Product Description
The true story of Peter Marshall, a champion squash player who, at the peak of his career, was struck down with chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness with no treatment and no known cure. After an agonising period of recovery, he was forced to decide between the huge insurance payout or risking everything on an uncertain comeback attempt. If he played just one professional match, he would forfeit the money. He chose to play. From the elation of victories to the despair of being too weak to walk across a room, the author examines chronic fatigue syndrome, and offers one man's battle as a beacon of hope to other sufferers.
From the Author
Read on to find out more about this inspiring storyBelow you can read quotes from press reviews of Shattered, two full reviews from the Sunday Times and the Sunday Express, the book sleeve notes and the foreword by Jonah Barrington
You don’t have to be a top sportsman or a squash fan to appreciate Marshall’s story. It stands as an example of hope and determination to similar sufferers in any walk of life. The Sunday Times
‘A sad, funny and always absorbing autobiography. It’s a book about life. And a very good one at that.’ The Sunday Express
A fascinating read. No serious squash player should be without it. Squash Now
‘Shattered’ is a real inspiration to anyone having, or living with CFS/ME. It is proof that, with careful management, and immense patience, a full recovery is possible. Association of Young People with ME
‘An Inspiring read.’ The Glasgow Herald
‘The most inspiring sports story of the last ten years’ Jonah Barrington
‘One of the greatest untold sports stories of the past ten years.’ The Leicester Mercury
SHATTERED has also been hailed as Book Of The Week in The Independent.
Full reviews from the Sunday Times and the Sunday Express
The Sunday Times David Harbord
THE ROAD has been long and hard, but you have reached the peak of fitness and are within touching distance of being acclaimed as world No 1 in your sport.
Suddenly a mystery illness strikes and that world comes crashing down.
That was the fate that befell Peter Marshall, a champion squash player from Nottinghamshire who, aged 23, was ranked second only to Khan, possibly the greatest-ever exponent of the sport.
Marshall had taken several drubbings from the master in their regular meetings on the tiring world squash circuit, but with each one he had learned a little more and reached the point of physical and mental fitness where he felt the ultimate prize was only a few matches away.
Then Marshall was hit by a debilitating physical and mental tiredness. It was later diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness he had hardly heard of, but it left him barely able to walk upstairs, never mind compete with the best in the world over five games of squash.
This is the inspiring story of Marshall’s four years in a bewildering wilderness and how he eventually found his way out of it.
Those years of struggle should have seen him at the peak of his career, and the physical pain was nothing compared with the mental anguish. A succession of doctors and health experts could not point to a definite cure.
Marshall would rest for months, but then feel no better.
Eventually he faced an agonising decision: accept his squash career was over and collect £250,000 compensation from his insurers on condition he did not raise a racket in earnest again, or risk an uncertain comeback.
Marshall chose the latter and in learning to live with his illness he discovered how to pace himself in life as well as in sport. Playing his unique double-handed style, he fought back to become British national champion and is again competing with the best in the world.
Although he accepts he cannot recapture that early zeal, he feels he is a more rounded person for it. You don’t have to be a top sportsman or a squash fan to appreciate Marshall’s story. It stands as an example of hope and determination to similar sufferers in any walk of life.
Sunday Express by Matthew Dunn
Chris Tarrant eat your heart out. Peter Marshall world No2 squash player, here is your question for £250,000.
You have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, do you decide to give up the career you have worked at since you were a child?
If you had answered yes, you walk away with quarter of a million pounds in compensation. But you said no and - more in keeping with the weakest link - you go away with nothing.
Except there was to be no dismissive "Goodbye".
Instead, he defeated the odds and an as yet incurable illness to re-establish himself as the British national champion and one of the top ten players in the world.
Squash is low profile and depressingly few would recognise Marshall in the street. But thanks to this sad, funny and always absorbing autobiography, at least now people will recognise what he has fought against.
One of the sport's legends, Jonah Barrington, describes his tale as "the most inspiring sports story of the last ten years".
True, he is slightly biased having contributed the foreword himself. But he is not far from the truth in these days when sportsmen trot out a book as soon as they hit the headlines.
Marshall has a real story to tell and while it has a relatively happy ending, the twists and turns are such that is really does stand out in the genre of sporting literature. This is not a book about squash, it is a book about life. And a very good one at that.
Shattered Sleeve Notes
Imagine being a star athlete like Pete Sampras or Tiger Woods, at the peak of your career, only to be forced out of the game by a devastating, mysterious illness.
Imagine plummeting from being one of the fittest sportsmen in the world to feeling exhausted from simply walking upstairs.
Peter Marshall was a champion squash player. He was ranked number two in the world.
Then, suddenly, his life was blown apart by chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness with no known cure. For four traumatic years, this incredible athlete was out in the wilderness as he fought to recover from this crippling disease.
Eventually, he faced an agonising choice: accept his career was over and take quarter of a million pounds compensation from his insurance company, or risk everything on an uncertain comeback attempt.
If he played just one professional match, he would forfeit the money.
He chose to play.
It was a fairytale return with Marshall becoming British national champion and rocketing back into the world top ten.
Shattered tells Marshall’s story, from the elation of victories over stars like Jahingir Khan and Peter Nicol to the despair of fearing he would never play again.
It examines chronic fatigue syndrome and offers one man’s battle as a beacon of hope to other sufferers.
The book also explores the world of squash with fascinating insights into its greatest characters such as Jonah Barrington, Jansher Khan and Jonathan Power.
Shattered is a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit over incredible odds, a gripping and inspiring true story told through the eyes of one of the world’s top sportsmen.
Nick Kehoe is a news journalist with Carlton Television, and a keen squash fan. He is the author of Kicking With Both Feet, along with Frank Clark.
Shattered Foreword by Jonah Barrington
When I think of the Peter Marshall story I find it hard not to get angry.
The man is truly amazing, but he’s been treated very shabbily. To battle through four years of debilitating illness and then come back to demolish some of the best players in the world is a wonderful achievement.
It would have been astonishing if someone had done it in darts or snooker; to do it in a high-energy sport like squash is scarcely believable.
The disappointing part is that he’s not only had to overcome his illness, he’s also had to battle with the stupidity and prejudice of people who should have been there to support him.
There are many doctors and journalists who should now be feeling ashamed. In the end, perhaps their lack of understanding doesn’t matter, for Peter succeeded without them.
In doing so, he’s provided us with the most remarkable and inspiring sports story of the last ten years.
Everyone who knows this formidable character as well as I do will be delighted he came through. No one, however, will be in the least surprised, for he has an iron will.
I first met Peter when he was only eight years old.
His squash coach had asked me if I would take a look at this curious little fellow who’d been mowing down players twice his age.
He was so tiny I nicknamed him Mighty Mouse.
He wasn’t strong enough to hold the heavy wooden racket properly so he played two handed. I went on court expecting a gentle knock around and was amazed at what I saw.
He hit the ball like an arrow down both wings, very fast and with incredible accuracy. He had a stronger basic game and a greater understanding of squash than any kid I’ve ever seen.
I went home thinking I had met someone very special.
That initial impression was reinforced every time I met him over the following years as he advanced through the junior ranks.
I coached him at numerous national squad sessions and was always impressed with his talent and dedication.
He matured into a world class performer and by the age of 23 the world of squash was his for the taking. Then came the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome.
It’s a measure of his willpower that he played on for a year feeling tired and lethargic before his health finally gave way.
Had he remained fit there is no doubt in my mind that he would have become world number one and dominated the game for several years. Sadly, those precious years were to be spent in a fruitless search for a cure.
His pligh
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