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Unguarded: My Autobiography Hardcover – 29 Sept. 2016

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 253 ratings

Jonathan Trott was England's rock during one of the most successful periods in the team's history - he scored a century on debut to clinch the Ashes in 2009, and cemented his position as their pivotal batsman up to and beyond the team's ascendancy to the number 1 ranked test team in 2011. Yet shortly after reaching those heights, he started to crumble, and famously left the 2012-13 Ashes tour of Australia suffering from a stress related illness. His story is the story of Team England - it encompasses the life-cycle of a team that started out united by ambition, went on to achieve some of the greatest days in the team's history but then, bodies and minds broken, fell apart amid acrimony.

Having seen all of this from the inside, Jonathan's autobiography takes readers to the heart of the England dressing room, and to the heart of what it is to be a professional sportsman. Not only does it provide a unique perspective on a remarkably successful period in English cricket and its subsequent reversal, it also offers a fascinating insight into the rewards and risks faced as a sportsman carrying the hope and expectation of a team and a nation. And it's a salutary tale of the dangers pressure can bring in any walk of life, and the perils of piling unrealistic expecations on yourself.

Product description

About the Author

Jonathan Trott is a former England Test cricketer who was ICC and ECB Cricketer of the Year in 2011. He currently plays for Warwickshire, having retired from all international cricket in 2015.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sphere; First Edition (29 Sept. 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0751565148
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0751565140
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.9 x 3 x 16.7 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 253 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
253 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2017
I bought this book really out of intrigue as I am a keen cricket fan and always enjoyed watching Jonathan Trott bat. Like many fans I was saddened when he left the Ashes tour and was keen to find out the reasons from his perspective. His account makes fascinating reading, and above all there is an honesty to it that you rarely find in any autobiography that has gone through the usual rounds of editing and proof reading by publishers etc. He provides a stunning insight into the life of a professional sportsman and the pressures that it can bring, and the input/commentary by some of his friends and team mates (e.g. cook, pietersen) also help to make this a cracking read. Jonathan Trott deserves great respect anyway because he was and always will be one of England's finest ever batsmen, but I respect him all the more for having the bravery to write such an honest and fascinating account of his experiences. It does make you wonder with some sadness how many other people in the public eye might suffer in similar ways and maybe this book might help them to seek help and banish their own demons.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2016
The first thing to note is that the font of the pages is very large, which is handy at the moment as my old minces are going. However, it does mean that you can read this book from cover to cover in around 6-7 hours. That said, what is inside makes for compelling reading, as Mr Trott unveils to the reader the strains and stresses international sport puts on the player. Or, in his case, the pressure he puts on himself, which is a constant thread throughout. The structure of the book took a bit of getting used to, as the central issue - of Trott's breakdown in Australia - keeps on cropping up over various chapters. Certainly the book is far removed from the usual cricketing fare of lists of appearances and runs scored. The human element of Mr Trott is always at the forefront and his honesty shines through on every page. In addition, and in every chapter, supplementary material is provided to back up his arguments, from the likes of his long-suffering wife Abi, the usual team mates, whom to a man come over as good eggs, and the reliably decent Ashley Giles - who cements his place as the nicest guy in world cricket in the book. It is not without controversy, with Michael Vaughan, especially, coming over as somewhat lacking in emotional empathy, which presumably gave Trott problems given that he is Gilo's best friend in cricket. Still, that aside, the book is somewhat heart-warming as Trott maintains that he will never become one of those ex players who pick up the easy buck by raining on someone's parade. Funnily enough, even on last nights Sky Verdict programme he was reluctant to criticise Gary Ballance for his horrendous shot against Bangladesh - confirming that he is indeed a man of his word. So do we learn anything new within this book? Well, yes, we learn that the mental stresses to get to number one, both on an individual and as part of a team, do not come without sacrifice. Reading this it makes me wonder why some put themselves through the whole process? Lastly, I was interested to learn that Trott is a fan of peanut butter, although he had to suffer the cheaper brands when he was younger as his mum refused to buy the more expensive stuff. I can only wonder if it was the peanut butter that contributed to England's reverse swing rather than the much quoted 'boiled sweets'.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2016
'Trotty's' cricketing story is a good read and gives insights into not only behind-the-scenes episodes with the team, the management and the coaches during the time he played for England and Warwickshire, but also his own struggle with his 'inner demons'. Jonathon Trott is absolutely candid regarding his own mental anxiety problem (but for which I feel sure he would have been even greater than he was) and equally so about fellow players and management in the cricketing world (and their own lucid comments intersperse this book). Never, though, does he seem vindictive or bitter, generally the reverse, and though his problems may have largely contributed to what appeared perhaps a bumptious nature, it is clear that he developed into a true team player whose main aim was to do well for England and his cricket colleagues. It's a partly sad tale of someone who was great but could have been greater and who was, at least by some, misunderstood. This book should make all clear to critics and fans alike. My only criticism of the writing is that I was a little confused by the chronology, but that's a minor complaint.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2017
Trott was a truly superb England batsman . His quality and worth is mentioned in the book but nowhere near often enough. I appreciate and respect all his views and opinions but the books weakness is that Trott's achievements are not explained more fully. Like Graham Thrope Trott may not be given the recognition he thoroughly deserves. The focus of this book appears at times to be highly negative and critical which is a symptom if depression and anxiety but it does the overall result no favours
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2018
Being a Test Match opening batsman is not easy. You have to face the world’s best bowlers letting rip and cope with the almost endless criticism of a fickle media. It’s not surprising that Jonathan Trott should experience profound anxiety attacks, leading to his going home early from the Ashes tour of 2013 -2014.

