After the Count…should have won Walkley Award 2020

• Author: Stephanie Convery
  
• Title: After the Count
• List of Challenges 2020
• Monthly reading plan
• Trivia: Shortlist Walkley Award 2020
  
• Trivia: Shortlist Nib Literary Award 2020
• #AWW2020  @AustralianWomenWriters

Introduction:

1. When young and fit professional boxer Davey Browne died in the ring
2. pummeled to death in front of his family and friends…
3. it was the result of a perfect storm of
4. …incompetence by members of the boxing fraternity.
5. For journalist Stephanie Convery it hit home hard.
6. She was beginning her own serious boxing training
7. …when she heard the news.

1. After the Count investigates:
2. the title fight
3. the aftermath of David Browne Jr’s death
4. interrogates the culture and history of boxing
5. its gender dynamics
6. the visceral appeal of the ring and
7. the inherent contradictions of a violent sport
8. …that refuses to face up
9. the consequences of that violence.

Conclusion:

1. Strong point: excellent ‘hook’ …hits you with a 1-2 punch
2. Strong point: excellent introduction revealing the structure of the book.
   

1. Strong point:
2. The very personal perspective written by a woman
3. ..boxing and trying to come to terms
4. ..with the fear head injury and permanent brain damage.
5. …this makes the book tremble
6. …in my hands (pg 83-84) she must have a CT  and MRI scan.

1. Strong point:
2. Ms Convery alternates between x-examination at
3. inquest (lawyer vs neurosurgeon) with her personal visits to GP
4.  and hospital for CT scan.
5. This makes for intense reading that keeps
6. this reader glued to the page.

1. Strong point:
2. Ms Convery…adds her own questions to the narrative:
3. How many deaths attributed to the boxing sport?
4. How knocks to the head change the brain?
5. What is the link between concussions sustained in
   
6. contact sports and
7. CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy)?
8. This is a neuro-degenerative disease which causes severe and
9. irreparable brain damage, as a result of repeated head injuries.
10. Her research reveals the shocking facts.
11. Eye-opener:
12. It wasn’t unusual for boxers to break their hands
13. in fights and to punch on regardless! (pg 76)

1. Strong point:  pg 253-261
2. The reader follows Ms Convery during
3. her Fight Night for her final grading
4. as boxing student at Joe’s Gym.
5. Just amazing listening to her thoughts as she
6. prepares herself explaining
7. ….that with all the knowledge she as
8. learned during her research for this book about concussion
9. as she tries to pull herself away from the sport…
10. …it draws her back somehow.

Last Thoughts;

1. What a powerful book….I am absolutely bowled over by
2. Ms Convery’s investigative research, her coverage of the death inquest
3. and most importantly her conclusions in the last chapter.
4. Sometimes the shorlisted book is BETTER that the prize winner!
5. This is the best non-ficton read of 2020!
6. I guess I’ve saved the best for last!
7. #MustRead

Books read:

• Fallen – Lucie Morris-Marr
• City On Fire: The Fight For Hong Kong – A. Dapiran
• Penny Wong – M. Simons
  
• The Altar Boys – S. Smith
  
• Hazelwood – Tom Doigt
  
• We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know – S. McNeill