Memoirs hold a special place in my heart after publishing my own in 2022.I was drawn to read Marinovich: Outside the Lines in Football, Art, and Addiction by Todd Marinovich for a variety of reasons, first of which is that I absolutely love football. I was unfamiliar with this quarterback since he was from the West Coast and I’m a Chicago Bears fan, but I was intrigued to hear his story. Typically memoirs paint a picture of a life and allow readers to learn from it, and this book did that in a gut-wrenching way.
The author struggled with addiction for most of his life. The depictions of his party-driven lifestyle and rock-bottom moments were not something to which I could relate, but I did understand the feeling of being compelled to do something that is not in my best interests.I hoped he would get clean, and each time he relapsed, I hoped the next time would be different.
This book is good for someone who wants to gain insight into addiction. While there is a great deal of football in the book, the focus truly is on his drug problem and the mayhem it caused in both his football career and family life. Sports fans will appreciate the gametime narrative. Art shows up in the book, but not enough to warrant a position in the title of the memoir. Be forewarned, the book contains adult situations and vulgar language.
I listened to the audiobook and it was a quick read.I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