Written with Journalist George Dobell, UNGUARDED tells us all about Trott’s feelings at the time; and talks about the enrmies he made as well as the friends who supported him. Accused of being a yellow-belly, he emphasizes the genuineness of his illness; he was really unable to continue. The book entrrs some quite harrowing description of thelengths to which Trottwent to cure himself. Happily it seems that he has now done so.

Apartfrom the medical material, the book is a run-of-the-mill autobiography of a cricketer,with accounts of most of his major innings. Not especially interesting.

Top reviews from other countries

Roy Goodyear
5.0 out of 5 stars ... highs and lows of man who looked to be perfect in the difficult world of international sport especially as ...
Reviewed in the United States on 22 December 2016
An interesting story which follows the highs and lows of man who looked to be perfect in the difficult world of international sport especially as a batsmen in cricket.
A must read for any young cricketer, professional or otherwise to view the pitfalls of the game as a batsmen.
Akshay
5.0 out of 5 stars The book is a wonderful peek into what it takes to be an international ...
Reviewed in India on 2 October 2016
The book is a wonderful peek into what it takes to be an international cricketer. It balances the need to be candid with the need to respect the privacy of the dressing room and is refreshingly honest. The insights around the amount of mental stamina it takes to be in the zone makes you understand that batting is similar to any artwork where you need to immerse yourself to get a result out of it. I would love to see another book by him where he talks about his life in the county team after his retirement from international cricket. Currently since his stress illness is so close to him, a large part of the book is dominated by the same but when time plays it's part in healing him, hopefully he can look at writing about the game he loved and what his best days looked like. Loved the writing style and had just read Naseer Hussain's book before this and that was also about the drive that parents instill in their children and the whole urge to prove yourself comes from that and suddenly you are just a batsman and not a man. Loved the book for the refreshing honestly and the intent to share but not present a sensationalised version of events. Thank you for writing it.
C.S.Kartik
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in India on 30 July 2020
An underrated batsman.
He has written it well.
Enjoyed reading it.
Riedewaan Abrahams
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 1 January 2017
Good story...too little input frm dad ian...too much ftm k p