Waugh's Way: The Steve Waugh Story

by Roland Perry

s/t: Learner, legend, leader

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Professor Roland Perry (born 11 October 1946) is a Melbourne-based author best known for his books on history, especially Australia in the two world wars. His Monash: The Outsider Who Won The War, won the Fellowship of Australian Writers' 'Melbourne University Publishing Award' in 2004. The judges described it as 'a model of the biographer's art. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 2011, Perry was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia 'for services to literature as an author.In October 2011, Monash University awarded Perry a Fellowship for 'high achievement as a writer, author, film producer and journalist.His sports books include biographies of Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller and Shane Warne. Perry has written on espionage, specialising in the British Cambridge Ring of Russian agents. He has also published three works of fiction and produced more than 20 documentary films. Perry has been a member of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council since 2006.

In late 2012 Perry accepted an adjunct appointment at Monash University as a Professor, with the title ‘Writer-in-Residence’ in the University’s Arts Faculty.

Reviews

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve Waugh is my favourite Australian cricket captain. This book is basically a summary package of his career, both as a Test player and then later as captain. Perry does a great job of nutshellizing a cricket match. Lightly peppered with some choice adjectives, - extra marks ofr using 'opprobrium' -Waugh's Way is essentially a series of match reports.

Cricket fans like myself will enjoy it, but it doesn't offer much in the way of fresh insight. I watched all of Steve Waugh's career, so most of what I read was merely a reminder of what I had seen. I really liked the book, and the author's style.

Waugh's Way touches very lightly on personal issues. It is first and foremost cricket commentary, and the author's assessment of Waugh as a cricketer, a captain and a man.

This is not relevant to the review, but back in my taxi driving days, I picked up Steve Waugh from his Alford's Point and drove him to the airport. He was off to play cricket somewhere funnily enough. We conversed a little on the way...but only a little. I also drove Glenn McGrath to the airport one day as well.

Back to the book. This one is for cricket fans only.