"Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
This autobiography was a gripping (and long....625 pages) read relating his struggle for freedom. Although the world knew apartheid was heinous and the South African government at the time was vile I was still surprised at how awful it all was. It's an amazing account about Mandela and other amazing people who fought this fight. What a profile in courage and determination. It certainly stole away his family life and him from his family even after he was finally released after almost three decades. I was particularly saddened by that and wondered how he could retain his resolve through it all.
It's not really all that long ago. Mandela was released in 1990 and he became president of South Africa in 1994. However, the current state of the country must still be very depressing for all those people who were so closely involved in the fight. South Africa is one of the most violent countries in the world where murders and rape are frequent, AIDS is rampant, and there is still widespread abject poverty even with all the riches.
In the last paragraph of the book, Mandela reflects:
"But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more hills to climb."
By the way, "Nelson Mandela" brings up 1,240 hits on YouTube.
An informative article on how Mandela's dream is being destroyed in South Africa:
South Africa: Destroying Nelson Mandela's Dream
And now there's the recent xenophobic violence to deal with.
South Africa: Punish Attackers in Xenophobic Violence (Human Rights Watch, 23-5-2008)
