Conversations With Myself by Barack Obama

Conversations With Myself Reviews

• 
  Ahmad Sharabiani

  Conversations With Myself, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama
  
  Conversations With Myself is a 2010 collection of Nelson Mandela's speeches, letters, conversation and some of his publications.
  
  Nelson Mandela is widely considered to be one of the most inspiring and iconic figures of our age. Now, after a lifetime of taking pen to paper to record thoughts and events, hardships and victories, these precious and previously private documents have been gathered together into one incredible volume that offers an unprecedented insight into his life.
  
  Conversations with Myself draws on Mandela's personal archive of never-before-seen materials to offer unique access to the inner world of an incomparable world leader. Journals kept on the run during the anti-apartheid struggle of the early 1960's; diaries and draft letters written on Robben Island and in other South African prisons during his twenty-seven years of incarceration; notebooks from the post-apartheid transition; private recorded conversations; speeches and correspondence written during his presidency - a historic collection of documents archived at the Nelson Mandela Foundation is brought together in a sweeping narrative of great immediacy and stunning power.
  
  An intimate journey from Mandela's first stirrings of political conscience to his galvanizing role on the world stage, Conversations with Myself illuminates a heroic life forged on the front lines of the struggle for freedom and justice. While other books have recounted Mandela's life from the vantage of the present, Conversations with Myself allows for the first time unhindered insight into the human side of the icon.
  
  عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «گفت و گو با خویشتن»؛ «زندگی‌نامه‌ی خودنوشت: نلسون ماندلا یادداشت‌های روزانه ...»؛ «یادداشت‌های نلسون ماندلا»؛ نویسنده: نلسون ماندلا؛ مقدمه: باراک اوباما؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز چهارم ماه ژانویه سال2014میلادی
  
  عنوان: گفت و گو با خویشتن؛ نویسنده: نلسون ماندلا؛ مترجمها: اکرم اکبری، ناهید کیخسروی؛ تهران: هزاره سوم اندیشه‏‫، سال1390؛ در445ص؛ مصور، جدول، شابک9789648088571؛ موضوع سرگذشتنامه از نویسندگان آفریقای جنوبی؛ سده21م
  
  عنوان: زندگی‌نامه‌ی خودنوشت: نلسون ماندلا یادداشت‌های روزانه ...؛ نویسنده: نلسون‌ آر. ماندلا ؛ مترجم علیرضا جباری (آذرنگ)؛ دبیر مجموعه شهرام اقبال‌زاده؛ تهران، نشر قطره، چاپهای اول و دوم سال1392؛ در552ص؛ شابک9786001193835؛ چاپ سوم سال1395؛
  
  عنوان: یادداشت‌های نلسون ماندلا؛ نويسنده: نلسون ماندلا؛ مقدمه: باراک اوباما؛ مترجم: لاله نيكخواه؛ تهران، انتشارات قاضی؛ سال1394؛ در128ص؛ شابک9786005104776؛
  
  یادمانهایی از «نلسون ماندلا»، و داستانهایی درباره ی «آپارتاید در افریقای جنوبی»، سی سال زندانی سیاسی، ریاست جمهوری، و دراباره سیاست و حکومت است؛ در این کتاب نویسنده به بازگویی زندگی پر درد خویش، در سی سال زندانی بودنش پرداخته، و کتاب نخستین بار از سوی «بنیاد ماندلا» در سال2011میلادی به چاپ رسیده است؛ همچنین این کتاب، آخرین اثر از «نلسون ماندلا»، و مجموعه ای از نامه ها، یادمانها، مدارک شخصی و عاطفی نخستین رییس جمهوری سیاه آفریقای جنوبی را، در آغوش خویش بگرفته است؛ کتاب دومین بخش چاپ شده از زندگینامه ی «نلسون ماندلا» و دربرگیرنده ی کتاب پیشین ایشان «راه دشوار آزادی» نیز هست؛ «بنیاد ماندلا» اعلام کرده با خواندن این کتاب، انسانی را کشف میکنیم، که در پشت شمایل شناخته شده ی جهانی «نلسون ماندلا» پنهان شده است؛ «گفت و گو با خویشتن» که دیباچه آن با قلم «باراک اوباما رئیس جمهوری پیشین ایالات متحده آمریکا» نگاشته شده، روایتگر افکار، و اندیشه‌های «ماندلا»، در برهه‌های گوناگون زندگی‌ ایشان است؛ این روایت از عشق ایشان به دومین همسرش «وینی»، تا تاریخ پر از رویداد «ژوهانسبورگ» در دهه پنجاه سده ی بیستم میلادی را، در بر می‌گیرد؛ سه دهه زندگی «ماندلا» پشت دیوارهای زندان، و نیز روایت «ماندلا» از درگذشت پسرش «تمبی»، در تصادف با اتومبیل، در زمانی که ایشان در زندان بوده اند بخش‌های دیگری از نوشتارهای این کتاب را شکل می‌دهند
  
  تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 14/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
• 
  K.D. Absolutely

  I read memoirs in between fiction works because in memoirs, there is a bigger chance that the events really happened. I perceive memoirs as nearer to truth and so lessons are more rational and factual.
  
  I picked up this book because I felt that I did not know anything about Nelson Mandela except that he was a very popular prisoner and he became the President of South Africa. He fought against apartheid in South Africa and that was the reason why he got imprisoned for more than a quarter of one's life, i.e., 27 years.
  
  Imagine spending those many years in prison? It is unthinkable for me. In the first company I worked with after college, I stayed for 12 years and I was only promoted once. After that company, I moved and moved and got promoted each time. Now, when I look back at my career progression, I thought that I wasted so many years in that first company. But Mandela? He even considers those 27 years in prison to be the most meaningful years of his life!
  
  Conversations with Myself is not really the usual memoir where the narrative flows from birth to old age. It contains snippets of Mandela's life: entries from his diaries, letters, conversation excerpts, etc. The later came from recordings done by Richard Stengel who worked with Nelson Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The snippets were picked judiciously to give the reader not only what transpired during Mandela's 27 years in Robben Island but more importantly, what when inside his head. For example, the question on sexual release was answered by him in one of his letters to Winnie Mandela in 1962. During his stay in prison he read many books including books about similar "rebels" like him. These books include one about Luis Taruc, a HUKBALAHAP leader here in the Philippines during the 50's.
  
  Don't get the impression that the book, being a collection of snippets about the man, does not have the full picture about the man and a unified feel. Reading it is like reading one person's diary and seeing a collage of his photos or having a peek at his personal photo album. For a person as popular as Mandela, since you have heard something about him on newspapers and magazines, saw his images on television or heard your Leadership trainer talks about him in school, you already know an overview of his life. Now when you get to this book, you get to know the more intimate or personal level of the man.
  
  After reading this book, Mandela joins my personal roster of hero figures. He proves to me that we should not discount ourselves as just a speck in the universe. Each of us can, as long as we have the will power, do something (even how little) to change this world.
  
  
• 
  Rohan Kallicharan

  We all dream of fame at some time in our lives, yet the phrase that always returns to my mind is 'Walk A Mile In His Shoes.'
  
  How many would truly take the challenge of walking a mile in the shoes of Nelson Mandela?
  
  A man vilified and branded a terrorist by the propaganda of a regime.
  A man who lived every minute in fear of his life.
  A man incarcerated in indescribable conditions for over a quarter of a century.
  A man, whom after his release, was the target of those who he sought to unite.
  A man of dignity and pride, a man whose legacy will be unity. A man loved almost universally.
  
  I read his autobiography, 'Long Walk To Freedom', some 6 years ago. It was a book that challenged every human emotion, from fear and sorrow through to unadulterated joy. However, an autobiography is just that, a reminiscence, even from a man who steadfastly diarised his time in captivity.
  
  This book is something very different. This is that diary, betraying the innermost feelings of this most humble and private of men. Not only that, it documents various letters, and conversations, with a commentary from Mandela, which truly makes the reader feel that they were part of history.
  
  To read this book really is to walk a mile in the shoes of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, to truly understand his struggle and motives, to feel his pain, and to experience his humility.
  
  I would wholeheartedly recommend this book not only to students of history or to enthusiasts of autobiography, but to anybody who has encountered difficult times and has felt like giving up. This man is the ultimate lesson in staying true to who you are and what you believe in, and also to dignified perseverance.
• 
  B. P. Rinehart

  As this was my first autobiographical read of Nelson Mandela I was very impressed at this sort of behind the scenes, diarist style look into the world of a freedom fighter especially one of the greatest freedom fighters that ever lived. I know there are more conventional autobiographies and biographies of him but this one really brought a personal touch of the man to me.
  
