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| The dream. |
His autobiography, written in collaboration with the skilful
James Knight is an honest, funny and genuinely amusing tale of this remarkable
yet humble human being.
His unsullied name, untarnished personality, million dollar
smile and drop dead gorgeous looks synchronized with his express fast bowling which
resulted into a glorious cricketing career
and of course, a huge fan following.
The story of the speedster takes us back to the time when
cricket wasn’t all about money and other extravagant attractions, when cricket
was indeed a religion in India. The book narrated about his undying passion for
fast bowling and all the hard work that he put himself through to achieve his
dream.
He unfurled various stories, incidents, clashes, his trials ,
moments of triumph and shared many heartfelt moments of his life with the
readers. Lee narrated about his childhood companionship with his two brothers
and how they troubled their parents with their playfulness. Lee recalls the
days when his parents encouraged him to follow his passion and how they were
always so supportive.
Lee further takes us on an adventure of his evolution as a
cricketer, his success in the cricket world that lead him to his baggy green,
his yellows , the controversies, his epic battle with the recurring painful
injuries that eventually made him drop out of the team for months and
so much more.
The book highlights his physical, emotional and mental
attributes. His love, failed marriage
and eventual heart break and how it deteriorated his professional career. His
comeback to the international cricket (which I found absolutely inspiring !),
was an illustrious event of his life which undoubtedly gives him the status of a legend . He must
have left few readers motivated and awe struck for how he healed himself and
got back up!
The book unfolds his fondness for India and its people since
he devoted one whole section to his experiences in the country, immense love
that he received from the Indians, his connection with the country. In one of
his interviews, he stated , “ India and its people have treated me like a
son.” No wonder the man has immense
respect for the country and have bowled over fans here, along with the stumps.
The incidents revealed in this section of the book brings a smile on the
face as one imagines the exhilarating
amount of love people in the country have for Lee.
Lee unveils his passion for music too and explains how
playing his guitar and producing music releases his tension and rejuvenates his
mind and soul. He reckons if music is taken out from his life, he’d be
devastated.
Known as one of the fastest bowlers in the world, Brett Lee,
nicknamed Binga , also falls into the category of the most liked cricketers,
mostly because of his charming looks, off field generosity as well as spine
chilling bowling coupled with that staunching attitude on the field that intimidates
batsmen all over the world. He’s brutal on the field yet the book speaks about
some beautiful friendships he has built with cricketers.
One facet of Lee’s persona which I found exceptionally praiseworthy was how much devoted he is to his
family, his parents, brothers, friends and his son, Preston, who he describes
as his best friend and takes pride in talking about him.
It's a finely written book, which inspires us to work day and night, relentlessly, till we reach our goal and fulfill our dream.
It portrays the life of a man and not just a cricketer, such a man,
who’d never cheat in his career or life, whatsoever. A man who might fall a
million times yet he’d stand right on his feet in the end.A man who is loved beyond
boundaries. A man who is has touched the sky yet never left the ground A man
who is brutally honest about himself. A man who’d melt your heart with this
exemplary story of his life.
In a
nutshell, it’s a delightful read !
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