Yes, it is a very good read and no, I am talking about the abridged and illustrated younger reader's edition, by Chris Van Wyk. Up until that point I had thought it a great idea to teach him and his sister about some of the South African heroes responsible for the freedoms they now enjoy when they go home to South Africa. It is a part of their history - warts and all; but now the seed of doubt was planted . Was it really a good idea to introduce to one's children some social and political issues of which they are not yet aware at an early age? And what is deemed an appropriate age to do so?
My daughter had already read it - she's ten, but was eager to sit in on the bed-time readings with her brother. I have had the 'historical' discussions with her, and the enquiry does not by any means end with the discussions. When she first read it she was a bit horrified; she has seen documentaries about South Africa's History, read about it on the internet and been told the sanitised versions; reading it in autobiographical form made it less abstract - but I would like to believe the horror she felt is transient and will one day be replaced by an acknowledgment of the strides made by the country since.
Yes, 'Long Walk to Freedom' is not exactly 'Where the Wild Things Are' but my son was enthralled as we covered two pages every night - and for a change he was not rushing me to finish it in one go. It is a thought-provoking read for any age, and more so for a five year old. Last night after his request to "go to bed and read Nelson Mandela" we read the remaining pages, after which I lay in bed with them for a while and we discussed that part of their country's history. Yes, there were moments of doubt after I had tucked them in as to the prudency of it all; it is a story that covers it all, the good, the bad and the very ugly.
This morning however, whilst the various international media channels covered Nelson Mandela's ailing health and his discharge from hospital; I listened as the doctors, the Vice-President and the Surgeon-General assured people not to panic, that his admission to hospital two days ago had all been routine for someone of his age. I stopped doubting myself and the decision suddenly felt right. As I stumble along trying to raise a young lady and a young gentleman who know of, and are proud of where they come from, I am glad to introduce some of the 'Madiba Magic' into their lives while I can still refer to him in the present tense.
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