
At a Glance
Published: 3rd August 2022
Digital Audiobook
$46.99
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**It's a long, hard road from the Nullarbor to the MCG.
Winner of the Australian Book Industry Awards, Social Impact Book of the Year
Longlisted for the 2023 Indie Book Awards**
Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023
How does a self-described 'skinny Aboriginal kid' overcome a legacy of family tragedy to become an AFL legend? One thing's for sure: it's not easy. But then, there's always been something special about Eddie Betts.
Betts grew up in Port Lincoln and Kalgoorlie, in environments where the destructive legacies of colonialism - racism, police targeting of Aboriginal people, drug and alcohol misuse, family violence - were sadly normalised. His childhood was defined by family closeness as well as family strife, plus a wonderful freedom that he and his cousins exploited to the full - for better and for worse.
When he made the decision to take his talents across the Nullarbor to Melbourne to chase his footballing dreams - homesickness be damned - everything changed. Over the ensuing years, Betts became a true giant of the sport: 350-plus games, 600-plus goals, multiple All-Australian nods and Goal of the Year awards, and a league-wide popularity rarely seen in the hyper-tribal AFL.
Along the way, he battled his demons before his turbulent youth settled into responsible maturity. Today, the man the Melbourne tabloids once dubbed 'bad boy Betts' is a dedicated husband and father, a respected community leader and an increasingly outspoken social activist.
Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic and always honest - often laceratingly so - The Boy from Boomerang Crescent is the inspirational life story of a champion, in his own words. Whether he's narrating one of his trademark gravity-defying goals from the pocket, the discrimination he's faced as an Aboriginal person or the birth of his first child, Betts's voice - intelligent, soulful, unpretentious - rings through on every page.
The very human story behind the plaudits is one that will surprise, move and inspire.
Cover image © Kristina Wild
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ISBN: 9781761102400
ISBN-10: 1761102400
Published: 3rd August 2022
Format: Digital Audiobook
Language: English
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Duration: 06:15.47