Our Life with the Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story

I actually bought this book in Canada in paperback form, and I am seriously impressed with Roch Carrier's storytelling ability. Having only read The Hockey Sweater, I expected a fantastic story in this book, and it does not disappoint. In Our Life with the Rocket, Carrier writes a biography of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, one of the greatest hockey players of the last century, or some would say ever, by placing this French-Canadian hero in the context of the province's history. Carrier describes the poverty and hopelessness of the Great Depression in Quebec with vivid detail, telling how young Maurice would run errands for neighbors to earn cash when he wasn't playing street hockey. The hard work Richard put into developing as a hockey player and his career in the NHL, including the famous Richard Riots of the 1954 season, are told with great care. The connection between the Rocket and his legions of Quebecois fans, young and old, is evident. Carrier himself interjects memories of growing up in Quebec worshipping the Rocket, stopping short of completely retelling the autobiographical story related in The Hockey Sweater. He tells how Richard continued to mean a great deal to him as an adult. If the adult reader is a fan of the story of The Hockey Sweater, this book is a perfect companion to it, more fully explaining the significance of Maurice Richard to young French Canadian boys in a time when Quebec had little else to cheer about. I am seriously considering using this in a course I teach.