A Life Too Short: The Story of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not a big follower of German football, so I first heard about goalkeeper Robert Enke when I read news of his suicide. This biography had been in the planning before the truth of his underlying depression became apparent with that tragic moment. I thought the tone of this book was fantastically well pitched as a very informative tale of the effects of depression on one individual and his family. But he was also a remarkable footballer and his life and career are also recounted here too. It is interesting to see the stresses and scrutiny footballers are put under from the point of view of the player for a change. It is amazing how many names in modern football crossed paths with Robert Enke, from Mourinho to Pierre van Hooijdonk to Howard Webb. I never knew about his time with Barcelona or the German national side either. This is a book which will appeal to people interested in football, but also maybe lets people who wouldn't normally read about the illness of depression to understand it better, which has got to be a good thing.

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