Justin Fashanu the Biography [Hardcover]

I found this biography of Justin Fashanu so interesting that I wondered why nobody had written his life-story sooner. But I don't think anyone could have improved on way this author handles the dramatic changes of fortune in football stardom, the impact of transracial fostering and racist abuse, and the clash between homosexuality and born-again Christianity, all of which impacted on this vulnerable young man's life.

The author's love for football and his respect and empathy for his subject keep us riveted to each twist and turn of the story, as Fashanu's talent and dedication take him almost to the top, with all the fame and wealth he craved, only for a tragedy of Shakespearean drama and inevitability to unfold. One of a very few black footballers in the late 70s and early 80s, Fashanu was routinely subjected to a daily barrage of racist abuse from the terraces and on the field, that would be a hard test for anyone, let alone someone with a shaky sense of identity from a disrupted early childhood.

Read's meticulous research lets us share as much as can be known about the crises in the young man's life, and the reasons for the choices he and those around him made. He deals clearly and honestly with the difficult issues, keeping a touch of humour and lightness that enables Fashanu's engaging personality to shine through. It is a book that can be read as a fascinating life story, but also offers much to anyone concerned with racism in sport, young care-leavers or mental health.

Football biographies are not something I normally read because so many of them are dreadful, but this is an excellent, readable and in places genuinely gripping book. It is a very well written and thoroughly researched biography of a highly complex sportsman and also paints a vivid and subtle picture of his influence on the history of race relations and of attitudes to gays and lesbians in Britain.

Fashanu's story is itself a fascinating one as a black player at a time when there were very few of them in Britain and crude racism was often unchallenged, and then as the only openly gay footballer anywhere in the world. Jim Read writes very intelligently and refuses to resort to assumption or stereotype in assessing the prejudices faced by Fashanu. He writes, for example, of the culture of banter in sport and of the difference between "...teasing intended to include and taunting intended to exclude." Insights like this give the book balance and a remarkable depth of understanding both of Fashanu himself and of other players, managers and fans. Read does not spare bigoted fans or people like Brian Clough whose homophobic bullying did Fashanu so much damage, but also reports times like when Fashanu played for Airdrie whose fans - a notoriously tough bunch - affectionately chanted "He's black, he's gay, he plays for Air-da-ray, Fashanu, Fashanu," and includes an eloquent photograph of his Airdrie team-mates embracing him after scoring. It is a real achievement to paint a complex picture so clearly.

Fashanu himself was equally complex. Evidence from a lot of people who knew him shows that he could be charming, generous of spirit and kind, but could also be a manipulative, grasping, cruel, self-serving liar. (A one point Read allows himself the wry comment, "When it comes to Justin Fashanu and The Sun it is difficult to figure out the truth.") These aspects are very well portrayed, as is the inner conflict Fashanu felt between his sexuality and his Christian faith, and the tragic story of the weeks leading up to his suicide held me absolutely gripped.

This is in a different league (sorry) to the average sporting biography and sheds genuine and sometimes moving light not only on the story of a unique sportsman but on attitudes in society. There is none of the wading through the endless inconsequential accounts of matches found in a lot of these books. Instead I found myself reading passages like this when Fashanu, playing for Torquay United against West Bromwich was subjected to virulent homophobic chanting by the opposition fans. He scored right in front of them which silenced them completely. Read writes, "...a more profound story was emerging from the action. Fashanu crashed the ball into the net and, in that one moment, the Torquay fans felt a little less bashful about their gay player, the West Bromwich fans a little less scornful. A stereotype was subverted. A brave man was pushing back prejudice." I found that genuinely moving, and the book is full of such insights.

I recommend this very warmly - and not just to those interested in football. This is a story of universal interest and importance, done full justice in a very fine biography.

A gripping and rounded account of a complex life that I really enjoyed. Professionally, I was more likely to be interested in the issues around Justin's sexuality, his childhood and his connection with Norwich. But Jim Reads writing about both football and politics is both erudite and page turning.
Its all the more interesting, in the light of this present tabloid crisis, to see the power of the press then, and his own ambivalent relationship with publicity-seeking, shaping his career and life
Incidentally, the book itself is lovely.. worth spending on it to get the cover, the photos and layout,which you'll miss with the kindle version.