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Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation |  | Author: John Carlin
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 88551
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 1594201749
Dewey Decimal Number: 968.065
EAN: 9781594201745
ASIN: 1594201749
Publication Date: August 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A thrilling, inspiring account of one of the greatest charm offensives in historyNelson Mandelas decade-long campaign to unite his country, beginning in his jail cell and ending with a rugby tournament
In 1985, Nelson Mandela, then in prison for twenty-three years, set about winning over the fiercest proponents of apartheid, from his jailers to the head of South Africas military. First he earned his freedom and then he won the presidency in the nations first free election in 1994. But he knew that South Africa was still dangerously divided by almost fifty years of apartheid. If he couldnt unite his country in a visceral, emotional wayand fastit would collapse into chaos. He would need all the charisma and strategic acumen he had honed during half a century of activism, and hed need a cause all South Africans could share. Mandela picked one of the more farfetched causes imaginablethe national rugby team, the Springboks, who would host the sports World Cup in 1995.
Against the giants of the sport, the Springboks chances of victory were remote. But their chances of capturing the hearts of most South Africans seemed remoter still, as they had long been the embodiment of white supremacist rule. During apartheid, the all-white Springboks and their fans had belted out racist fight songs, and blacks would come to Springbok matches to cheer for whatever team was playing against them. Yet Mandela believed that the Springboks could embodyand engagethe new South Africa. And the Springboks themselves embraced the scheme. Soon South African TV would carry images of the team singing Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, the longtime anthem of black resistance to apartheid.
As their surprising string of victories lengthened, their home-field advantage grew exponentially. South Africans of every color and political stripe found themselves falling for the team. When the Springboks took to the field for the championship match against New Zealands heavily favored squad, Mandela sat in his presidential box wearing a Springbok jersey while sixty-two-thousand fans, mostly white, chanted Nelson! Nelson! Millions more gathered around their TV sets, whether in dusty black townships or leafy white suburbs, to urge their team toward victory. The Springboks won a nail-biter that day, defying the oddsmakers and capping Mandelas miraculous ten-year-long effort to bring forty-three million South Africans together in an enduring bond.
John Carlin, a former South Africa bureau chief for the London Independent, offers a singular portrait of the greatest statesman of our time in action, blending the volatile cocktail of race, sport, and politics to intoxicating effect. He draws on extensive interviews with Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and dozens of other South Africans caught up in Mandelas momentous campaign, and the Springboks unlikely triumph. As he makes stirringly clear, their championship transcended the mere thrill of victory to erase ancient hatreds and make a nation whole.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
 A right way to understand Mandela's South Africa March 31, 2010
Giuseppe Brai
The book reaveals the story that made New South Africa.
A brilliant and fluid resume from young Mandela to the great idea of the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
A miracle for Mandela and Rugby January 22, 2010
Charles J. Barnes MD (El Cerrito, CA)
First of all I am an American, so no genes give me empathy for rugby. I was drawn to the original book by Mr. Carlin due to the movie Invictus. What I got was a wonderful expanse of what has made South Africa the miracle of the 20th century. With an awful experiment of apartheid and dispicable Boers behavior comes the saintly Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison for organizing direct conflict with the government. Somehow much of the information that was revealed in this book like the conditioning for his release and expressions of Mr. Mandela to his jailers and fellow Xhosa have escaped the general press. He was selected for his attitude, his forsight and his charity half way through his prison term to be a possible "leader" should one man-one vote become law. Indeed the course of his jailing, the murders carried out in the townships, and direct challenge to his tolerance reveal a man that should not have had to share the Nobel Peace Prizewith anybody. This book is a wonderful history, sometimes told in the first or third person, with the ingenious choice to use what the Boers held closer to them than religion, rugby; to make South Africa a strong nation with the chance that blacks, and townships, could have the time to develop after 40+ years being tortured.
I am a great fan of rugby and am always amazed at how any professional rugby player could put a NFL player to shame for conditioning and fortitude. This choice of team captain Francoise Pinaar to carry the message, invoking the Boks' green and gold colors, games, and international competition was a great story, both of sports challenges (similar to the 1960 ice hockey US Olympic victory), and how it seemed to bring along black participation to root for a sport they truely hated before the 1995 World Cup.
It is too bad that the Movie "Invictus" chose to only touch the rugby connection, because I think they missed the true greatness of this book: How Mandela behaved and thought.
This is as good a read as I've had in a long time. Maybe Mr. Carlin can come up with a similar story when, and if, the All Blacks ever win a Rugby World Cup.
Good work.
a wonderful read January 22, 2010
R. Gerhard
This is not a book about a rugby game--it is a story of the brilliance of Nelson Mandela and his leadership skills that allowed South Africa to transition from the apartheid era to a more inclusive democracy. If you have recently seen and enjoyed the movie "Invictus", this book will provide a whole lot more depth and complexity to the story. Having spent more than 13 months living in South Africa in the last four years, I have read scores of books about South Africa and Africa. This is one of the most enjoyable and informative of the bunch.
Holding back tears January 10, 2010
T. J. Mcgarry
Just Wow...this book had me choked up till the end....I watched the Movie and enjoyed it till I read the book.....I almost feel bad now for Eastwoods version of the book....I've never been Prouder of South Africa....the Springboks and Madiba
Enlightening December 12, 2009
Greg Zukowski
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book is great, and tells a story that is amazing, since it it so recent. How a country was governed, and the changes brought about. Nothing is perfect ot be sure, but forgiveness is a good theme. I"ve played rugby for almost 30 years, so I also enjoyed the rugby story.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
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