Mandela and the General

November 1, 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

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September 1, 2018
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.

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October 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.

October 15, 2018
As South Africa correspondent for London's The Independent (1989-95), Carlin draws on his personal trove of interviews and reportage to highlight the pivotal moment of world-affecting history when Nelson Mandela and General Constand Viljoen saved their newly apartheid-free country from bloody collapse. Mandela's 1990 release after 27 years of incarceration was met by South Africa's elite as a threat to white supremacy. Viljoen, head of the South African Defence Force, 1980-85, was a fervent detractor: "I was a soldier, he was a terrorist. He was my number one enemy . . . My duty was to defend white civilization," which meant abandoning retirement to lead the "new Afrikaner freedom struggle." Viljoen planned war. Mandela offered peace?and won. Catalan artist Malet's visuals capture Carlin's intense narrative in shades of gold, blue, red, and black, mixing photographic details with looser images and breaking panel borders to underscore immediacy. His multihued maps of the African continent are especially affecting. Back matter includes article reprints, photos, and a time line to provide additional context.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)