Beyond race, faith, politics, class, sex or age, football is the great global religion. One of the most striking phenomena of the early 21st century is how the popularity of the game the British invented 150 years ago has exploded, attracting millions of new devotees. Women everywhere are flocking to the game, as are the hi

White Angels : Beckham, Real Madrid

JOHN CARLIN

Sports & Outdoors

Bloomsbury Pub Ltd

White Angels

Bloomsbury Publishing Pod

Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation

Carlin provides a revealing look at the persuasive genius of Nelson Mandela. In a bold attempt to transcend old hatreds and unite a hopelessly polarized nation, President Mandela lays the groundwork for a miraculous metamorphosis during the 1995 Rugby World Cup at Cape Town.

History

Africa

Recorded Books, Inc. and Blackstone Publishing

<p>What makes a champion? What does it take to be the best in the world at your sport?\nRafael Nadal has the answers. In his memoir, written with award-winning journalist John Carlin, he reveals the secrets of his game and shares the inspiring personal story behind his success.\nIt begins in Mallorca, where the tight-knit Nadal family has lived for generations. Coached by his uncle Toni from the age of four and taught humility and respect by his parents, Nadal has managed the uncommon feat of becoming an acclaimed global celebrity while remaining a gracious, hardworking role model for people in all walks of life.\nNow he takes us behind the scenes, from winning the Wimbledon 2008 final-described by John McEnroe as ""the greatest game of tennis"" he had ever seen-to the family problems that brought him low in 2009 and the numerous injuries that have threatened his career.\nWith candor and intelligence, Nadal brings readers on his dramatic and triumphant journey, never losing sight of the prize he values above all others: the unity and love of his family.\nFrom RAFA:\n""During a match, you are in a permanent battle to fight back your everyday vulnerabilities, bottle up your human feelings. The more bottled up they are, the greater your chances of winning, so long as you've trained as hard as you play and the gap in talent is not too wide between you and your rival. The gap in talent with Federer existed, but it was not impossibly wide. It was narrow enough, even on his favorite surface in the tournament he played best, for me to know that if I silenced the doubts and fears, and exaggerated hopes, inside my head better than he did, I could beat him. You have to cage yourself in protective armor, turn yourself into a bloodless warrior. It's a kind of self-hypnosis, a game you play, with deadly seriousness, to disguise your own weaknesses from yourself, as well as from your rival.""</p>

Rafa

Rafael Nadal

Biographies

Hachette B and Blackstone Publishing

Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius

ATLANTIC BOOKS *

The definitive account of the rise and fall of South African Olympic and Gold Medal-winning Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, from his personal and athletic success to the murder charge that rocked the world and put both the man, and post-Apartheid South Africa, on trial.Oscar Pistorius made history as the first amputee to compete against able-bodied runners at the 2012 London Olympics. A hero in his native South Africa, the “Blade Runner” as he is known for his futuristic prosthetic legs, became a global icon of resilience and determination.But less than a year later, Pistorius rocked the world once again when he shot his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, through a closed bathroom door in the early hours of February14, 2013. Charged with murder, he claimed self-defense, contending that he had acted in a blind panic, imagining an intruder had broken in. But as the investigation moved to trial—during which the prosecution sought to prove that he killed her in a rage after an argument—a picture emerged of a traumatized individual fascinated with guns and assailed, behind the heroic facade, by anguish and self-doubt.Acclaimed journalist John Carlin follows the trials of this fallen champion, detailing his fraught upbringing, his almost superhuman rise to athletic glory, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding Steenkamp’s death. At the center of Pistorius’s story is South Africa—a young democracy stained by a history of racial disparity and levels of criminal violence that are among the highest in the world.Thoughtful and probing, Chase Your Shadow offers a piercing look at this intriguing modern tragedy, bringing to life a complex figure and the troubled land that shaped him.

Chase Your Shadow

Knowing Mandela

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Beginning in a jail cell and ending in a rugby tournament-the true story of how the most inspiring charm offensive in history brought South Africa together. After being released from prison and winning South Africa's first free election, Nelson Mandela presided over a country still deeply divided by fifty years of apartheid. His plan was ambitious if not far-fetched: use the national rugby team, the Springboks-long an embodiment of white-supremacist rule-to embody and engage a new South Africa as they prepared to host the 1995 World Cup. The string of wins that followed not only defied the odds, but capped Mandela's miraculous effort to bring South Africans together again in a hard-won, enduring bond.

Rafa: My Story

<p>No tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He's a rarity in today's sporting arena - a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him. This autobiography, written by Nadal with award-winning journalist John Carlin, includes memorable highlights such as winning the Wimbledon 2008 final in what John McEnroe called, "the greatest game of tennis ever played" and completing a career Grand Slam after winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2010.? This book gives Nadal's millions of fans what they've been waiting for - a glimpse behind the racquet to learn what really makes Nadal - an intensely private person who until now has never talked about his personal and family life - tick.</p>

Racket Sports

SPHERE

In June 1995, Nelson Mandela conquered the hearts of white South Africa and united his country, black and white, behind their rugby team. This book tells the extraordinary story of the journey to that moment. As the day of the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup dawned, and the Springboks faced New Zealand's all-conquering All Blacks, more was at stake than a sporting trophy. When Nelson Mandela appeared wearing a Springboks jersey and led the all-white Afrikaner-dominated team in singing South Africa's new national anthem, he conquered the hearts of white South Africa. "Playing the Enemy" tells the extraordinary human story of how that moment became possible. It shows how a sport, once the preserve of South Africa's Afrikaans-speaking minority, came to unify the new rainbow nation, and tells of how - just occasionally - something as simple as a game really can help people to rise above themselves and see beyond their differences.

Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation

Grove/Atlantic

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by JOHN CARLIN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by JOHN CARLIN

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by JOHN CARLIN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

White Angels : Beckham, Real Madrid

White Angels

Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation

Rafa

Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius

Chase Your Shadow

Knowing Mandela

Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation

Rafa: My Story

Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation