Why We Kneel How We Rise

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Why We Kneel How We Rise

By: Michael Holding

Narrated by: Michael Holding

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About this listen

WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2021
WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR
THE TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'The best book about racism I’ve ever read' Piers Morgan

Through the prism of sport and conversations with its legends, including Usain Bolt, Adam Goodes, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Makhaya Ntini, Naomi Osaka and Hope Powell, Michael Holding explains how racism dehumanises people; how it works to achieve that end; how it has been ignored by history and historians; and what it is like to be treated differently just because of the colour of your skin.

Rarely can a rain delay in a cricket match have led to anything like the moment when Holding spoke out in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter protests about the racism he has suffered and has seen all around him throughout his life. But as he spoke, he sought not only to educate but to propose a way forward that inspired so many. Within minutes, he was receiving calls from famous sports stars from around the world offering to help him to spread the message further.

Now, in Why We Kneel, How We Rise, Holding shares his story together with those of some of the most iconic athletes in the world. He delivers a powerful and inspiring message of hope for the future and a vision for change, and takes you through history to understand the racism of today. He adds: 'To say I was surprised at the volume of positive feedback I received from around the world after my comments on Sky Sports is an understatement. I came to realise I couldn’t just stop there; I had to take it forward – hence the book, as I believe education is the way forward.'

©2021 Michael Holding. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, UK. All Rights Reserved.

Racism & Discrimination

Social Sciences

Sports

Discrimination

Social justice

Inspiring

Heartfelt

Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

'The best book about racism I’ve ever read. Powerful, passionate, challenging, and, like the author’s fast bowling, at times very uncomfortable. I learned a lot & it made me think a lot.'
(Piers Morgan, TV presenter and journalist)

'One of the most important [books] of the year, and certainly among the most powerful... If anything will change the way we see the world it is this - the sports book of the year.' (Roger Alton)

'This powerful book...recounts unsparing stories of prejudice and injustice, but the best passages are when Holding writes from the heart.' (Matt Dickinson)

'Holding writes of his personal guilt at rolling with the racist punches throughout his career... The language is raw, his observations unsparing, but there is no more important sports book this year.' (Ben Taylor)

Most relevant

I remember watching Michael Holding bowling for the West Indies in the early 1980s, nicknamed "Whispering Death" he had a long run up and was devastatingly fast and accurate. Now best known as a commentator and pundit he is respected by sports people all over the world. Mikey was moved to tears in 2020 when asked about racism in sport on TV following the death of George Floyd. Any sportsman is contacted by someone as iconic as Michael Holding will take the call and in this book the author recounts conversations he has had recently with, amongst others, Thierry Henry, Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan and Makhaya Ntini who talk about the de-humanising racism they have encountered in their sports.
This deeply moving book covers the history of racial intolerance including the works of Voltaire, Hume and even US President Jefferson who considered white skinned people to be the superior race and the cognitive dissidence regarding slavery. The elite sports people that Michael Holding spoke to were against quotas or positive discrimination and generally believe that education us the key as racism is a learned behaviour. The England cricket team were the first to stop "taking the knee" following one short short series against West Indies in 2020 and sadly there is still a long way to go. This is a powerful book.