Whole Story Audio Books

Price: £19.99

John Carlin, former South Africa bureau chief for The Independent, chronicles the 1995 rugby World Cup victory by South Africa, which united a divided nation following the recent election of Nelson Mandela to President. A moving and passionate account of how South Africa avoided a bloodbath. Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2008 and now a major movie directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

Synopsis

24 June 1995. Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The Springboks versus The All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final. Nelson Mandela steps onto the pitch wearing a Springboks shirt and, before a global audience of millions, a new country is born.

This book tells the incredible story of Mandela's journey to that moment. As the day of the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup dawned, and the Springboks faced the 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 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.

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.

Reviews and Press Quotes

Nelson Mandela

“I think the way [Carlin] carried out his task... was magnificent.”

Nelson Mandela

“I think the way John Carlin carried out his task in South Africa in the 1990s was magnificent.”

The Daily Express

“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.”

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