I never read the book, but my son (14) read it in a few days last week and then he went 4 for 5 that weekend. That ended a huge slump for him. I'm not sure what the book did for him, but when I asked, he said something about humming tunes, breathing techniques, confidence, and routines. He also was doing something funny with his glove. He called it part of "his routine". My son could hit in the batting cages and practice but not so well in the games. That changed this last weekend. Only difference was this book. But could be coincidence. Will see over the next few weeks. His coaches and hitting coach always tell him his problem is in his head. Sounds like a common problem for all baseball players from little league to Major Leagues.
I watched the movie Invictus and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd try the book Playing the Enemy. Turns out the movie was very faithful to the book as well. What makes this so much more than just another Cinderella/underdog sports story? The timing of this World Cup Rugby match. I don't pretend to understand Rugby, and you don't need to - it's really about how Nelson Mandela, soon after being released from prison, seizes an opportunity to use rugby to help unite South Africa.
After years of repression, apartheid, white supremacy rule, the Blacks had elected Mandela as their new president of South Africa. Both white and black radicals wanted revenge, power - violence was breaking out. How to stop it? By using the very symbol of white racism - the South African rugby team - Nelson Mandela gave everyone something they could support, a cause to rally behind. It ain't crazy if it works, and this actually worked. He got the blacks to see the rugby team as belonging to all of South Africa, no longer something that only the whites would watch.
What makes this book work so well are the characters behind the history. Of course the successful change from white rule to free elections was made possible by more than just a rugby game, but the author shows how many different approaches Nelson Mandela used to ensure peace. The focus is on the people - the game, the politics and strife remain in the background. This is not by any means an exhaustive history of the end of apartheid, but rather a very compelling piece of that story. Very uplifting and motivating, that in of itself, makes for a good read.
