Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Playing the Enemy : Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation - John Carlin

Playing the Enemy

Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation

By: John Carlin

Paperback | 1 April 2010 | Edition Number 2

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $24.99

$23.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $5.94 with

Available for Backorder. We will order this from our supplier however there isn't a current ETA.

Now filmed as INVICTUS directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2008

As the day of the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup dawned, and the Springboks faced New Zealand's all-conquering All Blacks, more was at stake than a sporting trophy. When Nelson Mandela appeared wearing a Springboks jersey and led the all-white Afrikaner-dominated team in singing South Africa's new national anthem, he conquered the hearts of white South Africa.

Playing the Enemy tells the extraordinary human story of how that moment became possible. It shows how a sport, once the preserve of South Africa's Afrikaans-speaking minority, came to unify the new rainbow nation, and tells of how - just occasionally - something as simple as a game really can help people to rise above themselves and see beyond their differences.

'Wonderful... Don't wait for the movie.' New York Times

'A triumphant conversion... A portrait of South Africa's answer to George Washington... [It] works because Carlin got so close to Mandela and the people Mandela seduced.' Simon Kuper, Financial Times

'Revelatory... A tight, gripping and powerful book that shines a light on a moment of hope, not just for one nation but the whole world.' Daily Express

'A fascinating story... Thirteen years on, it is possible to look back with emotion at a moment which suggested that everything was possible.' Justin Cartwright, Sunday Telegraph

About the author

John Carlin grew up in Argentina and in the UK and spent 1989-95 in South Africa as the Independent's correspondent there. He has also lived in Nicaragua, Mexico and Washington, writing for The Times, the Observer, the Sunday Times, the New York Times, among other papers, and working for the BBC. He now lives in Barcelona, where he writes for El Pais.
Industry Reviews
Wonderful... Don't wait for the movie. * New York Times *
A triumphant conversion... A portrait of South Africa's answer to George Washington... [It] works because Carlin got so close to Mandela and the people Mandela seduced. -- Simon Kuper * Financial Times *
Revelatory... A tight, gripping and powerful book that shines a light on a moment of hope, not just for one nation but the whole world. * Daily Express *
A fascinating story... Thirteen years on, it is possible to look back with emotion at a moment which suggested that everything was possible. -- Justin Cartwright * Sunday Telegraph *

More in Sporting Events & Management

World Football Records 2026 - Keir Radnedge

RRP $49.99

$38.75

22%
OFF
The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments - Alex Bowden

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Cricket World Cup : A celebration of the ODI and T20 games - Liam Hauser
The Boys' Club - Michael Warner

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF
The Times Cricket Grounds of the World - Richard Whitehead

RRP $52.99

$40.75

23%
OFF
MotoGP : The Illustrated History 2023 - Michael Scott

RRP $69.99

$52.75

25%
OFF
Footy Country - Cory White

Hardcover

RRP $65.00

$44.75

31%
OFF
Formula 1 : The Official History (2024) - Maurice Hamilton

RRP $69.99

$52.75

25%
OFF
Unfiltered : My Incredible Decade in Formula 1 - Guenther Steiner

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Leap : Making the Jump to Take Netball to the Top of the World - Geva Mentor
Waking the Giant : Inside the Rebirth of Aston Villa - Gregg Evans
The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur - Julie Welch