Playing the Enemy

John Carlin gives an inspirational history of Nelson Mandela's rise and the end of apartheid in South Africa, focusing on a key rugby World Cup match early in Mandela's presidency. Gideon Emery's narration is vigorous, clear, and well paced, as energetic as a sportscast, but he could have better modulated its intensity and dynamics. The heightened tone at times becomes tiring. He has only two variants from his normal voice to indicate other speakers so that nearly everyone sounds the same--gruff. However, due to his South African background, he can provide Boer accents and pronounce African and Boer words and names correctly, a very strong plus. Overall, a stirring reading of a stirring book. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine