BOOK REVIEWS
Historical
The Unforgiven
Ashley Gray
We Rate:
BOOK SYNOPSIS
In the early 1980s, 20 West Indies cricketers were offered rich contracts to take part in rebel tours of apartheid South Africa. Some such as Lawrence Rowe, Colin Croft and Alvin Kallicharran were household names. Others would fringe players seeking a shortcut out of poverty. All would be condemned by the international cricketing fraternity.
Accused of pocketing 'blood Money' to support a regime that systematically discriminated against people of their own colour, they were banned for life from playing the sport they loved. In many cases they were shunned by their fellow countrymen. A few turned to drugs, some turned to God. Others found themselves begging on the streets and struggling with mental illness. Journalist Ashley Gray traveled to the Caribbean to find these forgotten men.
The unforgiven is their story
OUR REVIEW
As someone who works in the Cricket industry, there always going to be of interest to me and having grew up with the game from the 1990's onwards, the downward spiral of the West Indies side has often been a head scratcher, seeing them go from the bad to the unthinkable at times.
What I was perhaps a little bit more unaware of, was the preceding era that produced some of the finest Cricket greats that have graced the game from the likes of Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Viv Richards and many more. But they weren't the only ones.
There were others, others that made the sacrifice. Some for the money, some for the love of the game when they went to play their chosen sport in South Africa, a country at the time in the height of apartheid. At the time, they were very much seen as a disgrace to their countries and their sport but time has been a great healer and history has been kinder to them.
This book charts the lives of each one of the players that went to South Africa, their life growing up, their time with the West Indies and how the majority of them were shunned and branded a disgrace. Some were able to live as normal a life as possible, but others had their lives ruined.
The author has done a tremendous job tracking down the stories of each players, hearing from all sides of the story and telling it like it is. A really engaging read and a great insight into the West Indies as a region, as a cricketing nation and a more worldly view on the apartheid regime.
A fantastic read and really well written and easy to follow, this book is fantastic for cricketing fans all over the world and will keep you engaged and informed throughout.
