Long Walk to Freedom

Narrator Michael Boatman has a gentle but insistent voice that suggests a certain grace and is well suited for the memoir of this worldwide symbol of persistence and justice. At 93, Mandela is still lionized as the unflinching opponent of the apartheid government in South Africa who then became president of the country after that system fell. This is his story, told in his way, and we must take notice. Boatman's authentic pronunciation of South African tribes and other words also lends great credibility to his reading. He narrates at an unhurried pace and lingers on certain words throughout the book in order to let us inhale Mandela's meanings. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine


Reprising his award-winning role from the HBO movie, "Mandela," Danny Glover reads the personal story of the South African leader who influenced the repeal of Apartheid. The mellifluous gentleness and earnestness of Glover's narration brings to life the eloquence of Mandela's words recounting his experiences: his student activism; his role in the formation of the African National Congress; his spearheading of mass action in the defiance campaigns; and his 10,000 days of imprisonment. The recording fervently captures Mandela's travails and ultimate triumph with the atmosphere underscored by South African music, cheering throngs and the voice of Mandela being sworn in as president. K.J.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine