10/15/2018
“I was a soldier, he was a terrorist,” Gen. Constand Viljoen says of Nelson Mandela, setting the stage for a revealing true account of an unexpected reconciliation that arose out of the demise of racial apartheid in South Africa. Carlin (Playing the Enemy), a British foreign correspondent who spent years stationed in South Africa, draws upon multiple firsthand accounts to portray a nation teetering on the precipice of civil war after Mandela is freed from prison and his African National Congress party seems poised for electoral victory over the white elite. In response, Viljoen, a retired war hero, is called back into “service” by white nationalists in the Afrikaner Resistance Movement, who want him to lead them in taking the country back by force. Viljoen is plagued by visions of Africa awash in blood—vividly illustrated by Malet—and begins meeting with Mandela in private. Their discourses change Viljoen’s mind, his life, and the course of history. The painterly art, with sparing use of muted blues, yellows, and shocks of red, is evocative but marred by awkwardly placed text in all caps throughout. The title has strong education market potential; Carlin and Malet’s portraits reveal the depth of Mandela’s remarkable statesmanship, and show that if every war has two sides, so too does every peace. (Nov.)
What you wrote and the way in which you carried out your task in this country was absolutely magnificent . . . it was absolutely inspiring. You have been very courageous, saying things which many journalists would never say.” — Nelson Mandela on the author’s reporting in South Africa
“A riveting read. Carlin 'gets' Mandela. He captures powerfully Mandela's political astuteness and vast generosity. Masterful storytelling!” — Morgan Freeman
“A wonderful, accessible distillation of the genius of Mandela. In an increasingly divided political landscape, should be required reading for people of all ages everywhere.” — Matt Damon
“The mix of John Carlin’s historically vivid writing with Oriol Malet’s beautiful art highlights the immediate relevancy of this story. In our politically polarized time, it’s important to remember the struggles that are necessary to ensure democracy, the many costs of conflict, and the importance of trying to understand each other.” — Entertainment Weekly
“How Mandela talked the general away from race war toward peaceful collaboration makes a fascinating parable with relevance to today’s polarized politics. This outstanding case study in the power of empathy to defuse conflict is drawn in realistic narrow-line black and white with bright colored accents.” — Library Journal, starred review
“Excellent…a well-told, perceptive view of both sides in the conflict.…With a limited but carefully chosen color palette, Malet evokes moods as well as he depicts actions. Likenesses of Mandela and Viljoen, in particular, are realistic but never stiff or overly photographic. Mandela and the General is an inspirational account of historical events, including Viljoen’s break with his own colleagues in pursuit of the greater good.” — Foreword Reviews
“A concise graphic narrative of secret negotiations that helped keep the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa from becoming even more of a bloodbath.… Though dialogue drives the narrative, the most striking art has the fewest words, as illustrator Malet provides some historical context for the negotiations. A fascinating story with a tight focus.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Carlin and Malet’s portraits reveal the depth of Mandela’s remarkable statesmanship, and show that if every war has two sides, so too does every peace.” — Publishers Weekly
“John Carlin takes a novel approach to the true history of South Africa’s struggles to end apartheid through the narrative of Constand Viljoen – general of the opposition to Nelson Mandela. It’s an uncomfortable perspective to view an altruistic icon of change like Mandela through, but the overarching theme of this graphic novel is humanization. It’s something people forget during conflict, but Carlin is unflinching in examining the truth and deftly uses his subject as the avatar of introspective change for a nation. A must-read in our current era of cultural conflict, Mandela and the General reminds us of what can be achieved when we view each other as human.” — Kwanza Osajyefo, author of Black
“John Carlin elegantly crafts a powerful, balanced narrative well served by the evocative imagery and sequential talents of Oriol Malet. Mandela and the General is an important read for all who seek peace.” — Andrew Aydin, co-author of March trilogy
“Mandela is one of the greatest figures of the age, and as such we put him on a pedestal and forget the details and the challenges. Carlin simply and powerfully remind us how close South Africa came to a bloodbath and how Mandela’s personal effort, persuasion, strategy, and clarity of purpose averted the ultimate tragedy to which apartheid seemed to be headed. History is not made by men or women on pedestals, but those who will bend and seek solutions rather than just stay on the high horse. This reminder is a lesson for our time as well.” — Tony Marx, President and CEO, New York Public Library