  [12/05/2013 update: this was one of my first books I properly reviewed for Goodreads. Nelson Mandela was a man whose life should be a testiomony on how we make a difference. He was truly one of the last "great" men of the 20th century and human beings as a species are better off for having lived to witness his greatness. Now his legacy will be a mountain to which people can either build themselves on or topple off of.]
• 
  Doug

  It's a hard book to read without first knowing about the life of Nelson Mandela. Fifty pages into the book, I had to stop and read
  Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela before I could continue, and even then it is still hard to follow. Some of Nelson Mandela's letters are so brilliant and inspiring, they make me want to hang them up in my room; the problem is that it is interspersed with other thoughts and inanities that it loses its effect. Also, in Long Walk to Freedom, I was surprised how militant Mandela was, and none of that appeared in this book. The book does a good job of taking a peek into Mandela's life and into some of his innermost thoughts, but if the narrative was framed a little better, it could have been awesome.
  
  As an aside, after reading this, Nelson Mandela is now one of people I'd choose for the 'If you could have dinner with five people (still living) who would you choose?' question. Living or dead, I need to think about this some more.
• 
  Sotiris Makrygiannis

  I'm a bit harsh about this book but will not give it 5 stars just because is Mandela. Describes a more angry Mandela at the start, a more militant. That changed his mind and stated collaborated with the establishment. He was not a poor or uneducated man, but a man of lots of knowledge and of the upper class. The cream of the cream with good connections to the tribal leaders. From time to time, he drops some immortal type of line of thought but is also funny to see his inner emotions related to racism. A brilliant orator, very well educated.
• 
  Candle

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  بالبداية اعتقدت بأن الكتاب يمثل السيرة الذاتية
  للرجل الذي يعتبر أيقونة عالمية للمقاومة ورفض الإحتلال
  " نيلسون مانديلا " ولكن الكتاب لا يتعدى كونه مجرد
  ردود نيلسون مانديلا على الرسائل التي تلقاها خلال
  فترة سجنه والتي استمرت 26 سنة .
  
  ولذا فإن الكثير من القضايا التي تحدث عنها مانديلا
  كانت مجهولة ومبهمة بالنسبة لي وذلك بسبب كونها
  قضايا تمس الشأن السياسي والاجتماعي لجنوب
  أفريقيا .
  
  كما تم نشر أجزاء من _مسودة_السيرة الذاتية
  التي كتبها مانديلا بنفسه خلال إعتقاله ولكنها
  لم تنشر قط وأعتقد بأن السبب الرئيسي الذي لم
  يشجع مانديلا على نشره هو رفضه التام للصورة
  التي يراه الع��لم من خلالها اذ يُعبر قائلاً :
  " ثمة مسألة معينة قضت مضجعي كثيراً في
  السجن وهي الصورة المزيفة التي عكستها بدون
  عمد على العالم الخارجي ، أن ينظر إلي كقديس ،
  لم أكن قديساً قط حتى على أساس التعريف الدنيوي
  للقديس الذي يفيد بأن القديس هو آثم لا ينفك يحاول ".
  
  وتطرق مانديلا أيضا للحديث عن بعض جولاته العالمية
  ولقاءاته بالرؤساء والملوك والحكام مثل لقاءه بالرئيس المصري
  الأسبق حسني مبارك و رئيس السلطة الفلسطينية ياسر
  عرفات ولقاءه بالملكة الأم والتي فوجئت فعلاً بشخصيتها
  التي وصفها مانديلا بها.
  
  أعجبني أيضاً حديثه حول الآثار التي يخلفها القادة
  في العالم فيقول : " الرجال والنساء في جميع أنحاء
  العالم على مرور سنوات يأتون ويذهبون بعضهم لايترك
  وراءه شيئاً ولا حتى اسمه فيبدو أن أيا منهم لم يوجد قط
  على هذه الأرض وبعضهم الآخر يترك وراءه شيئاً الذكريات
  الدائمة للأفعال الشريرة التي اقترفها في حق غيره من الناس
  خروقات فادحة لحقوق الإنسان ، وليست محصورة باضطهاد
  الأقليات بل يلجأون إلى الإبادة الجماعية من أجل الحفاظ على
  سياستهم الشنيعة "
  
  ويقول أيضاً : "الإنحطاط الأخلاقي في بعض المجتمعات
  في مختلف العالم يكشف ذاته لدى الآخرين عبر استخدام
  اسم الله لتبرير اقتراف بعض الأفعال التي يدينها العالم
  أجمع ويعدها جرائم ضد الإنسانية ".
  
