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The Hurricane
Born on a council estate in Belfast, Alex Higgins left school at 15 At 17 he won the Northern Ireland and All Ireland snooker championships, and turned professional when he was 20. In 1972, aged just 23, he became the youngest person ever to win the World Championship. He repeated this achievement in an emotional final 10 years later, in the process becoming the biggest box-office draw the game has ever known. Alex Higgins was a showman, gambler, comedian, bully, charmer and alcoholic. His antics - and ferocious temper - were legendary yet he was loved by millions. Now, dying of cancer, he has spent everything he has and divides his time between Manchester and Belfast, where he survives by playing #10 snooker matches in pubs. Bill Burrows has had unprecedented access to Higgins and reconstructs vividly the terrifying roller-coaster ride that is his life. Gripping and ultimately, emotionally wrenching, this is an account of one of the most charasmatic and self-destructive figures ever to appear in British sport.
- GenresBiography
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 20, 2014
He had it all and threw it all away!! great story and very well told. I cannot say I ever liked the Hurricane but his life and loves make for excellent reading....
June 30, 2023
Well written story of his life. Such a shame how his life ended up as he was a brilliant player
August 1, 2023
Outstanding.
May 1, 2014
A wonderful book that charts the sad and turbulent story of Alex Higgins, from his childhood days in Ireland to his upcoming fame and eventual decline.
He lived life in the fast lane and can only be described as tempestuous, from domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, to his affairs and casual sexual encounters, he did it all, once even being stabbed by a girlfriend during a blazing row.
Sad, touching and a total waste of someone's talent I have read a few books on him and i cannot help but be moved to the plight he finds himself in.
In his later years he became a victim of cancer and at the time of writing has successfully gone into remission and was hoping to stage a comeback but knowing his unpredictability so far it hasn't happened.
Well worth reading if you are into the sport or just if you are an interested fan of the person.
He lived life in the fast lane and can only be described as tempestuous, from domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, to his affairs and casual sexual encounters, he did it all, once even being stabbed by a girlfriend during a blazing row.
Sad, touching and a total waste of someone's talent I have read a few books on him and i cannot help but be moved to the plight he finds himself in.
In his later years he became a victim of cancer and at the time of writing has successfully gone into remission and was hoping to stage a comeback but knowing his unpredictability so far it hasn't happened.
Well worth reading if you are into the sport or just if you are an interested fan of the person.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews