{"product_id":"the-boy-from-boomerang-crescent","title":"The Boy from Boomerang Crescent","description":"\u003cb\u003eIt’s a long, hard road from the Nullarbor to the MCG.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Winner of the Australian Book Industry Awards, Social Impact Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e Longlisted for the 2023 Indie Book Awards\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e Best Reads of the Year for 2023\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic and always honest – often laceratingly so – \u003ci\u003eThe Boy from Boomerang Crescent\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The very human story behind the plaudits is one that will surprise, move and inspire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCover image © Kristina Wild\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46055675494591,"sku":"9781761420658","price":36.62,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/1689\/8751\/files\/83457-7b876fc2add38adcc4852747477d1139b5a62ee6dbb1ced46e3a95e3e9cdcc82.jpg?v=1787190092","url":"https:\/\/popweasel.co.nz\/products\/the-boy-from-boomerang-crescent","provider":"Pop Weasel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}