Beckham Both Feet on the Ground

This is only the second sports autobiography I have read.  I read Wayne Gretzky's a few times while in high school.  Being the type of book this is, the review will be a little different then normal.  I didn't borrow this book from the library with expectations of high literature or deep insights.  It merely filled the void that I usually fill with Dan Brown types of books.  It was reading for the pure enjoyment of reading.

The book is very readable; This probably largely due to efforts of the co-writer, Tom Watt.  I don't expect an athlete who has little writing experience to be particularly skilled in the craft of writing.  Beckham covers his life up until the point he signs with Real Madrid.  The focus is on his soccer career, for obvious reasons, though his courtship and marriage to Posh Spice (Victoria) plays a significant role in the later chapters.  David provided a some good details on his life growing up and how much of a factor soccer played in his life.  One thing that stuck out to me, similar to Gretzky's autobiography, was that Beckham's father had played some organized soccer, like Gretzky's dad played some organized hockey.  This connection shows the role a father's interest in an activity can influence their children.

I found Beckham shared his emotions about certain events and big games.  He seemed to be trying to be open and not cover up the joy of winning a big game vs. the sadness of losing a big game.  There is also the tension that developed between him and Alex Ferguson near the end of his Manchester United career.  I felt he was pretty open about the emotions he felt during this period.  The mixture of having a falling out with the coach and the slow realization that he would not play another game in Old Trafford.

Even with all the openness, the book still lacked some personality in the writing style.  My memories of reading Gretzky's autobiography are very different from reading Beckham.  While reading Gretzky's book, it seemed more like he was talking in his own voice.  Whereas Beckham seemed to have too large of a filter between the mind and the page.  Even though he was open about his emotions, they weren't as palpable I think they could have been.  The rest of the book, while readable and generally pleasant, lacked that personal feel to it.

Overall, this book is a fun read.  I think any soccer fan would love it.  It seemed to be somewhat geared to female readers, judging from the number of pictures included with Beckham's shirt off (especially those found in the last group of pics).  I also think this a good book to fill a gap between more demanding titles.  It was almost relieving to read this after reading PJ O'Rourke.  When compared to other athletes, Beckham does seem to be a class act, especially compared to A-Rod.