Quiet Time With The President: A Doctor’s Story About Learning To Listen by Peter Friedland and Jill Margo is a moving and deeply personal memoir that explores the intersection of medicine, politics, and the emotional weight of living in a country marked by trauma and transformation.
Dr Peter Friedland, a respected ENT specialist, had the rare privilege of serving on Nelson Mandela’s medical team, monitoring the former president’s hearing. But their relationship went beyond patient and doctor—through candid, often probing conversations, Mandela challenged Friedland to reflect on his values, his fears, and the moral complexities of life in post-apartheid South Africa.
As a physician who regularly treated victims of violent crime—and who experienced personal tragedy when his own family was affected—Friedland wrestled with feelings of despair and anxiety about the country’s future. Ultimately, he made the heart-wrenching decision to emigrate to Australia, and this book captures the emotional journey that led him there.
Rich with insight and humility, Quiet Time With The President is not just a story of leaving, but of listening—deeply, thoughtfully—to the wisdom of one of the world’s greatest leaders, and to the quiet inner voice that shapes the biggest decisions of our lives.
