Review of John Carlins Invictus - 2183 Words

â€Å"Nelson Mandela is a man of destiny† -F.W. De Klerk (140). How did a man who spent 27 years in prison change the hearts and minds of people who called him â€Å"terrorist in chief?† Is it possible for one man’s determination and careful planning change the direction of a country so set on the norm? John Carlin tells the story of Nelson Mandela through the eyes of people close to him as well as through the eyes of his enemies. Both friends and enemies portray just his presence as overwhelming. Invictus tells the story of how Mandela used his overwhelming presence to unite a country through the sport of rugby. The story begins on the morning of the 1995 Rugby World Cup championship game. The rest of the book details how he got to that†¦show more content†¦Many right-wing extremist were very upset at the prospect of these talks. Constand Viljoen was a former overall commander of the SADF (South African Defense Force). He soon become the leader of a group who called themselves the Volksfront. The Volksfront was a formation of many right-wing groups who had joined together for military purposes. Their main purpose was to not allow the majority (blacks) to be able to vote. These Afrikaners had been taught their whole lives that black people did not have the same rights as whites and had grown up in an apartheid society. One day they decided to show their military prowess and marched to the World Trade Center. Unsure of what to do the riot police (mostly Afrikaners) allowed the extremist into the building. No shots were fired, but Viljoen had shown that he had forces ready to act. Mandela was very troubled when he heard the account of that day and immediately requested a meeting with Viljoen. Once again Mandela used his overwhelming presence and quelled the concerns Viljoen and people like him had of the increasing likelihood of an ANC majority in parliament. After multiple meetings with Viljoen, the only attacks th at occurred did not include the entire Volksfront. Mandela was proving that he could impress even the people who despised him the most, but he would later learn that was not enough to unite a country. The first multirace elections in South Africa were held in April of 1994. As expected the