Game Changers

Game Changers is a soul revelation of the journey of the author who has lived both sides of life to the extreme and lived to tell the story. An epic rendition of survival about having it all and losing it all, only to regain something more precious than what he had in the beginning: emancipation of the soul.

The autobiography follows the author’s life from the perspective of a last-born child born to measure up to his siblings. In his very humble and quiet early years, he preferred to stay under the radar in school and society, especially since he was dealing with coming-of-age taboos and questionable sexuality. The quest begins with seeking acceptance and belonging, and this leads to an older family friend taking advantage of the disillusioned teenager, who sexually assaults him repeatedly at the age of fifteen. Mistaking this sexual introduction for love leads to a downward spiral of depression, drinking, and attempted suicide when he realizes it is just "boys exploring their sexuality" when his advances are unrequited.

This evokes a rebellious personality in him, who ends up having to run away from his hometown to Johannesburg after rumors of his questionable sexuality start surfacing among his girlfriends, friends, and family. Johannesburg doesn’t only promise a life of sexual freedom but it also unleashes in him an insatiable appetite for the good life he always dreamt of. Within time, he finds himself in the realm of the rich and famous of South African entertainment and stays with South Africa’s singing sensation, Brenda Fassie, at one point. A life of wild partying and drugs ensues as everyone enjoys freedom of sexual fluidity that was en vogue in the ’90s. Sustaining this kind of lifestyle can be pretty expensive, and this leads to him being introduced to a life of white-collar crimes, valued at over millions combined.

One day he receives news that completely changes the course of his life forever, and at that moment, he vows to go on the straight and narrow and find fulfillment out of life.

Later, not only does he have to deal with the death of his best friend and celebrity hairdresser, but the best friend’s family also opens a case of murder against him, and it becomes a media duck-and-dive mission.

The end of the book sees him navigating life and challenges in the United States.

-- Gatsha Conco