Cover of Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

by Nelson Mandela · first published 1994

18mentions
9recommended by
17HN commenters
2008–2023first – last mentioned

53% recommend47% neutral

Why HN recommends it

Mandela's firsthand autobiography of his life and the anti-apartheid struggle, with rich detail from his memory; a strong starting point for anyone interested in his life and 20th-century history.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

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. Emotive, compelling and uplifting, Long Walk to Freedom is the exhilarating story of an epic life; a story of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph told with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader.

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Mentions per year

40 2007: 0 mentions2008: 1 mention2009: 0 mentions2010: 2 mentions2011: 0 mentions2012: 1 mention2013: 4 mentions2014: 2 mentions2015: 1 mention2016: 1 mention2017: 0 mentions2018: 1 mention2019: 3 mentions2020: 0 mentions2021: 0 mentions2022: 1 mention2023: 1 mention2024: 0 mentions2025: 0 mentions2026: 0 mentions200720172026

What Hacker News says

  • notimetorelax · May 22, 2018 · Recommends

    …Amazon 18. If you like space: Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery 19. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike 20. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 21. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela 22. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations

    on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗
  • fuddle · Dec 5, 2013 · Recommends

    I would recommend anyone interested in his life to read his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. http://www.amazon.ca/Long-Walk-Freedom-Autobiography-Mandela...

    on “South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies” ↗
  • jere · Dec 5, 2013 · Recommends

    I read Long Walk to Freedom, his autobiography, in college and thought it was really good. The film adaptation was released just last week if you're interested in that (though it sounds mediocre). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Walk_to_Freedom

    on “South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies” ↗
  • scorpioxy · May 26, 2008 · Recommends

    …have enjoyed the following in no particular order: - Founders At Work - Eric Sink on the Business of Software - The Great War for Civilization - Pity the Nation - On Intelligence - The State of Africa - Long Walk to Freedom ....etc

    on “Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?” ↗
  • scorpioxy · Mar 29, 2010 · Recommends

    …A few example i enjoyed: The State of Africa, Martin Meredith The Code Book, Simon Singh Pity the Nation, Robert Fisk The Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk Alan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch Fermat's Engima, Simon Singh Lots more....

    on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗
  • timmm · Nov 15, 2012 · Recommends

    …Ultimate Mind Solution Tribal Leadership Wheel of Time Think and Grow Rich Superior Man David Deida The Fountain Head Eckhart Tolle New Earth 50th Law Good to Great Jed Mckenna Earl Nightengale Long Walk to Freedom Outliers Good to Great Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome) Wealth of Nations Wayne Dyer The Tao System of the…

    on “Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..” ↗
  • chimprich · Dec 22, 2016 · Recommends

    …Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres. * The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela…

    on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗
  • willpate · Feb 20, 2022 · Recommends

    Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The fist hand account of the most important figures of the 20th century, rich with details from his incredible memory.

    on “Ask HN: Recommend a biography?” ↗
  • lavixu123 · Dec 8, 2023 · Recommends

    …Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend. 4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time. 5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history…

    on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗
  • dr_j_ · Dec 31, 2019 · Recommends

    Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom -- truly inspirational

    on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗
  • The problem is that in the age of TL;DR, nobody here is going to take the time to read "A Long Walk to Freedom". So they will listen to snippets of info, mostly taken out of context. Yes Mandela did create the "spear of the nation" but most people do not understand the background of this or the reason, instead…

    on “The Day Mandela Was Arrested, With A Little Help From the CIA” ↗
  • vladx · May 1, 2015 · Mentions

    …good people. >>>> Tech and Programming - Practical Common Lisp - Pragmatic Programmer - Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus Thompson >>>> Nonfiction - The Personal MBA - The Element by Ken Robinson - Long Walk to Freedom (autobiography by Nelson Mandela) - So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport - The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus - A Briefd History of Time - The Google Story >>>> Fiction - Atlas Shrugged…

    on “Tell HN: I live in Moscow and I want to give away some cool books” ↗
  • eesmith · Dec 4, 2019 · Mentions

    …horrid, inhumane places. "No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens but its lowest ones." - Nelson Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom.

    on “Developers join call for GitHub to cancel its ICE contract” ↗
  • mcantelon · Dec 6, 2013 · Mentions

    …viable his organization did that. When the situation changed, he advocated an alternative approach. "If the oppressor uses violence, the oppressed have no alternative but to respond violently." - Mandela (Long Walk to Freedom, p.537) "If the state decided to use peaceful methods, the ANC would also use peaceful means. It is up to you... not us to renounce violence.” p.537 Looking at things tactically, it's a question of…

    on “South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies” ↗
  • …shit. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1886829.Anticancer_A_New... - Non-violent communication. My takeaway: You can (and should) communicate your needs respectfully. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/560861.Non_Violent_Commu... - Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela. My takeaway: There is a difference between institutionalized action and individual action. Forgiveness is the only path forward. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/318431.Long_Walk_to_Free...…

    on “Ask HN: What are good resources for life advice?” ↗

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