Blood, Sweat and Treason

by Henry Olonga

Sports book meets real-life thriller in this sensational autobiography of Henry Olonga, the former Zimbabwean cricketer whose black armband protest against Robert Mugabe at the 2003 World Cup saw him branded a traitor, sentenced to death in his absence and forced to dramatically flee his homeland and his family. Blood, Sweat And Treason tells the story of Olonga's childhood, of his gradual realisation that he was living in a country ruled by a dictator, of his battle to reach the top as a black cricketer and, ultimately, how he sacrificed that position to do something that he hoped would make a difference. Henry Olonga put his life at risk, but he got the chance to make a new life in England. In this incredible book he tells his extraordinary story in pin-point detail, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Genres: Sports, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2010

Reviews

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the writing is not exactly sophisticated, that only goes to show Olonga genuinely wrote this himself. It's a really fascinating story that needed telling and he's a thoroughly likeable chap. Enjoyed it. An easy read.

[Huw Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book.

Either Henry Olonga is a hugely talented individual who is more than a little naive - or I'm a not so talented individual who is even more naive.

This tells his life story - from outstanding schoolboy athlete, actor, singer, raconteur and forceful leader to international sportsman, professional singer, raconteur, jolly good bloke and sometime political activist.

I get most of it - it's the political activist thing that doesn't quite hold true - exacerbated by the fact that there are a lot of very naive factual errors in the book, and some gaping (absolutely cavernously gaping!) plot holes in the book. For example, when he gets carjacked, his girlfriend is with him, but in between the time they get forced out of his car and into his assailants car, the girlfriend mysteriously disappears. Until a good few months later when she suddenly dumps him by text. Hardly surprising if she'd spent all that time by the side of the road.....

And some of the "cricket" explanations are a little odd too - such as the time when his team needed one to win, a no ball was bowled, he was stumped, and then apparently there was some controversy over whether he was out or not. I won't even begin to start to unravel that one - cricketers will know why, non cricketers just won't be interested. But these huge flaws in the narrative then draw into doubt most other quite inexplicable things into question - more than anything, why he didn't realize the implications of protesting against Mugabe.....

On the up side though, his broader appreciation of the delicate nature of things in Zimbabwe at the turn of the century is a hard, but extremely rewarding read. It reveals all sorts of insights into racism, politics, people and perceptions. But as I say, whether he actually means this is down to my initial question - is it him or me that is naive in all of this?

A very good read, if somewhat confusing at most times!

[Shona Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

With how things changed and didn’t change in Zimbabwe, I've always felt Olonga was young and naïve to participate in the black armband protest because again in hindsight, it didn't do anything to further the intended purpose. It wasn't his battle to fight and he lost a chance to become a legend of Zimbabwe cricket. I ordered the book wanting to understand his motivations and I was pained to realise the dedication he had put to perfect his bowling, all for the fruits to be shortlived.

But after reading this I sort of give him the benefit of doubt because his life turned out okay and he’s in a space pretty much where he wants to be and he’s living his life to the full. I was too young and wasn’t yet that much of a cricket fan to have watched him play for Zimbabwe, but having him and Andy Flower, and then the “rebels” a few years later leave the team abruptly was consequential to Zimbabwe cricket and the effects still linger to this day. So I picked up this book to understand what was going on and also to understand Henry’s mind. I think he did well to answer that question for me - Andy was a calculating man and Olonga acted on his gut feeling throughout his life which clearly has worked well for both. I was taken aback though at the racism scenes within the national squad, especially from what Henry called the senior players which when you read between the lines included Flower and Streak. Not a great sight!

[Matt McChlery · Rating 3 out of 5]

So nice to relive the hayday of Zimbabwean International test cricket. Also very interesting to get behind the scenes of the inner workings and motivations of someone who had the courage to stand up against an oppressive regime.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic it was like sitting in a room listening to him talking to you. Obviously it has very traumatic things i the book but it does open up a whole new world for people that did not know about the history of the country.

[Daniel Nyalila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, I'd give it a 7/10. He really highlighted a lot on the state of Zim cricket back then. Quite interesting some stuff hasn't changed...

[Jack Oatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

He gave a speech at school and signed the copy, so I had to read it. Trust an African warlord like Mugabe to really ruin a promising sporting career

[Anthony Cupitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I picked up this book expecting to read about Henry Olonga's cricket journey, and his experiences with the Mugabe regime, but there was far too much evangelical preaching for my liking. I understand Olonga is a man of faith, but that is not the part of his life I was expecting this book to focus on.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

very boring, perfect evidence of why athletes should not be allowed to write their own books.