Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero

Very good book

Very good book very interesting

The Complexities of A Man

An interesting look at the complexities of Barry Bonds. Jeff Pearlman presents the complexities of Barry Bonds, his contradictions, his inconsistencies, his moments of cruelty as well as his charm and his moments of warmth. It's unfortunate that the subject himself refused to provide input for the book because it deprives us of the mindset and reasoning behind his actions. We have the acts but none of the insight.

The book chronicles the life of Barry Bonds from his privileged beginnings to his steroid inquiry. The book presents a Barry Bonds as a man to be pitied. Although I'm certain he would not appreciate the sentiment. Pearlman captures his loneliness, competitiveness, sense of isolation, and egotism. It's a portrait of a man who presents the facade of indifference but craves the adoration of all. It is perhaps his utter lack of self awareness that is the most tragic of all. Throughout his life he has treated people without dignity and then cannot fathom why he is so reviled. Clearly he is unable to connect his actions with their consequences. In that respect, it's almost impossible to hate him for it's nearly impossible to hate one that is so ignorant.

So engrossing

I knew very little about Bonds before my dad gave me this book. It was a very interesting and unique story of a guy with great ability but terrible humanity. The author tells the story almost like a novel, which makes it flow beautifully. I really enjoyed this, and learned A LOT.

Great Book, Bad Guy

'Love Me, Hate Me' is an excellent book that really digs in to how Bonds became the person he is today. Pearlman does his best to portray Bonds fairly, but of course the negative stories about him significantly outweigh the good ones. The book has great non-steroid related stories about his relationship with his father, his days at Az St, his early years with the Pirates, and his many years with the Giants. Of course the book does not ignore steroids either. Overall, this is a very good book for any sports fan.

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