The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them - Hardcover

Howard, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062394266 ISBN 13: 9780062394262

Publisher: Harper, 2014

Synopsis

An inspiring, down to earth memoir by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard who recounts his rise to World Cup stardom (as the USA team goalie), the challenges, both psychological and professional, he faced getting to the top and the enduring faith that has sustained him. As fiercely protective about his privacy as he is guarding the goal for Everton, Howard opens up for the first time about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette s Syndrome defied the odds to become one of the world s premier goalkeepers. After a successful 17 year professional football career, Howard became an overnight star this past summer at the World Cup in Brazil, playing for the US national team. It marked the apex of a remarkable journey from a challenging childhood in which he was raised by a single mother who instilled in him a love of sports and a devout Christian faith that helped him deal with the onset of Tourette s at 10 years old. Howard managed to keep the condition in check well enough to be drafted by Major League Soccer straight out of high school. After becoming the youngest player to win Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, he caught the eye of the Sir Alex Ferguson who gave him a seven figure contract to play for Manchester United. He led United to a host of trophies before moving onto his current team, Everton, where he set the Premier League record for consecutive appearances with one club. Told in his thoughtful and articulate voice, The Keeper is an illuminating look at a remarkable man who is an inspirational role model for all of us.

The Keeper is illustrated with two 8-page colour photo inserts.

About this title

Review

“Thanks to its honesty, The Keeper is one of the best sports memoirs I’ve read recently.” (Daily Beast)

“Inspiring and compulsively readable.” (People Magazine)

From the Back Cover

"I believe that we will win."

In the summer of 2014, Tim Howard became an overnight sensation after more than ten years as one of America's leading professional soccer players. His record-breaking 15 saves for the United States national team against Belgium in the World Cup electrified a nation that had only recently woken up to the Beautiful Game after decades of hibernation.

An estimated TV audience of 21 million viewers in the U.S.—larger than those of the NBA and NHL finals—watched Howard's heroic performance against the heavily favored Belgians in which he repelled shots with his hands, feet, legs, knees, and even his signature long beard.

Suddenly an athlete who had toiled in relative anonymity for much of his career became the star of his own Internet meme ("Things Tim Howard Could Save": from Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" to the Titanic), and fielded personal calls from the likes of President Barack Obama ("You guys did us proud. . . . I don't know how you are going to survive the mobs when you come back home, man. You'll have to shave your beard so they don't know who you are").

In this inspiring and candid memoir, the beloved U.S. and Everton goalkeeper finally allows himself to do something that he would never do on the field: he drops his guard. Howard opens up for the first time about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette Syndrome defied the odds to become one of the greatest American keepers in history. He recalls his childhood, being raised by a single mother who instilled in him a love of all sports—he was also a standout high school basketball player—and a devout faith that helped him cope with a disorder that manifested itself with speech and facial tics, compulsive behavior, and extreme sensitivity to light, noise, and touch.

The Keeper is also a chronicle of the personal sacrifices he's made for his career, including the ultimate dissolution of Howard's marriage—a casualty of what he calls his "addiction to winning"—and its most painful consequence: his separation from his two children.

A treat for soccer fans, The Keeper will even captivate readers who are unfamiliar with the sport but want to know what makes a world-class athlete different from the rest of us—and where that difference gives way to common ground.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0062394266
• ISBN 13: 9780062394262
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320