“Mandela and the General suspensefully reveals how Mandela’s spirit of reconciliation prevailed over fear and violence in post-apartheid South Africa. Coming out as it does at a time of gathering global intolerance, this book is a timely reminder of the value of human empathy as a tool in political confrontation. John Carlin’s privileged access makes this an especially exciting read.” — Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che, staff writer at the New Yorker
“While Mandela and the General is told from the perspective of a man on the wrong side of history, it does not at all glorify or attempt to excuse the injustice and oppression. The banality of evil is not sugarcoated or swept under the rug, but instead is drawn clear for all to see. More importantly, at the core of this book is the notion that reason and empathy are the foundations of progress and peace.” — Vita Ayala, The Wilds and Livewire
“Comic books aren’t just frivolous entertainment, but can be educational as well. The art by Oriol Malet has so much energy and beauty that it drew me in immediately; the scratchiness of his line work belies his skills as a master draftsman and storyteller. The story is incredibly engaging and well worth your time.” — Jamal Igle, Molly Danger and Black
★ 11/01/2018
Released from prison in 1990, Nelson Mandela (1918{amp}ndash;2013) unites the black people of South Africa against Dutch-mandated apartheid and aims to integrate peacefully both government and culture. But under the leadership of decorated Gen. Constand Viljoen (b. 1933), a coalition of white Afrikaners will resist to the death. British reporter Carlin (Knowing Mandela) interviewed both leaders and tells the story from the general's perspective. How Mandela talked Viljoen away from a race war toward collaboration makes a fascinating parable with relevance to today's polarized politics. "We must put ourselves in his shoes if we want to defeat him," Mandela tells his supporters. Eventually, Viljoen agrees with Mandela, who explains that violence will not get the whites what they want. Malet's realistic, narrow-line black-and-white art, set against brightly colored accents, pulls out key contrasts. VERDICT This case study in the power of empathy to defuse conflict stands apart from the often murky annals of would-be peacemaking. Highly recommended for all collections.{amp}mdash;Martha Cornog, Philadelphia
2018-08-21
A concise graphic narrative of secret negotiations that helped keep the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa from becoming even more of a bloodbath.
The heroism of Nelson Mandela has earned him international renown and respect. Veteran British journalist Carlin (Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius, 2014, etc.), who served as South African correspondent through the era depicted here, tells the story from the perspective of the other protagonist, Constand Viljoen, the general who had formerly been Mandela's chief antagonist. Viljoen was the military chief of apartheid South Africa; in his retirement, he continued to view Mandela as a communist and the enemy of white South Africa. Yet times were changing, and the general's brother was changing with them, advancing the argument that patriotism required serving the best interests of all South Africans, black and white. Amid the democratic reforms and Mandela's release from prison, it was clear that the black citizens had the numbers on their side while the armed white forces retained the firepower. Viljoen had entered his retirement feeling "powerless to stop my country descending into darkness and despair." As the struggle between black and white intensified, white nationalists implored the general to unite their factional divisions: "You are a legend in the South African military; you are the only leader capable of uniting us into one force capable of stopping Mandela." The general believed in this mission, but his brother served as an intermediary from Mandela to arrange a meeting, where the two felt mutual respect and forged a common goal, a peaceful resolution with a government that would provide representation for both black and white. When they went public with their views, both were denounced by radicals who wanted total victory for their side, but that cost in human life would have been devastating. The general served his president and called him "the greatest of men." Though dialogue drives the narrative, the most striking art has the fewest words, as illustrator Malet provides some historical context for the negotiations.
A fascinating story with a tight focus, though the writing is closer to a comic book than a journalistic piece.
