One common aspect of fan fiction is to create a mash-up from two or more series superhero, science fiction, etc. Let's take, for example, NHL Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden in his autobiography, "The Game", coupled with Randle Patrick McMurphy & Billy Bibbit from Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", and mix in a little Wolverine from "X-Men", and you'll probably get something totally bizarre and unreadable. On the other hand, you might end up with Clint Malarchuk's autobiography, "The Crazy Game".
This is NOT your typical athlete (auto)biography. Malarchuk's description of his playing days, and of his hockey-related activities while coaching, take up a remarkably small percentage of the book. Even the moment for which he is best known by even non-hockey fans, when an opposing player's skate accidentally slashed his throat, does not merit a large portion of the book at least not overtly.
On the other hand, how many other athletes would be willing to describe their mental illness, the attempt to identify it, self-cure it (via self-medication), and the time spent in a rehab facility finally getting a handle on his issues?
I would recommend this book not only to hockey fans, but to those who may be fighting mental illnesses such as Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior (OCD) and depression, and to family members who may be facing the results of those conditions in their loved ones.
RATING: 5 stars. This may be the most brutally honest and for some, most important book of the year.
This is NOT your typical athlete (auto)biography. Malarchuk's description of his playing days, and of his hockey-related activities while coaching, take up a remarkably small percentage of the book. Even the moment for which he is best known by even non-hockey fans, when an opposing player's skate accidentally slashed his throat, does not merit a large portion of the book at least not overtly.
On the other hand, how many other athletes would be willing to describe their mental illness, the attempt to identify it, self-cure it (via self-medication), and the time spent in a rehab facility finally getting a handle on his issues?
I would recommend this book not only to hockey fans, but to those who may be fighting mental illnesses such as Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior (OCD) and depression, and to family members who may be facing the results of those conditions in their loved ones.
RATING: 5 stars. This may be the most brutally honest and for some, most important book of the year.
