--- product_id: 322396 title: "Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation" price: "KD 8.77" currency: KWD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/322396-invictus-nelson-mandela-and-the-game-that-made-a-nation store_origin: KW region: Kuwait --- # Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation **Price:** KD 8.77 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation - **How much does it cost?** KD 8.77 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.kw](https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/322396-invictus-nelson-mandela-and-the-game-that-made-a-nation) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation [Carlin, John] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation Review: Intense stare into the heart of the man and the matter - John Carlin is an intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful journalist; who worked as a foreign correspondent in South Africa. As the end of Apartheid beckoned, a revolution was occurring in the most unlikely of places: Robben Island, the Alcatraz-like prison island off Cape Town where the country's most dangerous prisoner, number 46664, was beginning to charm his captors. People think Nelson Mandela emerged from jail an inspired man. It's the other way. He went into jail on a moral high that he never buckled from. He held his head up, refused special privileges unless they were shared by all the prisoners and refused to negotiate as a prisoner "who has no rights". Through his Afrikaans warders he realised that to charm the devil (that were the ministers responsible for Apartheid) he needed to speak their language. So he taught himself Afrikaans, like part of his morning fitness routine that he continued until he physically couldn't anymore, including waking at 4am. He realised that rugby was the lifeblood of this white tribe of Africa, the Afrikaaners. And, just a year into the country's profound change over to democracy, after Mandela had been elected in a world-defining moment, Madiba enacted what was to be the greatest act of nation-building: embracing, endorsing, impersonating the Springboks. The national rugby team, long excluded from the global game because of sporting sanctions against Apartheid, become the surprise winners in their first return to the World Championship by beating the much-fancied, old foe, the All Blacks. Clad in black, the iconic New Zealand team had been supported by black South Africa through the dark days. Now, the leader of the country, the man whose image was never seen in the years flour-bombs rained down on New Zealand fields to stop South African tours, had become the very face of this formerly white, formerly representing everything oppressive about the Afrikaaners. It was a triumph of good timing, and simple humanity. It was as profound a gesture as it was a marvel of human dignity. The president of the country got behind his other boys (the national soccer team is known as Bafana Bafana, meaning the boys) and by appearing before final in the matching number 6 jersey of captain Francois Pienaar, spurred the Springboks on to a famous victory that will live forever in the annals of sporting triumph, and, so deservedly, in the history of South Africa's inspiration leader, the recently passed away Nelson Mandela. John Carlin is a gifted writer, who tells this intoxicating story as if you're sitting in the room listening to Mandela tell a young Pienaar that he had to win the game because the nation depended on it. You're on the front lines of this truly remarkable story of Mandela's almost divine power of forgiveness to heal his nation and unite his people. It's a wonderful read, one of the closest to this truly, truly amazing man that Nelson Mandela was. It should be everyone's festive season read. A reminder of the greatness of one man, who united a nation, and brought them all into a new era of democracy, freedom and the Springboks beating the best in the world. Review: An Amazing Individual: Nelson Mandela - This book should be read by everyone. What an awesome tribute to Nelson Mandala this publication has been. Amazingly, the South African rugby team played an integral role in the psychological impact of unification. Better than a Greek drama, start reading today. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,449,074 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #16 in South African History #35 in Rugby (Books) #917 in Discrimination & Racism | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 839 Reviews | ## Images ![Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61NSOiWJRkL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intense stare into the heart of the man and the matter *by S***K on December 17, 2013* John Carlin is an intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful journalist; who worked as a foreign correspondent in South Africa. As the end of Apartheid beckoned, a revolution was occurring in the most unlikely of places: Robben Island, the Alcatraz-like prison island off Cape Town where the country's most dangerous prisoner, number 46664, was beginning to charm his captors. People think Nelson Mandela emerged from jail an inspired man. It's the other way. He went into jail on a moral high that he never buckled from. He held his head up, refused special privileges unless they were shared by all the prisoners and refused to negotiate as a prisoner "who has no rights". Through his Afrikaans warders he realised that to charm the devil (that were the ministers responsible for Apartheid) he needed to speak their language. So he taught himself Afrikaans, like part of his morning fitness routine that he continued until he physically couldn't anymore, including waking at 4am. He realised that rugby was the lifeblood of this white tribe of Africa, the Afrikaaners. And, just a year into the country's profound change over to democracy, after Mandela had been elected in a world-defining moment, Madiba enacted what was to be the greatest act of nation-building: embracing, endorsing, impersonating the Springboks. The national rugby team, long excluded from the global game because of sporting sanctions against Apartheid, become the surprise winners in their first return to the World Championship by beating the much-fancied, old foe, the All Blacks. Clad in black, the iconic New Zealand team had been supported by black South Africa through the dark days. Now, the leader of the country, the man whose image was never seen in the years flour-bombs rained down on New Zealand fields to stop South African tours, had become the very face of this formerly white, formerly representing everything oppressive about the Afrikaaners. It was a triumph of good timing, and simple humanity. It was as profound a gesture as it was a marvel of human dignity. The president of the country got behind his other boys (the national soccer team is known as Bafana Bafana, meaning the boys) and by appearing before final in the matching number 6 jersey of captain Francois Pienaar, spurred the Springboks on to a famous victory that will live forever in the annals of sporting triumph, and, so deservedly, in the history of South Africa's inspiration leader, the recently passed away Nelson Mandela. John Carlin is a gifted writer, who tells this intoxicating story as if you're sitting in the room listening to Mandela tell a young Pienaar that he had to win the game because the nation depended on it. You're on the front lines of this truly remarkable story of Mandela's almost divine power of forgiveness to heal his nation and unite his people. It's a wonderful read, one of the closest to this truly, truly amazing man that Nelson Mandela was. It should be everyone's festive season read. A reminder of the greatness of one man, who united a nation, and brought them all into a new era of democracy, freedom and the Springboks beating the best in the world. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Amazing Individual: Nelson Mandela *by O***D on January 26, 2026* This book should be read by everyone. What an awesome tribute to Nelson Mandala this publication has been. Amazingly, the South African rugby team played an integral role in the psychological impact of unification. Better than a Greek drama, start reading today. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's such an interesting historical book *by I***E on October 11, 2013* It's a nice book, well redacted and also shows an interesting point of view about the creation of the new democratic South Africa. This book is not only about a game and about a world champion, is more than that, this book is about how one extremely rare type of person achieved one of the modern miracles, a revolution without a civil war. The book also try to explain how is it possible that a sport could be so gratified and also so important in South Africa's history and also shows how it is possible to be such a great person as it is Nelson Mandela and how he conquers his enemies without the use of any violence and only with the use of friendship and respect. I highly recommend this book to all kind of readers as an important part of universal knowledge and to remember how to manage your goals in a different way than to using any kind of violence ## Frequently Bought Together - Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation - The Odyssey - A Little History of the World (Little Histories) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/322396-invictus-nelson-mandela-and-the-game-that-made-a-nation](https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/322396-invictus-nelson-mandela-and-the-game-that-made-a-nation) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kuwait* *Store origin: KW* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*