Moore's black history makes compelling reading

IN PAPERBACK
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RUGBY BOOKS

Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All

The winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in November, Brian Moore’s dark autobiography was published in paperback soon afterwards and was among the best-selling sports books in the run-up to Christmas, and beyond.
And with good reason; as a candid confession from deep within the soul of a sports star, the rugby hardman’s story has few peers.
The former England hooker turned rugby writer and commentator was guaranteed to make headlines through his revelations about the sexual abuse he suffered as a schoolboy at the hands of a male teacher. Given the popularity of so-called “misery memoirs”, Moore’s bleak and terrifying experience was an obvious selling point.
As such, even though the victim in this case has a high public profile, it is not a new theme. What sets Moore’s tale apart -- and clearly impressed the William Hill judges -- is the depth of the author’s personal insight not merely in linking the abuse with flaws in his character but in delving into his own psychology with a frankness that leaves the reader in no doubt why he has acquired as many enemies and detractors as friends.
He does not dwell on such matters to the extent that they push the rugby into the margins and readers interested in what he achieved on the field should not feel left out yet it is the stark, at times brilliant prose with which he confronts his innermost demons that is the book’s undoubted strength.

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