Guardian Of The Streets: The Autobiography of James Cook MBE

Guardian Of The Streets: The Autobiography of James Cook MBE

James Cook’s autobiography Guardian of the Streets is a gripping account of James’s life told with the assistance of his longstanding friend, boxing journalist and author, Melanie Lloyd.

James was raised by his grandparents in Jamaica until he was nine years old, when his mother arrived from London to collect him. His words paint a vibrant picture of childhood in the Caribbean sun and having to adapt to life on the notorious North Peckham Housing Estate in late sixties. He started boxing in his teens and he went on to become British & European super-middleweight champion. James takes the reader through his life in the ring eloquently with plenty of droll tales along the way, but this is so much more than solely a boxing book.

James’s commitment to keeping his local community save with his youth work provides an immensely inspirational and uplifting read. But anybody expecting to find Saint James on every page should be warned that they might be in for a shock. His stories range from receiving his MBE from the Queen to beating up a pair of wheel-clampers in a Tesco car park, all told with equal warmth and a sweet honesty that will keep the pages turning.

The book is hardback and priced at £18.99. The release date is 3rd April, and it will be available on Amazon and all good book shops. 80 per cent of the royalties that James and Melanie receive for the book are being donated to the Pedro Youth Club in Hackney.