Long Walk to Freedom

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1994

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

Introduction

Teacher Introduction

Long Walk to Freedom

Genre: Nonfiction; autobiography
Originally Published: 1994
Reading Level/Interest: Grades 10 and up
Structure/Length: Multiple parts; approximately 656 pages (unabridged); approximately 27 hours, 44 minutes on audiobook
Central Concern: This autobiography traces the life of Nelson Mandela from his childhood in a rural village to his role as a key figure in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The narrative chronicles his experiences, including his activism, imprisonment, and eventual presidency. The central conflict revolves around Mandela’s fight against racial segregation, injustice, and oppression, as well as his journey to unite a divided nation and bring about social change.
Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racial discrimination; apartheid; imprisonment; political turmoil

Nelson Mandela, Author

Bio: Born 1918; South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist; imprisoned for 27 years due to his activism; played a crucial role in dismantling apartheid and establishing democracy in South Africa; became the country’s first Black president in 1994; advocate for reconciliation, human rights, and social justice; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; regarded as a global symbol of resistance and leadership against oppression
Other Works: No Easy Walk to Freedom (1965); Conversations with Myself (2010), Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017)
Awards: The Sunday Times CAN Literary Award for Non-fiction (formerly the Alan Paton Award; 1995)