Game Changer by Paul McNamee

Text Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 9781922147387.
(Age: Secondary) Genre: Autobiography. Theme: Tennis; Dedication; Perseverance; Professional Sport. For a Tennis lover, or for someone interested in Sport Management as a profession, this book makes an interesting read. It is an autobiography, so you cannot avoid the sense of this as a chronological unfolding of events and personal history, rather than a great work of literature. Despite this, it does give insights into the focus required to 'make it' as a professional tennis player and the world of Professional Tennis as an Australian participant.
Paul McNamee gives glimpses of his family background and early years and more detail of his rise to Wimbledon Doubles champion. The detail of his transformation into a Sports Event Management specialist after his playing career was also fascinating. The book does reveal details of the progress of a life lived in pursuit of a dream, but it is not overly emotionally charged. McNamee seems to hint that for him the skill of professional sport is to acknowledge and celebrate wins, but to move on quickly after losses. I would imagine that this book would appeal to a more masculine readership, and for those who appreciate Tennis history.
Carolyn Hull