BOOK REVIEW

BOOKS OF THE YEAR, NO. 10-6

WE’VE reached the top ten sports books of the year and we start with two that focus on the noble art of boxing…

Mark Kram’s outstanding biography, Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier presents the bull-like Frazier as a character in his own right. This is biography at its very best: weaving sport into an often tempestuous contemporary political background, sprinkling it with other newsworthy items, many of which now feel decidedly historic, so adding texture and depth to a captivating tale.

Donald McRae has written two of the very best boxing-related books ever published (Dark Trade and A Man’s World). In his latest work, In Sunshine or in Shadow, he again applies his effective, but nonetheless magical approach to explain how, against a backdrop of extreme violence and murder, Gerry Storey created an oasis of peace and calm where young men could learn the noble art and arm themselves with a skill capable of guiding them out of Northern Ireland’s extended nightmare. It’s compelling stuff.

The title of Richard Askwith’s Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied the Nazis in the World’s Most Dangerous Horse Race might be a mouthful, but what a great story – one worthy of the silver screen.

The true story is set in the 1930s as Czechoslovakia prepared for German invasion and Hitler’s dreams for the Third Reich appeared increasingly plausible. By October 1937, many Czechs, assuming the worst, turned their attention instead to the Grand Pardubice steeplechase, the world’s most demanding horse race.

Enter 41-year-old Lata Brandisova and her beloved horse, Norma. The finish will bring a lump to your throat.

Football Hackers, by Christoph Biermann, is a brilliant, thoughtprovoking read conceived when he watched Barcelona defeat Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 Champions League final.

Biermann was quick to identify the roots of their uber-effective tactics that night as being first taught under the guise of Total Football by Johan Cruyff at Ajax in the 1970s. This original idea has blossomed into an outstanding read.

Derek Hammond and Gary Silke have written Got Not Got Football Gift Book, sub-titled ‘Every fan’s catalogue of desires’ for those of us who remember how things used to be back in the day.

It is an absolute joy if you recall the wonder of Subbuteo, the Football League Review or those orange Vernons Pools Mobile Information Units occasionally spotted outside the ground. On top of this, there’s magazine covers from Goal and Shoot as well as players from almost every club.

To read full reviews of each book, visit www.sportsbookofthemonth. com