of Chief Mphakanyiswa’s death, only how old Mandela allegedly was at the time—which would place his father’s death in 1927.)

Mandela’s birth name was Rolihlahla, a Xhosa word for “troublemaker.” The name proved prophetic: Even as a child, he had a reputation as a rabble-rouser. **His strong sense of justice—and his willingness to cause trouble in pursuit of...

Long Walk to Freedom Summary Mandela the Freedom Fighter

Joining the ANC

Mandela notes that his lack of a law degree didn’t stop him from getting heavily involved in both law and politics. In the early 1940s, one of Mandela’s cousins introduced him to Walter Sisulu, a real estate broker and anti-apartheid activist who soon became a prominent figure in Mandela’s life.

(Shortform note: As well as being a prominent part of Mandela’s life—and thus his biography—Walter Sisulu was an important figure in South African history in his own right. He was a political activist who spent his life campaigning for racial equality in South Africa, and he spent 26 years in prison for his anti-apartheid actions. Sisulu served as deputy president of the ANC from 1991 until 1994, when [his failing health forced him to...

Long Walk to Freedom Summary Mandela’s Years in Prison

Mandela spent a total of 27 years in three prisons, enduring harsh conditions but never giving up the fight for racial equality and freedom.

Robben Island Prison: 1964-1982

For the first 18 years, Mandela was held in a brutal facility called Robben Island Prison. Mandela notes that most inmates at Robben Island had no beds nor plumbing, and they spent their days doing hard manual labor. Furthermore, prisoners were almost completely isolated from the outside world—not even allowed visits from their families—and they were frequently forced into solitary confinement for minor infractions.

(Shortform note: Today, Robben Island is a museum that offers tours of the old facility, including Mandela’s tiny cell. Many of the tour guides are former prisoners—they tell stories of how Mandela, Sisulu, and others kept the...

Long Walk to Freedom Summary Mandela’s Freedom and Presidency

Mandela explains that Frederik Willem de Klerk, commonly known as F.W. de Klerk, became state president after Botha resigned. De Klerk’s presidency proved to be a major turning point both for Mandela and for South Africa as a whole. At his order, Nelson Mandela was finally released from Victor Verster Prison on February 11, 1990.

(Shortform note: Victor Verster Prison—renamed Groot Drakenstein Correctional Center in 2000—now has a bronze statue of Nelson Mandela standing outside its gates. Though the prison is in a fairly remote location, meaning people would have to go out of their way to see the statue, the spot was chosen to commemorate Mandela’s first moments of freedom.)

Mandela and de Klerk Tear Down Apartheid

According to Mandela, de Klerk’s administration also began the daunting project of dismantling apartheid. A week before freeing Mandela, de Klerk made a number of shocking announcements: Most notably, he lifted the bans on the ANC and dozens of other illegal organizations, and he declared that all nonviolent political prisoners would be released.

De Klerk met with Mandela in December of 1990 to...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on Long Walk to Freedom

Now that you’ve read about some of the highlights of Nelson Mandela’s life, take some time to reflect on what you’ve learned about him and the apartheid system he helped to dismantle.

How familiar were you with Mandela and the apartheid system before reading this guide? Note down your prior knowledge and opinions of them.