Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope Audiobook

Quotes

• “Dion Graham narrates with just the right touches of emotion to get across the gravity of Saunders’ story, one of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and clinical depression. The voices of different people are delivered without imitation—this is Saunders’s story through his own eyes. Something about Graham’s reading evokes Saunders—his steady on-air presence and likable personality. His is a sad story, but one that never asks for pity, just understanding for those with mental illness. Graham delivers a strong narration of this gripping book.”

  — AudioFile

• “A story that merits both sympathy and attention.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• A story that merits both sympathy and attention.

  — Kirkus Reviews

• An inspiring call to action about mental illness.

  — Sports Illustrated

• For sports fans and anyone who has struggled with depression.

  — Library Journal

• The book...isn't a puffy portrait of the long-time fixture on ABC's college football coverage and 'The Sports Reporters'-though it's true Saunders was one of the most-liked sportscasters on ESPN through his career. This book explores Saunders' off-camera struggles, which included the events surrounding his life-long battle with depression...Readers will learn so many things about Saunders they would have never expected to hear-and they will also gain a better understanding of the day-to-day lives of people with depression. Saunders proves it's not what you think.

  — Sporting News

• [A] moving chronicle of [Saunders'] struggle...Readers will ache for him as he struggles to overcome brain trauma while still battling depression. This is a tough read; there's a lot of pain on the pages. But, as Saunders promised in his preface, there's a kind of hope as well.

  — Booklist

• This is an important book. Parts will leave you shaken, others will inform you, still others will uplift you. Playing Hurt is the final act of grace in John's remarkable life, so we may learn of the toll of depression, the need for diagnosis and treatment, and the hope that awaits.

  — Bob Ley, host of ESPN's Outside the Lines, winner of 11 Emmy Awards

• For 30 years, my friend John Saunders earned my admiration for his understated demeanor, his top-of-the-line professionalism, his Old World ways, and his gentle yet warm smile and laughter. I'm sure those who never met him except through TV felt the exact same way. After reading Playing Hurt, my respect for him has increased exponentially. So will yours. Thank you, John.

  — Chris Berman, legendary ESPN broadcaster

• Playing Hurt is John Saunders's personal, poignant story of how he responded to childhood traumas, abuse, clinical depression, an array of head traumas, sports injuries, suicidal thoughts, and excessive use of prescribed medications throughout his life. His hard-learned message: when depression strikes, it is a sign of real strength to talk and turn to family, friends, and experts.

  — John F. Greden, MD, Founding Chair, National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC)

• Playing Hurt is a public service. Here is a trusted friend, a man who has spent so many hours in our living rooms, providing an education about brain injury, about depression, and the symbiosis between the two. Knowing he died so soon after he emerged from this fog is heartbreaking. Playing Hurt is a testament to John and the hidden struggles he overcame.

  — Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com, six-time winner Best Writing, Football Writers Association

• This book underscores the difficulty and significance of acknowledging depression, as well as understanding that this is not unlike any other serious and chronic illness. Then, as Saunders learns, with the assistance of skilled porfessionals and loving, caring, and supportive family and friends, it can be diagnoses, treated, and managed.

  — Elissa P. Benedek, past President, American Psychiatric Association