Concussion
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  • Published: 24 November 2015
  • ISBN: 9780241975923
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304

Concussion

Formats & editions
EBook
24 Nov 2015
Audiobook
26 Jan 2017
Paperback
10 Feb 2016
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The David and Goliath story of the pathologist who discovered that America's favourite sport was killing its players. Soon a blockbuster Ridley Scott film starring Will Smith

The brilliant young forensic pathologist had no idea that the body on the slab in front of him would change his life, and ultimately change the world.

The body belonged to legendary American Footballer Mike Webster, whose mental health had rapidly declined - he had ended up treating his back pain with a Taser and using Superglue to fix his rotting teeth.

Dr Bennet Omalu found that Webster's psychosis was no accident. His autopsy unearthed evidence of a trauma-related disease - the consequence of years of head clashes in games. He knew it would kill scores of other sportsmen unless something was done, and believed the NFL would welcome the discovery. Instead America's most powerful corporation tried to destroy him.

Taut and gorgeously told, this is the intensely personal story of one man's fight against a multibillion dollar colossus. A man who stood up for what was right, whatever the cost.
  • Published: 24 November 2015
  • ISBN: 9780241975923
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304
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About the author

Jeanne Marie Laskas

JEANNE MARIE LASKAS is a columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, where her "Significant Others" essays appear weekly, and a contributing editor at Esquire. She is also an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, where she teaches creative writing. When she’s not working on her next book, she, Alex, and their two daughters tend the goats, sheep, horses, mules, and other animals at Sweetwater Farm in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania.

Also by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Hidden America
Fifty Acres and a Poodle
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Praise for Concussion

This is classic David and Goliath, and Jeanne Marie Laskas - one of my favourite writers on earth - makes it as exciting as a great courtroom drama. A riveting, powerful human tale... and a masterclass on how to tell a story

Charles Duhigg, New York Times

Bennet Omalu forced football to reckon with head trauma. The NFL doesn't want you to hear his story, but Jeanne Marie Laskas makes it unforgettable. This book is gripping, eye-opening, and full of heart.

Emily Bazelon, author of 'Sticks and Stones'

A gripping medical mystery and a dazzling portrait of the young scientist no one wanted to listen to. Bennet Omalu's struggle to force the NFL to reckon with head injuries should give us all hope - and pause. A fabulous, essential read.

Rebecca Skloot, author of 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'
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