An inspiring read. The book presents a much more complex man than we might imagine when we see his glowing countenance in photos and on newsreels. He has worked hard to become the person he is, and has used his life experiences to learn from each encounter and challenge. I walked away from the book feeling like Mandela is a pristine mix of the Dalai Lama and Malcolm X - he believes in progress through peaceful means, but he knows that for change to occur, at times one must be boldly assertive.

These fifteen lessons aren't revolutionary - "Courage is not the absence of fear...", "Lead from the Back", etc. - but to have them applied to specific experiences in one man's life - the life of a man who has endured much and come out the other side with such grace - well, it made me admire Mandela all the more, and certainly, his approach to life is one worthy of following in our day to day opportunities.

Richard Stengel spent many months with Mr. Mandela, and that allows him to give us a look a typical outsider wouldn't have had. The stories he shares aren't just of Mandela's prison stint or his leadership in South Africa, they are also about how he interacts with his own children, with those who live nearby, and what he is thinking in his day to day life. Those are the moments that a typical biographer/armchair philosopher could not have captured.

This is not a biography, but a series of glimpses at a man and his personal philosophy on how to make the world a better place, and live a life that matters. I'll take that over a biography any day.
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Great book about an iconic figure who accomplished extraordinary things. Not sure about the value of the 15 lessons, however really liked how they gave a greater insight into Mandela for better or worse. I especially enjoyed the comparisons between the young and old Mandela. While I found reading Mandela’s book “Long Walk to Freedom” slow and drawn out, maybe reading it first gave enough background to appreciate this shortened version. ( )

A quick dive into the nature of a man who has learned about life the hard way... ( )

Excellent!