  بالنهاية قد لا يروي هذا الكتاب عطشك في معرفة سيرة
  هذا الرجل وخباياها ولكنه يقدم لك لمحات عن شخصيته
  لا يستهان بها أبداً.
  أنصح به .
  
  #أبجدية_فرح
  #تقيمي 3/5
  #مراجعتي لـ #كتاب #مذكرات_نيلسون_مانديلا
  #حواري_مع_نفسي 🌸
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Najati Matrook

  📝
  🔸
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  اسم الكتاب: #مذكرات_نيلسون_مانديلا - حواري مع نفسي
  الترجمة: #حنان_محمد_كسروان
  نوع الكتاب: مذكرات
  مكان الشراء: استعارة من سسترنا الجميلة
  عدد الصفحات: 492
  الدار: شركة المطبوعات للتوزيع والنشر
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  😊 يومي في (18 يناير) أفضل من أمسي 😊
  🔸
  منذ فترة طويلة وأنا أرغب في القراءة عن هذه الشخصية البارزة #نيلسون_مانديلا .، يعد أحد أبرز شخصيات عصرنا وأكثرها إلهاماً .! بعد قضائه عمراً بأكمله .، وهو يتأبط الورقة والقلم لتدوين الأفكار والأحداث والمصاعب والانتصارات .، فتح أرشيفه الشخصي الذي يشكل مدخلاً غير مسبوق إلى حياته .!
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  في هذا الكتاب ستتعرف على الوجه الآخر لـ #مانديلا .، من خلال رسائله التي كتبها في أحلك ساعات الاحتجاز خلف القضبان الذي تعرض له على مدى 27 سنة .، ومسودة الجزء غير المنتهي من كتاب "مشوار طويل نحو الحرية" .! ستقرأ خربشات كتبها أثناء اجتماعاته .، أو أحلاماً مزعجة يسجلها على رزنامة مكتبه في زنزانته داخل سجن جزيرة روبن .، أو يوميات يدونها على عجل خلال مسيرة نضالاته المناهضة للتمييز العنصري .، وأحاديثه مع أصدقاء له .! في هذا الكتاب لن ترون #مانديلا رمزاً أو قديساً .، بل سترونه شخصاً عادياً مثلنا .!
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  قضيت وقتاً ممتعاً مع هذا الرجل الذي ستعرفه عن قرب من خلال صفحات هذا الكتاب .، وبصوته وكلماته الخاصة .، أي بشخصه هو وشخصيته .!
  يقول #نيلسون_مانديلا: ¶ في الحياة الواقعية لا نتعامل مع آلهة بل مع بشر عاديين مثلنا .، رجال ونساء تملأهم التناقضات .، يتسمون بالاستقرار والزعزعة .، والقوة والضعف .، والصيت الحسن والسمعة السيئة ¶
  🔸
  🕯️قال رسول الله (صلَّى الله عليه وآله): "إنَّ المؤمن إذا مات وترك ورقةً واحدةً عليها علم، كانت تلك الورقة سترًا له فيما بينه وبين النار، وأعطاه الله تعالى بكلِّ حرفٍ مدينة أوسع من الدنيا وما فيها"
  📝
  #مثقفات #قارئات #محبي_القراءة #أصدقاء_القراءة #أصدقاء_الكتاب #كلنا_نقرأ #القراءة_للجميع #الحياة_بين_الكتب #تحدي_القراءة #تحدي_100_كتاب #كتبي #مكتبي #أمة_إقرأ_تقرأ #ماذا_تقرأ #القراءة_عالم_جميل #البحرين_تقرأ_10000_كتاب #الغرق_في_الكتب_نجاة #أحلم_بشغف
  #تحدي_الألم_بالقراءة
  #أنا_وكتبي#نجاتي_تقرأ
  #najati_books #ichooseabook #أنا_أختار_كتاب
• 
  Mohammad Alrasheed

  عندما ذهبتُ إلى المكتبة كانت النية كتاب "رحلتي الطويلة من أجل الحرية"، مع معرفتي بنُدرته وقلة وجوده. لكني وجدت هذا الكتاب. كانت سعادتي كبيرة حين رؤيته (لاهتمامي الشخصي بكتب السيَر والمذكرات) وسعادتي أكبر أثناء قراءته، وأكبر بعد الانتهاء منه. كتاب جميل جداً ورائع، يكشف لك عن قرب شخصية هذا الرجل المُلهم والصبور. يحتوي الكتاب على عدد من اللقاءات التي أجراها مانديلا مع صديقه المقرب والصحفي أحمد كاثرادا، والصحفي الأمريكي ريتشارد ستينغل، كما يحتوي على عدد من مسوّدات كتابه الشهير "مشوار طويل نحو الحرية" وتتمته، وكذلك بعض الملاحظات والمذكرات الخاصة التي كان يكتبها إما في السجن أو بعد خروجه منه. وكذلك أثناء الاجتماعات وغيرها. في الكتاب ستكتشف مانديلا عن قرب. ستعجب من صبره، ومن قوته وصلابته، كما في رسالته التي وجهها لمفوض السجن. وستندهش من عاطفته وإنسانيته كما في رسائله إلى زوجته وأحاديثه عن أصدقائه وعن الناس. عن بساطته وهو يكتب الملاحظات الدقيقة ذات السطر. كتاب سيُعجبك، ويُلهمك، وتحمله معك أينما ذهبت، كما كنت أفعل
• 
  Naori

  I’m so confused...is it letters? Is it journaling, is it profound insight or truly actually the author talking to himself? At one point he commented briefly on how he had asked the guards for sunglasses but they didn’t help. That was the whole entire entry. I just feel like if this was anyone other than Nelson Mandela we’d just roll our eyes and keep on moving. There are many outstanding pieces of writing written about & by this man, keep moving along until you find one.
• 
  Claudia Gualina

  IO, NELSON MANDELA– Nelson Mandela
  
  “È la storia di un uomo disposto a rischiare la vita per ciò in cui credeva e che ha lavorato incessantemente per condurre quel genere di esistenza che avrebbe reso il mondo un posto migliore.” (B. Obama)
  
  Questa è un frase molto significativa della prefazione, fatta da Obama al libro di Mandela, che racchiude in sé l’emblema della vita del leader sudafricano. Qualche anno fa, ho letto la sua autobiografia: ho seguito attentamente le vicissitudini della sua travagliata e difficile lotta contro l’apartheid tanto da arrivare a commuovermi nel finale, quando il suo popolo va alle urne per la prima volta. Questo libro si concentra molto più sull’uomo Mandela, pur avendo come sfondo gli anni della prigionia e poi quelli della carriera politica. Nelson emerge come un uomo determinato, testardo, a volte irascibile, generoso ed umile, che ha sempre creduto fino in fondo nel suo obiettivo. Uno dei punti che spesso torna è il dubbio legittimo di aver fatto bene a sacrificare il tempo con la sua famiglia per la libertà del Sudafrica, una “colpa” dal quale lui stesso si solleva, pur con molto dispiacere e le relative conseguenze, perché sa di aver raggiunto, in questo modo, la libertà per il suo popolo.
  È davvero un libro che consiglio a tutti, ma, per goderlo pienamente, deve essere letto solo dopo “Lungo cammino verso la libertà”, l’autobiografia di Mandela.
  
  “A volte sono convinto che con me la Creazione intendesse dare al mondo l’esempio di un uomo mediocre nel senso proprio del termine.”
  
  Questa è l’umiltà di un uomo che ha cambiato il mondo.
  
  
• 
  Saza

  "In real life we deal, not with Gods, but with ordinary humans like ourselves; men and women who are full of contradictions, who are stable and fickle, strong and weak, famous and infamous".
  
  The man himself makes history. Great leader I would recommend this book to everyone Really inspiring book.
  
• 
  Jordana Winchesterdream

  I'm a South African so anything to do with my Hero is going to get 5 stars. This is yet another book that shows his amazing intelligence, humility and absolute dedication to making the world around him a better more understanding place. Incredibly insighful into his private thoughts and ideas it adds another layer to the legend.
• 
  Reena

