1 comments about Memories of Mike.

1. It's an amazing book. This book has a good picture and offer lots of stories and tall tales abouy my greatest athlete, Michael Jordan. Makes me inspirated on playing basketball. Buy this book and you will not regret it !

3 comments about Jameer Nelson: This Jameer Kid.

1. In todays world of soccer moms and overzealous little league dads, here is a touching narrative from a father who "gets it".
   Pete Nelson was a hard working , blue collar dad who watched his son become the best college basketball player in the land and then a budding star in the NBA.
   The book also gives a perspective of how an entire community (in this case Chester Pa.) plays a role in the formulation of great kids.
   The author (recently deseased) gave us, through his story, a blueprint for raising motivated successful kids.



2. I really liked the Jameer book. I found it a fun and easy read, that had a story with lots of energy and drive. I enjoyed the many page-long stories from family and friends of Jameer as a suplement to the exciting main story. Together they presented a close and personal picture of a young athlete, at the same time that it did not become your standard, one-dimensional "from rags to riches"-story. The story is told by people who love and care about Jameer, and their sentiments make the book the hart-warming story it is.



3. Simply put, OUTSTANDING! Elaine and Pete, bring Jameer to life! From his early years all the way to the NBA the reader receives an up-close and intimate look into the life of Jameer Nelson. This is simply one of the best sports biographys that I have ever read. This book is not only for the sports enthusiast or Jameer fan. For, it is also takes a personal look at his family and friends. We see his/their dedication and his/their devotion that helped shape the person we all know as Jameer. As a side note, it also has a very positive message about Chester, Pennsylvania, Jameer's hometown and the mutual love and respect they (Jameer and Chester) have for one another. Overall, a wonderfully informative and personal read. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

3 comments about The Tao of Yao: Wit and Wisdom from the "Moving Great Wall" Yao Ming.

1. I'm not sure what books the other reviewers were reading. This is a small book which is a mainly a quotebook. It has a few pages of writing in the beginning that summarize Yao's life in the NBA and some pages of photos in the middle. But the majority is one quote from Yao on each page. That's about it. It would be better to have some context, explanation, or follow up (or a lower book price). It doesn't take much time to read since there is not much writing, so if you want more you will be disappointed.



2. The Tao of Yao is an "up close and personal" look at one of the sporting world's greatest heroes. The story of Yao Ming, who came up from the Chinese Basketball Association's Youth League all the way to superstardom with the Houston Rockets, is not only a tale of success against long odds. It is also an account of a remarkable person who has become a role model for over a billion people, and an ambassador of Chinese culture to sports fans around the world. What comes through most clearly in this book is the "who" of Yao. I could hear his sense of humor, like when he said to the press that his five favorite English words were "This is the last question." I learned about his humility, from exchanges like the following with Shaq after a Rockets-Lakers game that Shaq had to sit out with an injury: "You played pretty good, Yao Ming," said Shaq. "That's because you weren't there," said Yao. I also got a glimpse of what it must be like to arrive in a new country, not speaking the language, not knowing the culture, and having to quickly adapt to the pressure to be not just good, but great.

   By relying solely on interviews with Yao and those who know him best, Doug Choi tells the story of Yao in a way that is immediate and personal. The book is like a good highlights tape - it vividly tells the story with page after page of memorable moments that reveal much about Yao the person and Yao the player. You hear the NBA trash talk that turns to respect, and even "love". You re-live the anticipation of his epic showdown with Shaq. You learn, in Yao's own words, what it means to him to play in the NBA. You find out little things, like why he doesn't go to Chinese restaurants in Houston. And big things, like how he wants to be remembered as a person and as a player. If you're a fan of NBA basketball and "the moving wall of China", then you'll love this book. But even if you're not, I think you'll find this 21st century "coming to America" story to be engaging and inspiring. And, as a bonus, there is a picture of Yao stuffing Shaq under the glass that is worth the price of the book all by itself.




3. Choi's breakin ankles, and hits the trey, nothin but net. This book has it all: insight, humor, and wisdom. He gets the assist in his ability to organize and distill the essence of Yao Ming in a very readable format. Somebody holla, "Alley-oop!" This is a must-have for all Yao fans and for Asians in general who finally have a true playa representin fo tha Fa'East-side.

No comments about Hot Rod Hundley: "You Gotta Love It, Baby!" Limited Edition.

No comments about Senda Berenson: The Unlikely Founder of Women's Basketball.

5 comments about Transition Game: How Hoops Went Hip-Hop.

