To the Point: the No-Holds-Barred Autobiography Free

FREE TO THE POINT: THE NO-HOLDS-BARRED AUTOBIOGRAPHY PDF

The face of Herschelle Gibbs, the man who infamously claimed he had never read a book, gleams unsettlingly from the cover of the one that bears his name. His bristly lips slither around his teeth, which are gnashed into a foreboding grin. Iridescent white haloes trace spooky circles around the pupils of his eyes. The hard edge of his shaven head lurks fuzzy, out there somewhere. If this man banged on your door at some dark hour, you would give him whatever he wanted and plead with him not to hurt you. To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography shouldn't be judged by their covers, but it seems safe to do so in this case. For too long, people have given Gibbs too much of what he's wanted: too much to drink, too much sex, too many nudges and winks, too many chances, too many long hops. In return he has given them too much of his dark side and not enough by which to remember him well. For years he would cut sixes over point as casually as if he were twisting the cap off a bottle of beer. But just as easily he would blip catches softly, softly into the hands of mid-off. We giggle at his ongoing - unwitting? He has won matches that looked lost. He has taken money to be dismissed for less than It is the voice of a man who is on his way to being a geriatric delinquent. Those who count themselves among cricket's more genteel aficionados should start their interaction with this book on page The preceding six chapters will shatter their image of the game they think they know. Then again, perhaps they shouldn't skip those pages: they need educating. Chapter three - "The good times" - is a litany of vice. Alcohol is abused so wantonly that readers might feel sorry for the demon drink itself. Women are nothing more than conquests awaiting conquest. Chapter six, entitled "The To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography, ends thus: "Right. I think that's To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography skandaal scandal for one book. Coming up next is a highlights reel that has more to do with bat and ball than having a ball But there is value amid the muck. Gibbs' redemption may yet come from being unafraid to lay bare the car crash of his life for the rest of us to rubberneck at. Young cricketers, particularly those who achieve beyond their years, sometimes grow into adults trapped in a web of adolescence. However much excess might befall them and however much success they might achieve, their worlds are somehow small and sad. Gibbs made his first-class debut at 16, and in some ways he isn't a moment older. He doesn't seem to have learnt much from the tribulations that have befallen him over the years. He describes Hansie Cronje, who in a few grubby deals that we know of destroyed his reputation forever, as "a man I will always To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography and "the best captain I ever played under". Even after spending time in rehab, Gibbs writes that he "didn't, and still don't, believe that I am an alcoholic". He doesn't regret "calling those particular Pakistani fans a bunch of animals" at Centurion in Also disturbing is the impression Gibbs gives that nothing he has experienced - neither match-fixing, sexual debauchery, alcoholism, nor that particular flavour of racism in which people are equated with animals - need be taken seriously. But the honesty with which he tackles some of South African cricket's biggest To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography is to be applauded. He dumps the Proteas' propensity to choke at the door of a conservative, tentative approach. He decides that the South African team is indeed divided by a clique of To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography players. There is nothing to be read here that the cricket press hasn't covered before, but to have it confirmed from within is a refreshing change from the overly defensive pose players usually strike in the face of criticism. It is doubtful whether Gibbs knows anything about subtlety, including how to spell it. But he does know how to be exciting, and he loves to entertain. On that score, then, To the Point is undiluted, uncut per cent proof Herschelle. It should come with all sorts of warnings, including: reading this book could impair your ability to be drowsy for nights on end. To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography 9. Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Rajasthan Royals. Sunrisers Hyderabad. Central D chose to field. CRR: 3. Basin Reserve, Wellington. Canterbury need 38 runs. Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland. Otago trail by runs. CRR: 2. Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide. South Aust trail by runs. West Aust To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography by 7 runs. Amo Region. Mis Ainak Region. Home Writers The Cricket Monthly. Nov 20, Close Telford Vice, crash-boom-out left-hand bat, sort-of legspinner, was never sure whether he was a cricket person. He thought he might be when he sidestepped a broken laptop and an utter dearth of experience to cover South Africa's first Test match in 22 years in Barbados in When he managed to complete Peter Kirsten's biography as well as retain what he calls his sanity, he pondered the question again. Similarly, when he made it through the World Cup - all of it, including the warm-up matches To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography his case for belonging to cricket's family felt stronger. But it was only when the World Twenty20 exploded gloriously into his life in that he knew he actually wanted to be a cricket person. Sort of To The Point: The No Holds Barred Autobiography by Herschelle Gibbs

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Steve Smith Contributor. There's something about Herschelle Gibbs - a certain quality that has endeared him to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world. Despite the frustrating on-field inconsistencies of this towering talent, and the messy and very public off-field personal troubles that have tracked him through the years, Herschelle remains one of South African cricket's best-loved sons There's something about Herschelle Gibbs - a certain quality that has endeared him to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world. Despite the frustrating on-field inconsistencies of this towering talent, and the messy and very public off-field personal troubles that have tracked him through the years, Herschelle remains one of South African cricket's best-loved sons. In his own, very frank, words, Herschelle Gibbs chronicles the ups and downs of his personal and professional life, and describes what it's been like to be part of the Proteas set-up for the past fourteen years, through the controversies of its various captains, coaches and administrators. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published February 1st by Zebra Press first published November 5th More Details Other Editions 4. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about To The Pointplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography order. Feb 17, Kirsty Hoggons rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Sports lovers. Being an avid sports fan, with a To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography love of cricket, I was very excited when I saw that Herschelle Gibbs was going to be releasing his own book. He has long been the subject of many conversations in the cricketing world for his antics on and off the field. I think that this book was amazing. It was well written and very informative. A lot of people judge him for this book and say that he should not have mentioned so many things or he should have kept his mouth shut but he just wrote about the Being an avid sports fan, with a huge love of cricket, I was very excited when I saw that Herschelle Gibbs was going to be releasing his own book. A lot of people judge him for this book and say that he should not have mentioned so many things or he should have kept his mouth shut but he just wrote about the facts. The things that he wrote about in the book did happen. He wasn't making things up to get books sold, he was telling the truth. I think that a lot of people didn't like this because To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography knew this. If you have something to hide or something that you don't want people to know about, it would make sense that you would be angry when someone To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography about them. Herschelle Gibbs was one of the best cricketers that South Africa had and this book, while also commenting on non cricket related things, reminds us of his amazing achievements and contributions to cricket as a To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography. Jun 30, Abhishek Shetty rated it really liked it Shelves: biography. As a cricket fan, I was always intrigued by the high quality of world-class players South Africa produced over the years. Gibbs is definitely one of those players. He played cricket for South Africa for fourteen years to He was the first cricketer to hit six sixes in an over in an international ODI game and has scored over a runs in 23 world cup games one of the highest. He was also an excellent fielder and has effected the eighth highest number of run-outs in the one day gam As a cricket fan, To the Point: The No- holds-barred Autobiography was always intrigued by the high quality of world-class players South Africa produced over the years. He was also an excellent fielder and has effected the eighth highest number of run-outs in the one day game. He played 90 tests and one day internationals. He scored 6, test runs and 8, one day runs for South Africa. This is his background as a cricketer. However in this book, he gives us an understanding of his life beyond the field. I was quite surprised by the number of chapters about the game in this book like Chapter 7 The big gamesChapter 8 My teammatesChapter 9 My top 10ish playersand Chapter 10 The Proteas and me. In the other chapters, he talks about his family, his problems with alcohol, his marriage, his relationship with his son, and his journey as a student. It is quite honest and Steve Smith does an excellent job to bring Gibbs and his whole personality into this book as the co-author of the book. South Africa has a reputation to perform badly in crunch situations at the World Cup. You will understand how one of the core players in three South African World Cup campaigns, felt about that in this book. You also get a glimpse into the psychology of an international cricketer in terms of their reaction to team culture, ego clashes, personal insecurities and the role of self-confidence behind every performance at the international level. Read this book if you want a first-hand perspective of the inner workings of a world-class international cricket team between to Aug 31, Jaco Nortje rated it it was amazing. Honest and like the title - to the point. May 28, Murali Thiyagarajan rated it liked it. A great book not because of the way it was written but because of how it changed my opinion of HH Gibbs. Mar 19, Akhona Tom rated it liked it. Dec 19, chucklesthescot rated it liked it Shelves: sportnon-fiction. This was actually a decent book. I had followed the fortunes of the South African cricket team since they came back into international cricket and I was sickened by the match fixing linked to the team. I was angry at the players like Gibbs who had brought shame to the nation. This book is well named. No Holds Barred. Gibbs tells his story honestly and you can see that he would have To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography an easy target. He talks frankly about the string of women he attracted when he got into the South African team This was actually a decent book. He talks frankly about the string of women he attracted when he got into the South African team, the excess drinking, the fact that he let the publicity and admiration go to his head. He talks about the lure of easy money dragging him into the match fixing scandal-getting paid to lose a game in a series that was already finished as a contest? Sure, why not? It meant greater financial security for his family. I finally understood that he wasn't a bad guy. He was a young man confronted with more money than he had seen in his life and a celebrity lifestyle, the chance to raise his family financially, the chance to live the dream-but with no sense of how to cope with all the attention and the massive changes to his life. I liked his brutal honesty, accepting responsibility for his actions and showing the good and bad sides to his life. It was quite refreshing! To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography if he had received more guidance, he could have avoided a lot of the trouble he found himself To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography. Feb 01, Suvajit rated it really liked it. This was truly to the point and more controversial than Shoaib Akhtar's Controversially Yours. But To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography controversies were surrounded around Gibbs and To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography was no blames, all confessions and his story. I believe it's really an honest admission, and importantly it is written very well, unlike Shoaib's book. He doesn't pretend to be a saint nor does he has any excuses. It's an entertaining journey of one of the most entertaining cricketers. Luckily this book wasn't released widely in India, or el This was truly to the point and more controversial than Shoaib Akhtar's Controversially Yours. Luckily this book wasn't released widely in India, or else he could have been crucified for not mentioning Sachin's name in the Top 11 cricketers he played with And also could have certainly misinterpreted the hairline comparison of his at Jo'burg with Sachin's at Gwalior. All in all, I enjoyed reading it. To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography believe we do need different flavours, which all add to the taste. Sep 14, To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography Dudhane rated it really liked it. The book seems pretty honest. Although we accept that Herschelle Herman Gibbs had his temptations like women, booze n grass, he was and is a great entertainer remember match, mind blowing catches but not to "dropped the World Cup" off Steve Waugh, 6 sixes off 6 balls off poor Dan van Bunge ahhh Although I felt that the book is becoming To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography book seems pretty honest. Although I felt that the book is becoming more like a Memoir of a Megalomaniac cricketer, Gibbs is honest and knows about his natural talents and above average statistics. Review: To the Point: The No-Holds-Barred Autobiography

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