  This book is an important compilation but is hard to read and took me a while to get through it. The main reason for this is that it's largely unfiltered account, and with very little commentary of Mandela's personal writing, observations and pondering all through his 27 years in prison and beyond. I was looking for how the man became who he was and understand the personal transformation that was the foundation of how he went on to lead perhaps the boldest and greatest experiment of peace on Earth. I am fascinated with what he accomplished, albeit not perfect, for it is a unique example of forgiveness and genuine work for peace under perhaps the most unforgiving AND unforgivable of circumstances and enemies! In our world dominated by leaders driven by their ambition and egos above all else, barely managing if not feeding divisiveness (name calling as the preferred approach vs any attempt at seeking understanding), of decades old conflicts that refuse to die (Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan, etc) constantly adding dead innocents in their wake, Nelson Mandela and his "truth & reconciliation" experiment stand out as beacons. Bold in imagination and wildly ambitious it leaves a legacy we can learn a lot from. To be clear it was/is not completely successful (how can it be in the face of the dismantling of something as horrendous as Apartheid) but it provides at least an initial path forward for peace-mongers. The book provides a small window into his thinking and transformation from a fiery, militant, comrade-leader to a long held political prisoner to an old man who became a reluctant President committed to peace to save his homeland! A noble man at/to the end. On to reading more about his actual life...
• 
  Allison

  Technically, I didn't "read" this book - I listened to it in the car. It was very, very good. I only listened to it when I was alone in the car so that I could focus on it and I found that I looked forward to the long drive to take my daughter to the university where she was taking a summer class this year simply because I knew that I'd have at least an hour to listen to this book coming home.
  
  Having never read anything in-depth about President Mandela before, I was filled with even greater admiration for him than I'd had from the media presentations of him after finishing Conversations With Myself. The selections in this book are presented chronologically from early in his life through into his presidency. They are garnered from a wide collection of letters, notebooks, conversations, autobiographies and other sources.
  
  I would recommend this work to anyone interested in Mandela, freedom fighting, non-violent social change and/or anyone looking for someone to admire. If only more of us could accurately emulate Mandela in our personal as well as public lives the world would be a far better place than we can even imagine today.
• 
  Nura

  In 'Nelson Mandela’s Conversations with Myself' I was surprised by the way it was written. This book was really interesting. It contains a collection of letters, speeches, interviews and notes written by Mandela himself. It has no chapters. The book contains four parts each that represent different stages of Mandela’s life. My personal favorite was part two: Drama. I believe this book showed a great deal of Mandela's life and into some of his innermost thoughts. It didn’t cover every detail of his background or life but it was successful in covering the basics and specific times of his life (prison).
  
  Some parts of the book was a bit confusing. Mandela refers to certain events (South African history) and other important events that requires you to know a fair amount of info in advance. This book made me learn more about Mandela’s contributions and accomplishments to society and the world. A must read for those who are looking for inspiration. He’s a great man with great accomplishments.
  
• 
  Victor

  Simple, easy to read, frank approach to the story of the life of a great man. Enough of the hype and glamour that follows his life, this book reveals the man behind the legend, and gives a really frank approach to his attitude towards life.
  
  Honestly I have not read his other biographies, but I really liked how he is portrayed in this book. I feel that I can relate to him, and after reading it, I feel he is less of a ghost or legend, and more of a role model.
  
  The chapters are broken down into bite-size sections making it a perfect book to read on the go, especially if there are a lot of distractions in the environment. I love reading chunks of this book, and then playing the scene out in my head about what happened during that period of time, the emotions and thoughts that were going through his head.
  
  What impacted me the most about him is his dedication to honesty, and his dedication to equality.
• 
  Linda

  This is a wonderful book to take your time with. At times, I did feel like I was engaged in a conversation. Some of the notebook entries were a bit tedious, but I preferred them included rather than left out. Of course, I wanted to know more about Pres. Mendela's personal life, but Mandela did not write this to satisfy my desire for gossip. This is a historical document worthy of study.
• 
  Zohal

  It was fascinating to get a more raw portrayal of Nelson Mandela from writings that were mostly never intended for public reader consumption, compared to his autobiography (which I highly recommend reading).
  
  My favourite parts were the transcribed interviews between Stengel and Mandela, which I felt gave a great deal of insight into his character.
  
  Mandela sees the goodness in people and does not view that as a weakness. His optimism and his emphasis on the power of hope is something leaders such as Barack Obama hold dear. I think it is a very powerful weapon to hold, even when the world is hell-bent to tell you that hope is pointless.
• 
  Sherrie

  How do I review the private journals and conversations of one of the greatest historical figures of my lifetime? I feel petty giving it 3 stars, but I base my stars on how broadly I would recommend the book and this one is somewhat limited so it gets a 3. Please ignore that if this book interests you. It's well worth reading.
  
