Striking Out: The Debut Novel from Superstar Striker Ian Wright

by Ian Wright

From the winning writing team of Ian Wright and Musa Okwonga. Inspired by the story of the superstar striker Ian Wright.

Thirteen-year-old Jerome Jackson dreams of becoming a world-class footballer.

But with a difficult home life, Jerome can’t see how he’ll ever make this dream come true...until he meets a mentor figure who can hopefully put him on the right track.

"The best strikers aren't the most skilful ones. They are the ones who never give up."



Perfect for fans of real-life drama Listeners will love Ian Wright’s cameo role in the story With phenomenal cover art from Benjamin Wachenje Ian Wright is one of the UK’s all-time leading goal scorers. He’s lifted the Premier League title, the FA Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and won the Premier League golden boot.

Musa Okwonga is an author, poet, journalist and musician; he is a co-host of the Stadio football podcast.

Genres: Football

Hardcover

Published September 2, 2021

About the author

Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Andrew H · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Observer's "The New Review" and The Guardian devoted a three page spread to this recently, a piece of uncritical reviewing bordering on hero-worship. A novel, like a footballer, stands on its own feet, not on a Desert Islands Discs interview or a newspaper article. Originally, the book was to be an uplifting story of Ian Wright's life. But it was decided, on Musa Okwonga's advice, that the work should veer towards fiction. And so it does. The novel tells the story of Jerome Jackson and his ambition to become a professional footballer. Ian Wright appears as Ian Wright, a character who supports and mentors Jerome, and the story touches on the problems faced by Wright as a Black teenager. Unfortunately, the novel does not capture the trauma of domestic abuse but settles for a blandness that avoids emotional engagement. And the narrative takes a completely wrong turning when Jerome enters an elite football academy for boarders. A reader feels that Eton educated Okwonga has taken the novel into a direction that matches his known territory rather than Jerome's. I compared the novel's depiction of racism with that of students (I know) at more usual football academies. Tame stuff. Ultimately, this is average teenage fair. Superior to books such as Football Academy: Boys United but inferior to serious football-based novels like Raisin's A Natural. The style is functional and readable rather than inspiring and challenging.

[Noam · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first. ​I am a Spurs supporter so I have to admit, buying this book was in some ways triggering for me. Even the red cover is triggering for me.​ I know it's stupid, but while I was reading this book, Spurs went to play Arsenal and lost 3-1 in one of the worst performances I have seen​. ​And at the end of that match, I actually told myself that maybe it was​ my fault, for having bough​t an Arsenal player's book. Being a football fan does weird things to your brain.​

All that said... When I saw this book coming out, there was no doubt in my mind that I would buy it. Number 1, because it was written with Musa Okwonga, and what Musa Okwonga writes is always worth reading. And number 2, because in spite of everything I wrote before, Ian Wright is such a lovely guy that I can't help but admire him, even though he is Arsenal. And I'm not alone in this. I regularly frequent internet communities that are full of Spurs supporters, many of whom will not even say the words "Arsenal FC", instead using 'them lot down the road', or even "the scum" to describe their rivals -- and every time Ian Wright is brought up, the main thing most Spurs fans have against him seems to be "why is this guy so lovely? He is impossible to dislike".

And so, I bought the book, and I read it, and I liked it. I know I'm not the target audience, and that it may be a bit 'weird' for me to be reading a book aimed for younger readers, but I just wanted to read Musa's writing, and I wanted to hear more from Ian, whose input I often enjoy both on TV and on the Wrighty's House podcast.

I read Marcus Rashford's book "You Are a Champion" this summer, and the two books seem to be aimed at a similar age range. Where Rashford's book is more of a self-help book that guides kids in positive thinking and self-actualisation, this one is a novel that tells the story of Jerome, a young footballer with dreams of making it big. But just like "You Are a Champion", "Striking Out" also contains plenty of lessons for young readers.

The book tackles some heavy topics - racism, domestic abuse, and how to deal with loss and grief at a young age - but does so sensitively,​ with​ Ian serving as the guiding light with his 'big Uncle' energy. ​The ​book jacket says it's based on Ian's ​life,​ but​ those familiar with Musa's other writing will ​recognise some shared themes​ from his story​​ as well. ​As we follow Jerome,​ we see our young protagonist learn some life lessons, make some mistakes, and grow, and we're there, ​hoping he'll make it. ​ ​

We hear a lot about how kids need to see more stories from people who look like them, who they look up to, and who they identify with. As a footballing legend, Ian is sure to inspire, but he also knows intimately the struggles that many young readers will face - he has faced the same struggles, and come out the other side. The football side of the story will surely grab the attention of young readers, while Musa's writing, which is so clear and precise,​ his pen like a surgeon's scalpel for his 'adult' writing, seems particularly well adapted to the YA genre - here, the story is action-led, and the plot moves along swiftly without getting caught up in ​tangents or unnecessary descriptions.

With Marcus Rashford's book, I think many 'older' readers like me had the feeling that it was the type of book they would have loved to have read when they were young. With this one, it was more about the types of people we'd have loved to have around us when we were young. People who could provide an example. Ian, with his cool uncle energy and Musa too, hiding in the background and subtly slipping in nuggets of wisdom. It's not only life lessons - there are a few choice music tips, from Barrington Levy to Little Simz and even Erik Satie, and a few restaurant tips as well. Together, the two authors make a great team as the mentors we all wish we could have had growing up.

When the book ends, we still don't know whether Jerome will succeed in his ambition to become a professional footballer, and in some ways, this is one of the biggest lessons the authors give us. We know that the vast majority of young players with big dreams will never make it to the very top levels, and that the risk of psychological damage is very high for those who don't achieve what they hoped. But with Ian as his guide, we feel at the book's end that Jerome has the tools he will need to succeed in life, as well as in football.

​For me, I'll choose to believe that Jerome does succeed​. He'll go on to become a legend for his local club - Tottenham Hotspur. Ian will come and support him at White Hart Lane. And when Jay-Jay scores against Arsenal, Ian will be there, applauding like a proud uncle, because, as we all know, Ian may be a gooner, but he is much, much more than that.

[Harry Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Good and Gripping

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book, especially for my football loving kids at school. Ian Wright comes across on telly as such a lovely guy and it isn’t corny at all in my opinion that he appears as a fairly main character in this book. He comes across young footballer Jerome in a barbers shop and ends up being a real mentor to him as he gets him into a special private school where he can shine at football. Of course there are some problems along the way but there is plenty of success and football talk to keep the reader going - who expects a book with football at its centre to be all doom and gloom? The domestic and school problems are realistic and dealt with well, without making the book unsuitable for the intermediate age group. I think this will go down well.

[Owais Akhtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

he smells

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a kids' book version of the movie Looking For Eric, with Ian Wright playing a big cameo. A three-act story with twists and turns, well written by Musa and full of character and spirit.