A review by ejimenez
Game Misconduct: Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It by Evan F. Moore, Jashvina Shah
On one hand, this book is incredibly important. The problems the authors describe make hockey an unsafe place for many marginalized players and fans, and I believe this is the first book to bring together these issues in one document. The book draws on the authors' contacts from the hockey world, relying heavily on interviews with a range of figured from professional, semi-pro, college, youth, and recreational hockey. They are deeply rooted in the hockey community, thoughtful, and passionate about the issues in hockey culture.
On the other hand, this book needed a much stronger structural and content edit. Some sections felt like a long list of facts and anecdotes, without needed context, interpretation, and transitions. It was difficult to follow the thread of the argument most of the time, and sometimes specific incidents were recounted in a way that made it difficult to understand what actually happened in what order.
I have a good bit of knowledge of hockey myself, which was helpful in understanding the book - while some sections provided exhaustive context, others included multiple "in-group" asides.
All of these issues are things that a stronger edit could have resolved or ameliorated.
Overall, the book felt like a mosaic of perspectives rather than a coherent narrative. I wish the authors had embraced that, and perhaps structured the book entirely around the interviews rather than trying to use the interviews to make a case.
I share the authors' hope that the hockey culture can move toward inclusivity, and I hope that the insights from this book can be part of that change.
On the other hand, this book needed a much stronger structural and content edit. Some sections felt like a long list of facts and anecdotes, without needed context, interpretation, and transitions. It was difficult to follow the thread of the argument most of the time, and sometimes specific incidents were recounted in a way that made it difficult to understand what actually happened in what order.
I have a good bit of knowledge of hockey myself, which was helpful in understanding the book - while some sections provided exhaustive context, others included multiple "in-group" asides.
All of these issues are things that a stronger edit could have resolved or ameliorated.
Overall, the book felt like a mosaic of perspectives rather than a coherent narrative. I wish the authors had embraced that, and perhaps structured the book entirely around the interviews rather than trying to use the interviews to make a case.
I share the authors' hope that the hockey culture can move toward inclusivity, and I hope that the insights from this book can be part of that change.