Fighting to Speak: Rugby, Rage & Redemption

by Mark Jones, Anthony Bunko (With)

Overview

A talented yet ferocious player, and one of the acknowledged ‘bad-boys’ of rugby, Mark Jones’ on-field brutality was a direct consequence of the off-field torment he suffered with a debilitating stammer. In Fighting to Speak, his revealing and uplifting autobiography, Jones explains how his frustration with his stutter led to a self-loathing and the internalising of an explosive hate that only playing rugby could release - with his unfortunate opponents often on the receiving end of his rage. Sent off six times and banned for over 33 weeks for violent conduct during his career, the dual-code Wales international and Great Britain RL forward was desperately unhappy and detested the thuggish reputation he’d created. After one exceptionally ugly incident, when he broke another player’s eye socket, Jones realised that in order to defeat his demons and control his bad behaviour he needed help to conquer his stammer. Mark Jones fought and won the hardest battle of his life with a steely determination and has now found the inner peace and dignity he’d longed for as a young man. He has decided to tell his story in order to seek redemption for his violent past on the rugby field, and to help others overcome their stammers. Fighting to Speak reveals the journey of a miner’s son with a stutter who succeeded to play rugby at the highest level and defeat his demons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781904609025
Publisher:	St David's Press
Publication date:	02/01/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	250
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Mark Jones was a dual-code Welsh rugby international during the 1980s and 1990s.
A dual-code rugby international, Mark Jones won 13 caps for Wales between 1987 and 1990 before switching to rugby league with Hull FC and Warrington, where he won 11 caps for Wales RL and one cap for GB RL.
Anthony Bunko is an author and playwright from Merthyr Tydfil who has co-written two highly acclaimed autobiographies: Mike 'Spikey' Watkins - 2 Hard to Handle (St. David's Press, 2014) and Phil Steele - Nerves of Steele (St. David's Press, 2016).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Preface by Glyn Llewellyn Foreword by Kingsley Jones 1. Personality Crisis (x3) 2. Stand Up! (Banged Up!) 3. I’m an Upstart(er) 4. Teenage Kick(ing)s 5. (Playing With) The Rude Boys 6. Neat(h)! Neat(h)! Neat(h)! 7. Rockaway (Miami) Beach 8. Anarchy in the U(Know who) 9. Psycho (Thriller 10. ‘A’ Bomb in (Twickers) 11. Working for (the Let-Down) 12. Looking After Number(8) 13. Highway to (Hull) 14. Smash It Up! (Bash It Up!) 15. (Hitting Rucks) and Alcohol 16. (Pooler) Über Alles 17. Holidays in the (Qatar) Sun Epilogue Career Statistics