  This book is a series of snippets from conversations, journals, calendars, drafts of books, and speeches over the course of Nelson Mandela's impressive life. It's fascinating to see the man behind the myth. The way he talks when he's with his friends, his little jokes, his awareness of the immensity of history...I come away with a better understanding of a man who loved his family, who wanted to live in a time of peace, but accepted a time of battle. He was kind, practical, intelligent, and unconventional.
  
  While it's not the most engrossing book due to the format, I commend the editors for organizing it in a way that gives some sense of narrative. That was no easy task, I'm sure. I enjoyed this read because I enjoy learning about Nelson Mandela. I recommend it to anyone else with an interest in this particular person.
• 
  Raghad Khamees

  "لم أكن المسيح، ولكن رجلا عاديا أصبح زعيما بسبب ظروف استثنائية."
  
  رجل قروي بسيط من ثمبولندا رجل عادي رفض الظلم العادي والمعتاد والمتوقع والمسلم به و قرر أن يثور وأن ينتصر لأجل آلاف تعيش في الظلال والعتمة والموت والاضطهاد حتى آخره.
  
  الى اي حد نحن مستعدون ان نتخلى عن كل ما لدينا في سبيل حلم
  الى اي حد نحن كبيرون لتحمل الأوجاع والضربات حتى آخرها
  ولتشهد روحنا الهشة الخسارات بكامل شكلها
  مانديلا الذي تحول من "سجين الى معجزة" كما سميت احدى فصول مذكراته الأخيرة، يؤكد لنا أن لا مستحيل لأحلامنا مهما كانت كبيرة صعبة وبعيدة المنال ، وبأننا أقوى مما نتصور عندما نآمن بِنَا ونعطي لروحنا اجنحة، هو نفسه الذي آمن بقضية و بحلم الى الحد الذي جعله يفني حياته ويفقد التفاصيل العادية وعائلته وكل ما لديه في سبيل الوصول إليهما
  في هذا الكتاب الذي يقع في ما يزيد عن ٤٠٠ صفحة، حوارات بين مانديلا والصحفي أحمد كاثرادا وستينغل وبعض من مخطوطة مذكرته الأصلية "مشوار طويل مع الحرية"
  
• 
  Amanda

  Now, understand that Nelson Mandela gets 1,000,000,000 stars. But this book's editor gets 2 stars. Maybe just 1 1/2 stars. This is probably the worst compilation of Mandela's written work. It's super confusing to read, unless you happen to have his autobiography handy to reference. I didn't understand the point of some of the pieces that were included and the bits and pieces format made it really hard to read.
  
  That being said, there are some letters in here that are particularly moving, thought-provoking, and really indicative of the beautiful, but fallible man that is behind the image that we all know. There are a number of great quotes that I must cull out and save, some of which I should e-mail to the politicians of our country...
• 
  Steph

  My rating of '1' might seem pretty critical but disregarding the fact that the book contains writings from an impressive figure, I don't think there's much to it. It's confusingly put together and would have greatly benefitted had it had more contextual entries from the editors or better footnotes. Unless you're already a Mandela expert, the book and its included writings, excerpts, and notes are hard to follow. I was glad when it was over but was left feeling like I only got a superficial understanding of Mandela. I'm interested in reading more about him but not in this kind of format.
• 
  Paul Browne

  It's a bit disjointed, as it's a collection of quotes, recollections and narrative. However, this adds to the sense of knowing something about this man. I found myself remembering words and discussions by Mandela over the next few days. His discussion whether to invite the guards who had tortured fellow prisoners to a barbecue stuck in my memory.
  A very good book that I will definitely read again.
• 
  Akhil Jain

  My fav parts
  - 'A saint is a sinner trying to improve himself'
  - Mandela also thought whether fighting for the cause of the country on the sacrifice of the attention to family- his wife, children was correct. Isnt a man’s primary responsibility to his family? (Conversations with myself)
  - Mandela understood that before he could convince the nation, he must convince his mother on his involvement and objective in politics.
• 
  Sue

  
  This is a factual book filled with letters that Nelson mandella wrote while in prision and conversations that he had with significant others. It gives a real insight into his thoughts ,values and moral that lead the way in which he contiues to live out his life. a facisating read, about an amazing man .
• 
  Marla

  Very enjoyable.