Summary

In Part Nine, Mandela describes how the prison begins to change in the early 1970s and onwards. He describes the various church services that take place on the island, and the amateur drama society’s Christmas production. Walter and the other ANC members give academic courses while working at the quarry. Walter gives a course on the history of the ANC, from its founding in 1921 until the present moment. Mandela teaches a course on political economy.

Mandela begins writing his memoirs while in prison. Because he must do it in secret, he begins writing at night and sleeping during the day. The memoirs get passed along between some of the other ANC leaders, who read it and offer their suggestions. He is caught and stopped from distributing it; the manuscript, though never published, is repurposed for Long Walk...