Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My LifeHarper Collins, 2009 M03 17 - 288 pages James Blake's life was getting better every day. A rising tennis star and People magazine's Sexiest Male Athlete of 2002, he was leading a charmed life and loving every minute of it. But all that ended in May 2004, when Blake fractured his neck in an on-court freak accident. As he recovered, his father—who had been the inspiration for his tennis career—lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, Blake was dealt a third blow when he contracted zoster, a rare virus that paralyzed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardized career. In Breaking Back, Blake provides a remarkable account of how he came back from this terrible heartbreak and self-doubt to become one of the top tennis players in the world. A story of strength, passion, courage, and the unbreakable bonds between a father and son, Breaking Back is a celebration of one extraordinary athlete's indomitable spirit and his inspiring ability to find hope in the bleakest of times. |
From inside the book
... knew it could be our last holiday together, before the unit would become forever incomplete. Being in my father's presence had always made me feel safe, and somehow he was able to project that aura even though he had begun to shrink in ...
... knew he would find too beautiful for words. Not long before I came home for Christmas, I was in Europe at the indoor tournaments that dominate the last months of the tennis season. Reflecting back on my year, I began to 26 BREAKING BACK.
... knew me for my hair. I was a very recognizable presence on the ATP tour—not just because I was one of the very few African Americans out there, but also because I had a pretty serious network of dreadlocks protruding Medusa-style from ...
... knew that my appearance, as much as my tennis, was what sold the agency on me in the first place, and my hair was a big part of that equation. Although Carlos had seen me play, it was, I've been told, a USAToday sports section cover ...
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
It Could Be Worse | 35 |
Requiem for a Superman | 63 |
Five Minutes of Hitting | 115 |
Plan B | 147 |
If You Can Win One Set | 175 |
You Can Win Two 175 7 Fire It Up One Time Bam 203 8 Getting Better 241 Epilogue 257 Glossary | 265 |