Excellent book for graphic novel format. A riveting read which tells a story that needed to be told.

I loved the illustrations in this. I do wish the first half of the book had spent a little more time on Mandela, but I understand that for the impact of the story to be so great, the reader needed to get as into the General's head as possible. A good, succinct insight into a part of post=apartheid South Africa. An informative read.

I unfortunately was unable to read this book before it was archived. But I look forward to grabbing a copy.

'Mandela and the General' by John Carlin with art by Oriol Malet is a graphic novel about Mandela's fight for a peaceful government transition.

When Mandela was released from prison, it was in to a very chaotic country. There were outbreaks of violence and deaths. It could have spiraled in to and open war with who knows how many casualties. Mandela found the one man in the opposition he could talk to and scheduled a series of secret meetings. That man was the white supremacist General Viljoen.

This was a pretty fascinating story. I had heard glimpses of it, but enjoyed reading this account of it. The art is pretty great too, especially when it goes in to full page drawings with the country of South Africa as a character's shadow.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Plough Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A powerful story of political discussions and negotiations during the last years of apartheid. The General is portrayed as a flawed, relatable person who gradually changes some of his destructive beliefs. Artwork suits the characters and situation well and is pleasing. I found the book both educational and well written.

A graphic comic about the beginning of the new democratic South Africa

The chronical comic was from 1989 (the last days of Apartheid South Africa) to 1995 (newly democratic South Africa).

Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years of political imprisonment in 1990. He was very worried about the potential civil war between the Whites and the Blacks. He met with the retired General Constance Viljoen, who was once the most powerful man in the South African Defence Force.

Mandela asked Viljoen how they could prevent the war. Viljoen started the new political party to oppose Mandela’s party to become the new government during the 1994 general election.

The whole nation watched with fear as Mandela and Viljoen continued the series of their meetings to impose peace in the post-Apartheid South Africa.

I may have the “fresh memory” in our last days in South Africa and thank the authors for refreshing my memory of what really happened there.

Caesar XIII

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

Graphic novels are a wonderful way to tell history. Not only does the reader get the subtle nuances of the written word, but they also get a graphic representation. This book does both very well. It is engaging without being over-cramped with facts. Beautifully inked. Definite recommend.

How will Mandela stop apartheid in his country? General Constand Vilojen is asked to come out of retirement by the white nationalists In the Afrikaner Resistance Movement. They want him to lead them back in getting the country by force. However Viljoen is seeing Africa covered in blood. He decides to meet Mandela in secret to discuss matters. Will Mandela be successful with General Constand Vilojen?

As a graphic novel, it is excellent portraying Africa and Mandela’s statesmanship. This graphic novel is a concise account of historical events. It is tense yet inspirational telling of this story. It captures the moment of time so
I saw the events differently yet the same. The struggle for democracy was indeed difficult.

Nelson Mandela was a man who inspired millions throughout the end of the 20th century. Even after his death in 2013, Nelson Mandela remains one of the most prominent figures of civil rights alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. However, outside of South Africa and the rest of Africa, not much is known about the anti-apartheid movement such as the formation of the African National Congress, or the ANC, and The National Party.

"Mandela and the General" is a recount of the events that led to democracy in South Africa with the 1994 Election of Nelson Mandela as the country's First President. John Carlin, the author, is the journalist who interviewed both Nelson Mandela and Retired General Constand Viljoen for accuracy of both sides of the events that occurred up until 1999. Events from Nelson Mandela's sentence and eventual release from prison, to General Viljoen's retirement from the military and his eventual involvement with South African politics, and to the assassinations and the street riots are included in this retelling of events. Mandela and General Viljoen were men who became leaders and acted like leaders for the better of all who resided in their country. Both men knew they would have to convince their supporters to do the same thing. Everything you'd expect from a divided country attempting democracy would be going through to get to their first election is recounted by both Mandela and the General, and told to John Carlin.

"Mandela and the General" provides an impressive view into the internal struggles of a country from the points-of-view of two men at opposite ends of the political parties. Readers who are interested in learning more about Nelson Mandela and the Anti-Apartheid Movement, as well as other civil rights leaders, should read this book. Readers who have read historical graphic novels such as the "March" trilogy and "Safe Area Gorazde" will appreciate the artistic depictions and illustrations of the events, done by Oriol Malet, as recalled by those who were there, including John Carlin. This book is a must read for readers of both history and graphic novels.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Nelson Mandela is a historical figure I've always found particularly interesting; of course, we all know that he made huge steps for civil rights in South Africa, but his views on life in general also have been a great source of comfort and inspiration throughout my life. The story of Mandela's imprisonment, freedom, and political life is a very important one, so this graphic novel offers fantastic information that everyone should know! My only complaint is the execution of the story itself—I'm not a fan of this art style in any way at all, and the way the dialogue is scripted felt dry and bland through much of the book. That said, it's still certainly worth picking up.

A worthwhile read that blends beautiful watercolor art with the story of finding peace amid a bloody conflict. I really enjoyed it.

