Invictus

Before reading John Carlin’s, Invictus, Nelson Mandela, South African politics, and rugby were three subjects that took up about 0.05% of my brain space. I knew they existed and after that there was nothing but dead air. I love it when a book makes up a deficiency in my knowledge and reading Invictus was a tremendously eye-opening experience for me.

Invictus tells the story of how Nelson Mandala used rugby, in particular the Springboks team, to ease racial tension and unite South Africa. The Springboks were the embodiment of white supremacism and nearly every black person rooted against them, hoping for their demise, but through Mandala’s PR and encouragement, they went on to win the World Cup and their entire nation came together to support them. This might seem far-fetched to those who are not enamored by sports. I mean, really, how can a group of beefy men who hurl themselves on each other bring people together? In the end, I think Carlin made a convincing case that Mandala’s “human calculation” did help unify the fractured race relations, but I still find it hard to believe that one game and one victory could so completely change such ingrained tensions overnight.

I think Carlin’s story was at its best when he was writing about Mandela, whom he obviously admired. Your heart would have to be fashioned from a calcified tree stump to not be moved by the poem, Invictus, which Mandala often recited when he became discouraged during his 23 years of imprisonment.

A word on the movie. Matt Damon in little white rugby shorts would be enough of a reason to rent the movie, but I actually think the movie is a good companion for the book. The scope of this book was too large, at-least for someone who is completely unfamiliar with everyone except Mandela. There were too many tangential people to keep track of and the writing style wasn’t exactly captivating. Not bad, just a bit dry in that factual, journalistic way. The movie doesn’t ask you to know anyone beyond Mandala and the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar. The movie boiled the story down to its feel good parts, but I’m certain I would not have been as engaged if I hadn’t read the book. The movie doesn't say enough about politics, the book says too much, but between the two you can find a balance of knowledge and enjoyment.