Book
Review
Sitharaam
Jayakumar’s third book is titled A to Z of Men and Women who Excelled in
Sports. The 26 biographies were written for an A to Z challenge for
bloggers organised by a blogger community. Jayakumar has compiled them into an
elegant e-book.
One of the
best things about Jayakumar’s writing is its eminent readability. To be able to
write without placing obstacles between the writer’s notions and the reader’s
mind is a precious gift and Jayakumar possesses it. Most of the biographies in
this book read like fascinating tales that keep you glued. Even those who are
not interested in sportspersons – people like me, for instance – will be hooked
to this book precisely because of the way the author presents the lives.
During my
childhood I was an admirer of Bobby Fischer because I learnt the subtleties of
chess from a book written by him. I found the book in my father’s collection
and spent quite much of my annual vacation on some of the challenging positions
the book threw at the reader. The first part of the book also had some valuable
instructions for the aspiring chess champions. I did not become a chess player
of any repute. I did not even win any competition. (I never participated in
any, so there was no question of losing either.) But I played chess with my
siblings occasionally and later on with a few friends. Now when I read about
Fischer’s life presented by Jayakumar I was quite stunned. Bobby Fischer
acquired quite a different image in my imagination. “The twisted genius of
chess” is what Jayakumar calls him and the biography illustrates the reason.
Jayakumar has
chosen equally interesting figures for all the 26 chapters in the book. They
belong to various sports and games. They belong to different generations. Most important
of all, they all have some qualities or attributes that attract the attention
of a reader who may not be particularly interested in sports and games. This is
because Jayakumar knows how to tell stories. His first two books were novellas.
I reviewed them both and mentioned in both my reviews that the author is “a
good story teller”. That wonderful skill makes this book fascinating to read.
The book
presents the complex dimensions of the characters it deals with. Look at this
paragraph, for example:
‘Not one to fear the white establishment, (Muhammed)
Ali also said, “I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used
to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my
goals, my own; get used to me.”’
And here’s
another example:
Sachin (Tendulkar) is sometimes irritated by the fact
that he cannot walk freely on the streets of Mumbai, which is the price he has
had to pay for the name and fame he has earned. He is known to sometimes take a
drive around Mumbai late in the night after most of the city has gone to sleep.
Biographies of
achievers always inspire us one way or another. Some biographies make us wonder
about the complexity of human natures. Jayakumar has succeeded in capturing
those complexities and that makes his book outstanding.
The book can be downloaded here.
The book appears to be worth reading Sir. You are right that biographies of achievers always inspire us in one way or the other and certain ones make us wonder about the complexity of human nature as well. All the same, if some unlucky one who remains an underachiever in his life despite talent and efforts, reading (or knowing about) such stuff may prove to be frustrating also for him.
ReplyDeleteNeed not be so either. Because even the winners have had their lows and struggles which can be inspiring.
DeleteVery nice review sir, i have completed reading this book almost sixty percent , i have got it for the review from Blogchatter and i am really enjoying reading it.
ReplyDelete