Dare Not Linger

The Presidential Years

By: Nelson Mandela, Mandla Langa, Graça Machel - prologue

Narrated by: Adrian Lester

Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

The long-awaited second volume of Nelson Mandela’s memoirs, left unfinished at his death and never before available, are here completed and expanded with notes and speeches written by Mandela during his historic presidency, making for a moving sequel to his worldwide bestseller Long Walk to Freedom.

“I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first president of democratic South Africa. Five years later, he stood down. In that time, he and his government wrought the most extraordinary transformation, turning a nation riven by centuries of colonialism and apartheid into a fully functioning democracy in which all South Africa’s citizens, black and white, were equal before the law. Dare Not Linger is the story of Mandela’s presidency, drawing heavily on the memoir he began to write as he prepared to finish his term as president, but was unable to finish. Now the acclaimed South African author Mandla Langa has completed the task using Mandela’s unfinished draft, detailed notes that Mandela made as events were unfolding, and a wealth of previously unseen archival material. The result is a vivid and inspirational account of Mandela’s presidency: years during which he overcame the challenges of transition and made a reality of his cherished vision for a liberated South Africa.

©2017 Nelson R. Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation; Prologue copyright held by Graça Machel (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Editor's Pick, AudioFile

"This important audiobook is the second volume of Mandela's memoirs, which were left unfinished when he died in 2013. ...Narrator Adrian Lester takes immediate control of the work, lending it a serious, consequential, worldly air. ...Lester also has the ability to transform his voice into Mandela's in the middle of a sentence and then go back to his impeccably precise reading. His pacing keeps the story fresh, and he uses his vocal elasticity to convey complex emotions. The result is a wonderful audio experience." -AudioFile

“A rare human being who, in freeing himself of his demons, also became free to give his extraordinarily leadership to his country and the world.” —Bill Clinton

“Underneath the history that has been made, there is a human being who chose hope over fear—progress over the prisons of the past . . . Even as he became a legend, to know the man—Nelson Mandela—is to respect him even more.” —Barack Obama

Oh what a beautiful book

If you are a Mandela fan, then this book is definitely for you. A beautiful behind the scenes look at the brilliance of Mandela as a sitting President.

Performative rendering of Madiba's notes

An entertaining and believable rendering of Madiba's scattered notes toward a second part to his Autobiography, covering his Presidential term. His words are rendered in a a reasonable impression, while context is provided in a different, rather subdued voice (tho read very well). It takes about ten minutes to get used to it: and the journey is worth it.

No story, just a bunch of information

I had just finished Mandela's first book, which was inspiring. I eagerly listened to this one, but I was disappointed.
First, the narrator speaks in this low, monotone voice. Maybe he thinks it make him interesting, when it actually makes the read boring and difficult to hear.
Second, there is no story. no drama, no lessons. It seems like somoene collected all the info they had on Mandela and grouped it in a 'book' organized by topics. Sure, there are a couple interesting nuggets, afer all it is Mandela we are talking about. It's just not a good book on which to spend 13 hours.
I fast forwarded maybe half of the chapters.
Get a better book, there are plenty.