Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas... A Review

My initial thought on reading Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas  was "Why"? Anyone who watched as little football as me even knew that it was a dangerous sport. How could a guy NOT get hurt ramming into another player with their head? Obviously, the NFL would try to marginalize the extent of the injuries for the public, but take care of their players... right? But then I kept seeing press for the movie. Definitely not my cup of tea - I'm not a football fan. But with all the coverage of this little book, and noticing that a copy of the book was sitting on the new book shelf at the library, I checked it out. And, how surprised was I that I was really enjoying the book! Not so much for the eye opening account of the NFL covering up their knowledge of the effects of concussions on their players, although the lengths the NFL went to do that was amazing and an incredible story in itself, but for the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu himself. His origins in war torn Nigeria are stuff movies are made of, and his journey to becoming the forensic pathologist that would change the world view on injuries to the brain is simply put, amazing. The story of how Dr. Omalu grew from a boy into a man, how his family and especially his father helped shape him, helps us understand the kind of person that would fight for what he believes in, and in this case, he believed (AND had irrefutable proof) that repeated head trauma caused serious long term health problems. The implications were catastrophic for a sport that glorified its toughness. But this also meant there was a significant danger to young children (high school and college age players) who participated in football.

What did I think of Concussion? I thought it was a great read! The writing was wonderful and reminded me a bit of Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, the way it flowed and kept my interest from start to finish. You know, sometimes nonfiction books can be dry, but this definitely was not. Jeanne Marie Laskas' writing just drew me in, even with a subject I had no initial interest in.  My favorite parts of the book were about Bennet Omalu growing up in Nigeria (frightening in respect to every day life in war torn Nigeria and interesting in respect to learning about his culture), his adjustments to life in America (so funny at times and so sad at other times) and how he met his wife and "pursued" her (definitely funny, and so much a "guy thing"). I found Concussion funny, sad, devastating and enlightening. I learned something about brains, and I learned something about Dr. Omalu's Nigerian culture. This book really has many things to offer, along with some great "real life" characters, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story. No only is this a story about the NFL versus Science (and the little guy from Nigeria who started it all), but it is a story of family, compassion and doing what's right. I give it 4 stars.

Memoir Monday... Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas... Jeanne Marie Laskas first met the young forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2009, while reporting a story for GQ that would go on to inspire the movie Concussion. Omalu told her about a day in September 2002, when, in a dingy morgue in downtown Pittsburgh, he picked up a scalpel and made a discovery that would rattle America in ways he’d never intended. Omalu was new to America, chasing the dream, a deeply spiritual man escaping the wounds of civil war in Nigeria. The body on the slab in front of him belonged to a fifty-year-old named Mike Webster, aka “Iron Mike,” a Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the greatest ever to play the game. After retiring in 1990, Webster had suffered a dizzyingly steep decline. Toward the end of his life, he was living out of his van, tasering himself to relieve his chronic pain, and fixing his rotting teeth with Super Glue. How did this happen?, Omalu asked himself. How did a young man like Mike Webster end up like this? The search for answers would change Omalu’s life forever and put him in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful corporations in America: the National Football League. What Omalu discovered in Webster’s brain—proof that Iron Mike’s mental deterioration was no accident but a disease caused by blows to the head that could affect everyone playing the game—was the one truth the NFL wanted to ignore.

Taut, gripping, and gorgeously told, Concussion is the stirring story of one unlikely man’s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar colossus, and to tell the world the truth.

In sports, you hear horror stories about steroid use and the after effects, and a myriad of other drugs, but you never hear too much about concussions. Boxer Muhammed Ali's form of Parkinson's disease was blamed on injuries to the brain caused by fighting, but even then traumatic brain injury was not heard too loudly. This book seems to bring light to a delicate subject and maybe one we should be talking about more with our children who play these contact sports.

Further reading... Before the book, in 2009, Jeanne Marie Laskas published a story in GQ magazine called, Bennet Omalu, Concussions, and the NFL: How One Doctor Changed Football Forever about Dr. Bennet Omalu. And in 2011, she wrote another story for GQ called The People versus Football about Star linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, Fred McNeill, and how repeated concussions altered his life. These brain injuries are frightening, heartbreaking, sad and devastating for the men and the families of these men.

Reading right now and not what I expected. Dr. Omalu is very interesting and his background is amazing. Will be reviewing this soon...