"Delightful" —Daily Telegraph
"I knew Learie Constantine and this book brings out his great humanity and brilliantly explains why he was such an inspiration to so many."
—Sir Trevor McDonald
Learie Constantine
“If you are unfamiliar with the Constantine story, you are in for a fascinating read, from a relatively poor background, to Test cricketer, to barrister, to minister, to a Knight, to a Lord. The mind boggles at just how much he crammed into and achieved during his life. You often read a biography and think it a good read, but you know that in a few years there will be a better more in-depth updated version. It would not surprise if this is the last and definitive biography of Lord Learie Constantine. This is not just for cricket fans, but for almost anyone who enjoys a quality read. Strongly recommended.” — cricketweb.net
Sir Learie Constantine was an extraordinary figure by any yardstick. One of the greatest and most popular of all West Indian cricketers, he left the game to become, among other things, a barrister, cabinet minister, diplomat, broadcaster, author and journalist. The first black man to enter the House of Lords, he was a tireless campaigner for racial equality and West Indian self-government whose forthright response to racial discrimination led to a celebrated legal case that laid the foundations for Britain’s first Race Relations Act. Above all, however, he was an immensely popular public figure throughout his life; a man whose easy charm and warm personality won the hearts of countless admirers in walks of life that were far from his humble beginnings in the hills of Trinidad. Journalist and cricket writer Peter Mason tells the fascinating story of this cricketer turned activist, underlining his lasting contributions to both sport and to the fight against racism.
Peter Mason is a writer on cricket and the Caribbean. Founding editor of Cricket Digest and former deputy editor of Third Man cricket magazine, he is the author of six other books, including Bacchanal: The Carnival Culture of Trinidad, and Jamaica in Focus.
Caribbean Lives Series