Although I understand the drive to create a visualization of the darkness of apartheid and the struggle that led to its demise, the graphics stink. They are so dark and under-colored that they do not stimulate the imagination at all; in fact, sometimes the drawings are difficult to interpret. The writing is passable, but it leaves out a lot as far as background is concerned. People who weren't alive during apartheid or Mandela's rise to power would likely be completely clueless about what is really going on.

Review posted to Goodreads on 10/7/18 (link below)

I really enjoyed this little graphic novel! It reminded me of the type of book you would read in school - it's a comic so IT'S FUN, KIDS and it's a TRUE STORY, it's HISTORY! The kids are LEARNING!

Mandela and the General is exactly what it sounds like - a story about Nelson Mandela and General Constand Viljoen, the former chief of apartheid South Africa’s military. The story begins when Mandela is released from prison in 1990, after 27 years as a political prisoner, and spans the first few years after his release, when Mandela led the campaign to negotiate an end Apartheid and eventually became South Africa's first democratically elected leader, and a black leader at that.

This graphic novel highlights the violence that accompanied Mandela's campaign, and the human dignity of both Mandela and Viljoen, who is not depicted as a villain (which might have made a better story), but as a man who loved his country just as much as Mandela, even though his political ideology was vastly different.

The narrator of the story is John Carlin himself, a journalist who sits down with both men and interviews them. This book didn't have to have this format; it might have been easier to shape the narrative around Mandela and Viljoen themselves rather than a third party, but it really added another dimension to the story, which sets this graphic novel apart.

It seemed to me that this book was intended for a younger audience, but I would recommend it to anyone who would like an introduction to Nelson Mandela, or generally, readers who enjoy both history and graphic novels.

Release date November 5, 2018. Available for pre-order now.

ARC provided by Plough Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Plough Publishing for forwarding me the unpublished copy of Mandela and the General for review. The book goes in publication on Nov 5th.

This being my second nonfiction graphic novel, I certainly liked this more than my first one on Andy Warhol. The art work is really good and the text is not too "loud" as some graphic novels have. The author manages to capture the essence of relation between Nelson Mandela and General Constand Viljoen. It was through the mutual respect of both the men that they were able to avoid a massive bloodshed between blacks and south African whites. Although, the books does not go into details, a reader can get a good idea of the political situation at that time.

It is a quick read and will make a good gift for young adults or anyone who likes reading nonfiction graphic novels.

There are so many books about Mandela's life and legacy, but I think this one it's the first I see that could be easily read by children and younger audiences as well as adults.
The colour pallet of the illustrations really help bringing the sense of tension to the story, the words were carefully chosen to give the impact needed.
I'd recommend this one to people who is starting to read history, so not to overwhelm with all the other gory details of what happened in South Africa.
Thank you Netgally to sending the book my way in an exchange for an honest review.

I think this may be the first graphic novel I have read. I was impressed by the impact of combined text and illustrations.

This book gives readers a sense of the tension South Africans were experiencing in the mid-1990s. Mandela had been released from prison in 1990 and the first post-apartheid elections were set to take place in 1994. The whites feared reprisal and made ready a militia. A retired general from the South African military, Constand Viljoen, was asked to lead them.

As the book vividly portrays, it looked like violence would ensue. Mandela proposed meeting secretly with Viljoen. How those two would interact would set the stage for the future of South Africa.

I recommend this book to readers as a good way to get insights into the time of transition for South Africa. The text gives the flavor of the feelings of those involved. The illustrations are great, adding an impact one could not experience with text alone. This was a deadly time and some of the illustrations portray murderous scenes. A timeline has been included at the end of the book as well as a short historical vignettes of Mandela, Viljoen and their interaction.

I received a complimentary digital ARC from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Three points I liked about Mandela and the General...

a great showing of how a graphic novel can be complex and timely, addressing world issues through images and text...

polished and poignant illustrations that drive the reader onward, seeking what is to be revealed on the next page....

a professional product I would gladly share with a seasoned or fresh graphic novel reader. This is a powerful story worth sharing.

As a big fan of nonfiction in graphic novel form, this book was easy for me to get excited about. While Mandela as a public figure his highly recognizable, I do believe that a lot of the details on the process of abolishing apartheid is pretty fuzzy for people now.

This book fills this gap by covering a crucial time in South Africa leading up to the first free elections in 1994 with the account of General Viljoen, an Afrikaaner who lead an opposition party. The story sheds light on the genius that was Mandela and how he used his knowledge of people and culture to pursue a path that lead to freedom and peace.

The art work in the book is stunning and really carries the narrative quite powerfully. I really liked the reduced usage of color throughout the book.

That was really good. I liked it a lot. Allways amazing to see different sides of the stories. Learning that was really good. I liked the artstyle too.

I knew who Nelson Mandela was. I was alive during the time these events happened. I had no idea all this was going on. The fact that the peaceful change of government that Mandela accomplished was almost thwarted by an armed "white power" movement was new to me. I had never heard of this General Viljoen. But I am glad now that I do. Reading this book gives me some hope for the future. If a country as divided and fractured as South Africa could come together; if a man who started out hating Mandela and thinking he should get the death penalty came to admire and like him; if that is possible, maybe there is some hope for our future as well. Gripping narrative and interesting artwork. I'd say give this book a read.