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My Losing Season
My Losing Season
Oct 4, 2024 11:28 AM

Author:Pat Conroy

My Losing Season

In 1954, in Orlando, Florida, nine-year-old Pat Conroy discovered the game of basketball. Orlando was another new hometown for a military kid who had spent his life transferring from one home to another; he was yet again among strangers, still looking for his first Florida friends, but when the 'new kid' got his hands on the ball near the foul line of that unfamiliar court, the course of his life changed dramatically. From that moment until he was twenty-one, the future author defined himself through the game of basketball. In My Losing Season, Conroy takes the reader through his last year playing basketball, as point guard and captain of The Citadel Bulldogs, flashing back constantly to the drama of his coming of age, presenting all the conflict and love that have been at the core of his novels. He vividly re-creates his senior year at that now-famous military college in Charleston, South Carolina, but also tells the story of his heartbreaking childhood and of the wonderful series of events that conspired to rescue his spirit. With poignancy and humour Conroy reveals the inspirations behind his unforgettable characters, pinpoints the emotions that shaped his own character as a young boy, and ultimately recaptures his passage from athlete to writer.

Reviews

Conroy's prose is sweepingly lyrical-taking on emotionally laden issues in chapters so direct and powerful that readers will be moved by his intimacy with the material, and perhaps astonished by his authority over it

—— Publishers Weekly

The definitive inside account of one of the great sporting comebacks of all time

—— Dan Coyle, author of Lance Armstrong's War

Like a scientist admiring a rare species, Strickland provides probably the most complete and exhaustive exposure of this extraordinary athlete

—— Cycling Weekly

Brilliant. A moving, witty and refreshingly honest account of what sport can and can't do for those not born to be champions

—— Richard Beard

Gutsy and funny

—— Daily Telegraph

Recommended for anyone who has ever struggled with fitness, body shape and life in general

—— Church Times

Searing honesty

—— Daily Telegraph

A different class... superb insight

—— Linda Maher , Sunday Business Post

Compelling, entertaining and woven together with particular style and grace... O'Gara is up with the greats

—— Dave Hannigan , Evening Echo

He should be commended for his frankness. It certainly defines this tome in contrast to the usual drudgery of rugby autobiographies

—— James Corrigan , Independent

Since so many sports efforts in this genre tend to reveal very little, a memoir like O'Gara's, one with real bite and new insight, makes for a markedly refreshing read. The book is laced with fleshy anecdotes. All make for bona fide eyebrow arching, giggle-inducing, page turning stuff

—— Dermot Keyes , Munster Express

It is to O'Gara's credit that his autobiography remains true to his personality. It is a compellingly candid read... There is a sense of singularity about O'Gara that takes him into places others find uncomfortable... few men walk the walk better than Munster and Ireland's No. 10

—— Vincent Hogan , Irish Independent

This engrossing book sails straight between the posts

—— John O'Donnell , Irish Times

Arguably the best Irish book of the year... told with flawless skill

—— Malachy Clerkin , The Sunday Tribune

The perfect present for any rugby fan. It shows the goldfish-bowl aspect to life as a modern-day sporting legend and gives an insight into what it's like on the inside looking out

—— Irish Independent

Whether you are a rugby fan or not, this book is likely to please... This honest autobiography will provide an intriguing read for the Christmas period

—— South Tipp Today

Compelling reading

—— Richard Fitzpatrick , Irish Examiner
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