Customer Reviews

Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada's National Sport

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The game of Hockey has been glorified for years now and the goal of the players was to make it to the SHOW (NHL). Laura takes an indepth look into the darker side of this glorified sport. There were times during this book I could not help myself from crying and other times were I was infuriated with anger. Being a OHL hockey fan and female it has broughten into light how some not all of these young men have been both the abused and abusers. It shows how the shinning lights and the dream of the NHL can have deep and tramatic effects on these young men for the rest of there lives. I feel she is not trying to bash the entire hockey system, but has brought focus on a topic that if left alone could result in an explosion. An Explosion we are not capable in handling!

When I ordered this book, I didn't expect to be reading what I did. This book sheds some light on the truly dark side of junior hockey, and it shows that there are serious flaws within the sport. It just goes to show that everything is not as it seems to be.

As I was reading this book a lot of hit to close to home. Being a teenage girl and a fan of a junior hockey team I've witnessed things that were mentioned in this book. Laura Robinson did an amazingly insightful job to inform the readers of the "taboo" subjects of hockey. I would definately reccomend this book to anyone who's looking for the truth of what goes on behind closed doors.

I picked up this book for a psychology report and could not put it down. The author does a great job , especially when discussing the topic of Sheldon Kennedy/Graham James. She leaves nothing out and was very informative. A must read for all parents, and hockey fans a like.

I picked this book up for a different perspective of my favorite sport, and indeed that's what was in store for me. However, as I began reading it I was really impressed by her writing style; these kinds of books normally don't hold my attention for very long. I thought she kept it close to the bone with facts and only inserted opinions where strongly supported by logic. Comprehensive and complete.

This book had me intrigued from page one. I think that Laura is brave to expose a side of Canada's religion that no one wants to talk about -- we want to believe that the athletes we love are good people and that is not necesarily the truth. I think it takes the innocence away from being a hockey fan, meaning she has done a wonderful investigative piece. Her conclusions are up for debate, but mostly from people who do not want to believe what she says to be true. For the sake of the sports future, I think it is a pioneer in exposing some harsh realities.

As a long time hockey player and fan, a book that brings out the darker side of hockey is not something you typically want to read, but for players and parents associated with the sport, it provides a startling account of a disturbing trend of events that have occurred in Canadian Junior Hockey over the past decade.

Laura Robinson's research is woven into a gripping and graphic account of abuses of players by the coaches they trusted and of a few the female fans of the sport who have suffered from the belief that some junior players are "above the law". From hazing rituals to rape, Robinson's book takes you down a dark road that ends with many questions and little in the form of solutions.

Well-written, but not for the "casual" hockey fan. Crossing the Line is a stinging indictment of the Canadian Junior Hockey System which, in the author's view, has not only failed to protect some of its players from abuse, but has failed some of the people in communities whose association with the sport is minimal.

A very disturbing look at the hockey youth culture in Canada. However, I think Ms. Robinson overlooks the fact that humiliation and sexually-tinged horseplay are common to some degree among teenagers of ALL walks of life, not just athletes. Nor do I think she is correct in her assumption that such things are always degrading and involuntary on the part of participants. However, addressing the needs of those who have been traumatized by hazing and the like is a priority issue, and one that I think she calls much needed attention to.

This book is a must for any female hockey fan! Or any fan that is into younger players like I am. It helps give an understanding of why they act the way they do sometimes. The sad part is, it gives a very bleak outlook on the future of the Canadian juniors. But maybe if everyone realizes there is a potentially threatening problem, then something can be done about it.

Besides being shocked and even becoming nauseated after reading one of the horrible rituals a junior player endured, I was also thankful that finally someone let these horrors come out. Not a book for the weak-stomached and for those that are hell bent on being convinced that pro hockey is a perfectly nice sport with no flaws, but an excellent resource for those that want to know what can and does go wrong every day in this sport.