Chase your shadow : the trials of Oscar Pistorius

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Title:

Chase your shadow : the trials of Oscar Pistorius

Author:

Carlin, John, 1956- author.

ISBN:

9780062297068

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Physical Description:

393 pages ; 24 cm

General Note:

"Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd."--Title page verso.

Personal Subject:

Pistorius, Oscar, 1986--Trials, litigation, etc.

Steenkamp, Reeva, 1983-2013-Death and burial.

Subject Term:

Runners (Sports) -- South Africa.

Trials (Murder) -- South Africa -- Pretoria -- Cases.

Athletes with disabilities -- South Africa.

Summary:

"Ending Reeva's life, and in the same instant annihilating his own, had condemned him in the end to the shadow existence he had fought so hard to avoid -- inspiring compassion in some, derision in many more, and ripping forever from his grasp all that he had strived so hard to win"-- Page 4 of cover.

Oscar Pistorius made history as the first amputee to compete against able-bodied runners at the 2012 London Olympics. But less than a year later, Pistorius rocked the world once again when he shot his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, through a closed bathroom door in the early hours of February 14, 2013. Charged with murder, he claimed self-defense, contending that he had acted in a blind panic, imagining an intruder had broken in. Carlin follows the trials of this fallen champion, detailing his fraught upbringing against the story of South Africa, a young democracy stained by a history of racial disparity and levels of criminal violence that are among the highest in the world.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	345.07 CAR	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The definitive account of the rise and fall of South African Olympic and Gold Medal-winning Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, from his personal and athletic success to the murder charge that rocked the world and put both the man, and post-Apartheid South Africa, on trial.

Oscar Pistorius made history as the first amputee to compete against able-bodied runners at the 2012 London Olympics. A hero in his native South Africa, the "Blade Runner" as he is known for his futuristic prosthetic legs, became a global icon of resilience and determination.

But less than a year later, Pistorius rocked the world once again when he shot his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, through a closed bathroom door in the early hours of February14, 2013. Charged with murder, he claimed self-defense, contending that he had acted in a blind panic, imagining an intruder had broken in. But as the investigation moved to trial--during which the prosecution sought to prove that he killed her in a rage after an argument--a picture emerged of a traumatized individual fascinated with guns and assailed, behind the heroic facade, by anguish and self-doubt.

Acclaimed journalist John Carlin follows the trials of this fallen champion, detailing his fraught upbringing, his almost superhuman rise to athletic glory, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding Steenkamp's death. At the center of Pistorius's story is South Africa--a young democracy stained by a history of racial disparity and levels of criminal violence that are among the highest in the world.

Thoughtful and probing, Chase Your Shadow offers a piercing look at this intriguing modern tragedy, bringing to life a complex figure and the troubled land that shaped him.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

An engaging biography of the Olympic sprinter and convicted killer we thought we knew.Carlin (Knowing Mandela: A Personal Portrait, 2013, etc.) reveals the likely impulses of Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-leg amputee and international symbol of courage and determination who shot and killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Feb. 14, 2013. The peculiar circumstances of the shooting and the globally televised trial riveted the world. The author has sufficient access to provide seemingly direct narration from the crime scene. He describes Pistorius as "almost fainting from the rotting metal stench of her wounds, battling to get a purchase on her soaked, slippery frame." He was "howling in despair" and "beseeching God to let her live." Carlin recounts Pistorius' triumphant racing career and persona as a brave and invulnerable athlete ("half-man, half-machine") and reveals the self-delusion necessary to mask his desire to be seen as normal (the author explains how Pistorius, who is white, was adored by all races in post-apartheid South Africa. The first disabled runner to compete in the Olympic Games, his success embodied "what all races like to see as the indomitable national spirit." However, following that tragic night in February 2013, Pistorius' image immediately changed from "the greatest national hero for South Africans of all races since Mandela" to a calculating criminal charged with premeditated murder. Overall, Carlin's reporting is detailed and quick-moving, aside from some overly detailed sections that some readers may skime.g., the crafting of Pistorius' metal and silicone running blades in Iceland; encounters with his loyal, fervent devotees ("Pistorians"). The author offers complete and absorbing coverage of this bizarre story, removing the mask from a previously one-dimensional role model. The fascinating story of a once-invincible man "who has made the best of the cards that life has dealt him butrevealed himself to possess to an equally extreme degree the insecurities that all are prey to." Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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