Crazy: My Road to Redemption

by Chris Lewis

'In that split second, perhaps the first sobering thoughts I have had in months become so obvious and apparent, and when that officer returns after having checked the cans and found cocaine I know that, from that moment, everything is going to change.' ' Crazy ' Chris Lewis played in thirty-two Test Matches and fifty-three One-Day Internationals for England. At one point he was regarded as one of the best all-round cricketers the country has ever produced. However, feeling at odds with the middle-class nature of the sport, he regularly courted controversy off the field – and the tabloids happily lapped it up. His naming of England players involved in a match-fixing scandal led to his early retirement at the age of just 30. After this, he withdrew from the limelight until, in 2008, he was arrested for importing cocaine from the Caribbean and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. From his arrival in England from Guyana with his parents, through his colourful cricketing career, his arrest and subsequent trial, his time in prison and how he finally put his life back together, here Lewis recounts his remarkable, redemptive story.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Ev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Massively insightful, Lewis gives an honest account and this book of full of reflections. I didn’t know a huge amount about him as a player or person but that didn’t affect how much I took away from this book, especially about the background of the politics that run through the sport at every level.

[Alejandro Shirvani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Respect to Chris Lewis for the honesty in this book, about his career and the bad choices he made afterwards which landed him in prison. I came away from reading the book with a much better understanding of a player who had a media image of being aloof and enigmatic: and it seems like the back-stabbing environment of county cricket in the 1990s meant a player who made the game look easy like Lewis attracted jealousy.

I expect this book was therapeutic to write and at least for its readership it should enable Lewis to have some sort of rehabilitated reputation so he can move forwards to the next stage of his life more positively - he certainly seems to have his mind set in the right way now so good luck to him and thanks for releasing this book.

[Andy Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I followed his career from the late 80’s having watched him play against Kent at Folkestone in 89. I wanted him to succeed so much. He under achieved massively but I forgave him everything, even the drug smuggling as I always felt he was misunderstood and lacked choices may be. Somehow, after reading this I like him a lot less. The final few page of self reflecting bilge don’t make up for the fact that he seems pretty self indulgent through out and although he tries to justify every mess up along the way, I feel he just did what he wanted and I’m sad to say deserved what he got. A wasted talent, he comes across exactly as he says he isn’t - a victim. Shame.

[Omar Nizam · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Book Review: "Crazy" by Chris Lewis -📚🏏

From his humble beginnings in Guyana to his eventual rise as an England cricketer, and to his fall from grace to his ongoing redemption, this is a story that has it all.

Cricket fans will (infamously) remember Chris Lewis for being the batter on the receiving end of Wasim Akram's spectacular game-changing delivery during the 1992 Cricket World Cup Final, as well as for being the bowler who bowled the delivery that took Brian Lara past a world record 365 runs in a single innings.

But there are so many more rich layers beneath the facade. This is not just the story of a cricketer, but of a flawed and fallible human being who happens to have a growth mindset and is constantly learning and evolving.

The only negative critique I have is that the book is far, far too short to do justice to the story of one of the most interesting cricketers of his generation.

From the trappings of fame and all that comes with it; to the constant battling of aspersions simply for being an outcast outsider; to the anxiety-filled life of a sportsman long after the best playing days are gone; to being a criminal / first time offender; and now en route to redemption, the story of Clairmont Chris Lewis is anything BUT un-interesting.

My rating: 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌙

[Robert Hinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book seemed an honest account of a wasted talent, The part I could not understand was the attempt to apportion the blame onto the ECB for their appalling treatment of him which led him to the decision to drug smuggling.Yet another example of a sportsman with no plan B after they finish their career.

[Lynn Blake John]

Interesting

After watching him play it was good to read his take on things and remind us not all people are the same.

[phil mordecai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Great read would highly recommend. As in the books as regards to Chris’s character never judge a book by its cover.

[R NYE · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read but.........

An enjoyable & interesting read but would have liked more information on the lead up to the drug smuggling attempt.