- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books (1 Jan 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1848873352
- ISBN-13: 978-1848873353
- ASIN: 1848872402
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 113,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Korean edition of INVICTUS: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin. First term South Africa President Nelson Mandela's ingenious idea of enlisting the rugby team to win the 1995 World Cup in an effort to unite the apartheid-torn country. The moVietnamese stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. In Korean. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although the book uses the famous 1995 Rugby World Cup Final as a frame to hang the narrative around, it really isn't about the rugby per se. What the real meat of the book concerns is how Mandela made himself a focal point around which apartheid could be pulled down while avoiding the carnage of a civil war. The tense backroom deals and influencing required with the apartheid regime and indeed his own party and friends, are brilliantly described.
The book is excellent in describing the factions and tensions involved at the beginning of the end of apartheid. Transitioning apartheid to democracy could have gone very violently wrong not because of "black vs white" issues as you may simplistically think, but due to the fact there were miriad competing factions on all sides that led to huge danger of mass violence. Mandela's biggest problem at times was convincing the ANC to buy into symbols like the rugby springbok as a way of winning people over as he realised outright rejection of all aspects of the "white culture" would push more of the heavily armed white minority over to the side of the hardliners who actively wanted conflict. When you think how the black majority suffered under the cruelty of apartheid, taking the ANC with him on a conciliatory route was an incredible feat of diplomacy and leadership.
Mandela's genius was to understand the differences between white South Africans in terms of modernisers vs conservatives vs white supremacists, between forward thinking politicians and hardliners in the security services and especially, underlying all, between the English and Afrikaan speakers. He never made the mistake of alienating people by false stereotyping. In prison Mandela taught himself Africaans and deliberately took an interest in rugby as a way of winning over some of his guards, many of who became close friends during his captivity and after his release.
Much detail is included on the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar, who eventually fell completely under Mandela's spell and captained The Rainbow Nation to rugby glory. In the book Pienaar provides the most striking example of how Mandela could inspire fervent changes in attitudes even in people you'd not expect to be open to his influence. Pienaar was an unlikely convert to Mandela's ideals and as a young man had no political view on apartheid at all - in fact was proudest, as an Africaner, of never losing a school rugby match to "an English school". Mandela handing the Rugby World Cup to Pienaar, both wearing the springbok number 6 shirt, became the ultimate symbol of the real potential for a truely united South Africa against the odds, this book describes how that image became possible.
The book is excellent in describing the factions and tensions involved at the beginning of the end of apartheid. Transitioning apartheid to democracy could have gone very violently wrong not because of "black vs white" issues as you may simplistically think, but due to the fact there were miriad competing factions on all sides that led to huge danger of mass violence. Mandela's biggest problem at times was convincing the ANC to buy into symbols like the rugby springbok as a way of winning people over as he realised outright rejection of all aspects of the "white culture" would push more of the heavily armed white minority over to the side of the hardliners who actively wanted conflict. When you think how the black majority suffered under the cruelty of apartheid, taking the ANC with him on a conciliatory route was an incredible feat of diplomacy and leadership.
Mandela's genius was to understand the differences between white South Africans in terms of modernisers vs conservatives vs white supremacists, between forward thinking politicians and hardliners in the security services and especially, underlying all, between the English and Afrikaan speakers. He never made the mistake of alienating people by false stereotyping. In prison Mandela taught himself Africaans and deliberately took an interest in rugby as a way of winning over some of his guards, many of who became close friends during his captivity and after his release.
Much detail is included on the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar, who eventually fell completely under Mandela's spell and captained The Rainbow Nation to rugby glory. In the book Pienaar provides the most striking example of how Mandela could inspire fervent changes in attitudes even in people you'd not expect to be open to his influence. Pienaar was an unlikely convert to Mandela's ideals and as a young man had no political view on apartheid at all - in fact was proudest, as an Africaner, of never losing a school rugby match to "an English school". Mandela handing the Rugby World Cup to Pienaar, both wearing the springbok number 6 shirt, became the ultimate symbol of the real potential for a truely united South Africa against the odds, this book describes how that image became possible.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story was very moving and made me feel even more respectful of Nelson Mandela and his ability to engage with people and bring the nation of South Africa together after the transition from apartheid. Well worth reading if you have any heart for human dignity whatever colour or creed.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It begins with a good summary of the history and fall of apartheid in South Africa and the election of Nelson Mandela as President - a triumph of his conviction that the new constitution and SA was for all races. It is sometimes known as the 'Mandela Miracle'.
Th Apartheid Museum in Soweto makes a lot of the first SA Rugby world cup and they play continuously the TV clip and commentary of Nelson Mandela walking onto the pitch at the final in the Sprinbok's shirt. It is legend and reality, the symbolism is obvious.
Like the film, this book tells this true story well, it is not emotional, one sided or sentimental. It is a tribute to Mandela who saw an opportunity and went for it (and he genuinely enjoyed the sport) and to Francois Pienaar who embraced it and the new political situation.
A very good read.
Th Apartheid Museum in Soweto makes a lot of the first SA Rugby world cup and they play continuously the TV clip and commentary of Nelson Mandela walking onto the pitch at the final in the Sprinbok's shirt. It is legend and reality, the symbolism is obvious.
Like the film, this book tells this true story well, it is not emotional, one sided or sentimental. It is a tribute to Mandela who saw an opportunity and went for it (and he genuinely enjoyed the sport) and to Francois Pienaar who embraced it and the new political situation.
A very good read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rugby as union
This isn't a typical rugby book - it focuses far more on Nelson Mandela and the crises he faced on his release from prison. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sport Nut
Invictus - a must read book!
I decided to read the book, having seen the film. Whilst the film I thought was good, the book was excellent. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Peter Richman
Playing the Enemy
.....was the original title and on my list of books that I wanted to read long before Cint Eastwoods film adaptation 'Invictus' came out. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Michael Bromfield
invictus
This is not about Rugby,but about the human condition of which Mandela is a master.And the capacity of one man to forgive his oppressors and think only of uniting his country You... Read more
Published 23 months ago by C. Taylor
Absolutely awesome
Beautiful book, fascinating subject matter. I bought the book because I loved the film so much and wanted to know more of the detail behind the story. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Abu Samra
At times staggers under the weight of its liberal pieties
This is an interesting book. But it's also a rather simplistic book. It serves up too many lazy stereotypes. Read more
Published on 5 May 2010 by Frederick Helmersley-Bott
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