George Best: Blessed the Autobiography is the self told life story of George Best’s soccer career, personal life, and public life through his voice and point of view. Being the first major pop icon in professional soccer, Best went through moments of fame, and moments of shame. The scope of the book is too relive and explain all of his glories, but more so his perspective and reasoning for his shames (the drinking, partying, and girls).
The main thesis of Best’s autobiography was to always remember the good times, and never let the bad outweigh or overtake the good in life. A slight amount of bias came out when best was describing his ‘not so great memories’. When describing them he would refer to the situation as if it was not that big of a deal, and usually blamed the overreaction regarding the situation on the media hyping it up to something it was not. His positive memories were modestly described, but in significant detail. When describing his memories his use of imagery allowed me to get a clear of what he was describing in my head. Best’s main contentions were to share the glorious experiences he had as a professional soccer player for one of the best teams in the world, but also to focus in on the dark troubles he had experienced with alcohol. His main focus was to explain the negative stereotype he had come to earn. Best explains all of his incidents truthfully, holding back no details. He also tries to explain and piece together how the events of his life steered him into the path of an alcoholic.
The major strength of the book was Best’s honest tone throughout the retelling of his memories. I really got a sense of truthfulness, and a ‘one on one’ feeling through his diction and tone. This is most apparent when Best opens up about his struggles with alcoholism, and his near death experience. Another strength was the use of imagery when he would describe his glory days playing for Manchester United. The details in describing the stadiums and crowds were explained with so much detail that it allowed me to get a better understanding of what Best was experiencing during his playing moments as professional player. The major weakness of the book was the transitions of events. I felt that when Best would introduce moving to a new squad, or a new business he had started the transition was too sudden (there could have been more background information of how this came about).
The book is a great read for any soccer fan; especially a Manchester United fan. In the sport category for literature most autobiographies are about the challenge of becoming a pro, usually with an inspirational story. Having read other motivational sports stories, this particular autobiography falls short of that inspiring standard, but regardless it is an excellent read on one of the greatest athletes to play the game.
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ReplyDeleteGeorge Best: Blessed the Autobiography is the self told life story of George Best’s soccer career, personal life, and public life through his voice and point of view. Being the first major pop icon in professional soccer, Best went through moments of fame, and moments of shame. The scope of the book is too relive and explain all of his glories, but more so his perspective and reasoning for his shames (the drinking, partying, and girls).
ReplyDeleteThe main thesis of Best’s autobiography was to always remember the good times, and never let the bad outweigh or overtake the good in life. A slight amount of bias came out when best was describing his ‘not so great memories’. When describing them he would refer to the situation as if it was not that big of a deal, and usually blamed the overreaction regarding the situation on the media hyping it up to something it was not. His positive memories were modestly described, but in significant detail. When describing his memories his use of imagery allowed me to get a clear of what he was describing in my head. Best’s main contentions were to share the glorious experiences he had as a professional soccer player for one of the best teams in the world, but also to focus in on the dark troubles he had experienced with alcohol. His main focus was to explain the negative stereotype he had come to earn. Best explains all of his incidents truthfully, holding back no details. He also tries to explain and piece together how the events of his life steered him into the path of an alcoholic.
The major strength of the book was Best’s honest tone throughout the retelling of his memories. I really got a sense of truthfulness, and a ‘one on one’ feeling through his diction and tone. This is most apparent when Best opens up about his struggles with alcoholism, and his near death experience. Another strength was the use of imagery when he would describe his glory days playing for Manchester United. The details in describing the stadiums and crowds were explained with so much detail that it allowed me to get a better understanding of what Best was experiencing during his playing moments as professional player. The major weakness of the book was the transitions of events. I felt that when Best would introduce moving to a new squad, or a new business he had started the transition was too sudden (there could have been more background information of how this came about).
The book is a great read for any soccer fan; especially a Manchester United fan. In the sport category for literature most autobiographies are about the challenge of becoming a pro, usually with an inspirational story. Having read other motivational sports stories, this particular autobiography falls short of that inspiring standard, but regardless it is an excellent read on one of the greatest athletes to play the game.