The quotation on the opening page of this book, subtitled “Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation,” is by Nelson Mandela: “Don’t address their brains. Address their hearts.” Most of us know of Mandela, his difficult history and his amazing success in building the nation of South Africa. However, John Carlin gives us the details of how he brought his people together after winning the election in 1994.

First, he takes us back to the dismal days of apartheid, the “insidious extermination of a people’s self-respect.” As the leader of the ANC, Mandela had been imprisoned in 1962. Though kept in a small cell with various humiliations, Mandela had stayed in shape with an exercise regimen and never stopped believing that he would get out one day and play a role in his nation’s future.

In 1985, a member of the government finally agreed to meet with him, and he began what Carlin calls his “charm campaign.” Earlier, he had begun to get to know the white citizens who were his enemy by learning their language, Afrikaans, and their history. He had two tools: books and the Afrikaner prison guards. “The one and only time that a guard was clearly about to strike him a blow, Mandela, the lawyerboxer, stood his ground and said, ‘If you so much as lay a hand on me, I will take you to the highest court in the land. And when I finish with you, you will be as poor as a church mouse.’ The guard huffed and puffed but held back from hitting him.”

As time went on, he won over guards and wardens, not gaining release but making friends and keeping his dignity. When he finally met Kobie Coetsee, minister of justice of South Africa, he won him, too. He was transferred from the cell to a spacious home, invited guests there, and was on his way to freedom and then political success.

Mandela realized, though, that his victory in South Africa’s first free election did not mean that the country was united. He feared civil war. Carlin builds a convincing case that Mandela’s astute use of the Afrikaner’s love of rugby and their team the Springboks was the key to real victory for the nation. He doesn’t wear American readers out with rules and game descriptions, but creates suspense and evokes the drama of the game.

“My idea was to ensure that we got the support of Afrikaners because – as I kept reminding people – rugby, as far as Afrikaners are concerned, is a religion,” said Mandela later. However, it was not an enthusiasm shared by the black population. Because they loved and trusted Mandela, they followed his lead, and came to look on the springboks as heroes. A poignant moment for the team came on the final tournament day, when four black children followed them down the street, calling out their names in admiration.

Playing the Enemy is full of charm and wonderful characters. Carlin conducted interviews with most of the key people and some not so key. Constand Viljoen was very key. He commanded the Boer resistance struggle and could have taken South Africa into a terrible war. Ultimately, he said that his decision came down to the character of his opponent. He trusted Mandela’s desire for peace.

Archbishop Tutu said that South Africa had a new model of revolution, one in which the enemy was not eliminated, he was brought into the fold. It is, of course, Mandela who is the protagonist and the hero. Carlin states, “Everyone I interviewed had come to feel renewed and improved by his example. All of them, in talking about him, seemed to shine. This book seeks, humbly, to reflect a little of Mandela’s light.” And so it does.