1. I bought this book recently for something to do and being from Indiana, im always interested in high school basketball. This book jumped around and gave me infomation about the NBA and different aspects of the game that you can not began to compare to the high school game in Indiana. Yes the high school game in Indiana has changed but no where near the NBA game. I recommend this book for you are an out-of-state person wanting a good basketball book but as far as an in state person wanting to know more about the game we love in our backyard this is not it.



2. I bought this as a gift for my dad. I'm always looking for a good sports book for him for his birthday and I've read Wertheim's articles and his tennis mailbag in Sports Illustrated. But when this book came in the mail I picked it up and I couldn't put it down. I'm not even a basketball fan! I loved the writing- Wertheim is witty and perceptive, and I never realized how fascinating Indiana basketball is from a sociological point of view. When my dad finally got to read his gift (after I finished) he loved it and sent a copy to my uncle in Boston, a big basketball fan. Highly recommend this book!



3. Wetheim's book is told in a series of vignettes, alternating chapters that detail the final season of an Indiana high school coach with chapters that address individual issues that effect the way basketball is played today around the country. Some of the areas covered include: agents, women's basketball, the globalization of the sport, college basketball, professional basketball, violence, and racism. We meet some of the players on the high school team, and see where they come from and why they play. Not all of the chapters are entertaining, but most of them are.
   
   I recommend this for any fan of basketball, whether it be high school, college, or pro hoops you prefer.



4. Sports Illustrated tennis/basketball writer Jon Wertheim spent a winter back in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana tending to his ailing father. During that time, he re-connected with his high school's basketball program. He was agog at how things had changed in the 10+ years since he graduated. In comparison to the "Hoosiers" he left behind, Wertheim finds that Streetball-fueled athleticism is permeating every aspect of basketball, in every Indiana town.
   
   Wertheim's book juxtaposes this new reality vs. the iconic image of the lone Indiana youth practicing his free throws in a driveway in small town. It's a theme he develops well in this book, but perhaps not as extensively as the eye-rolling sub-title of the book ("How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop") implies. I imagine Wertheim blanched a bit when he saw that. Rather then deep-diving into hip-hop culture, "Transition Game" takes the reader on a 360-degree view of Indiana basketball - small high schools, big high schools, IU, Purdue's women's team, the legend of Damon Bailey, and the so-called "Crime Against Culture" (Indiana's universally despised move away to four-class basketball in 1998). It's a well-reported travelogue that gives the reader a flavor of how basketball culture is changing in even the most traditional of settings.



5. No, no, no, this is a great book. Contrary to the opinion of one in San Antonio, Jon Wertheim's book isn't a commentary book so much as it discusses the issues of Indiana's basketball history with more of a backdrop of all the issues that effect life: race, class, gender and political issues. I can't say that Wertheim picks a side in terms of why things are the way they are -- which is great! This book is more of an analogy of the state of affairs of Indiana basketball. He does a great job of putting certain items of discussion on the table, but pretty much lets the reader choose which manner of explanation(s) support the reality that is an ever-changing basketball landscape in the nation's No. 1 basketball state (despite this year's NCAA woes--LOL). Cop this book!

3 comments about Special Delivery: The Amazing Basketball Career of Karl Malone.

1. THIS BOOK IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT KARL MALONE NBA SUPERSTAR. BUT ALOT OF THIS BOOK IS SPENT ON THE HISTORY OF THE JAZZ AND MANY OTHERS PLAYERS. IT IS NOT A BAD BOOK BUT NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. OK READ.



2. That Karl Malone fellow has been on the man show, movies, W.C.W, and knows Maxercise purple belt Mark Beekman. What else can a superstar basketball player accomplish?! The book is great, just like my girlfriend Joelle Fillipo and that Barry Sanders guy the dude mentioned when reviewing the book. Karl Malone should break the all-time record in a few years for points to show that Jason Haines from Parkway Manor kissed Jennifer Sue Frisch!



3. ...then this is probably an okay book to get started. Probably more for teenagers. I was in Salt Lake when K.M. was drafted and the then owner of the team had really wanted Keith Lee but the fans gathered at the Salt Palace were happy Malone was still available. Before his name was announced fans were chanting "Mailman, Mailman..." That draft began a long and very good relationship with the Utah fans. Both have benefited greatly from the union. Unfortunately that part of K.M.'s story isn't in the book. Neither are a lot of things you'd like to know, such as the details of Mr. Malone's famous off-season workouts that make his workout partners puke, although it is touched on. I wanted to know how he developed it and who can keep up with him and what else he does to maintain his high durability in the modern game.

   Karl deserves better. I met him his rookie year and found out he was a fantastic person, able to handle fame better than most. At that early stage he could make you feel like you were very important - how many rookie NBA players can do that? I've been a huge fan ever since and I don't even like basketball much.

   I read the book hoping to see his development into the best power forward of all time and instead I got a bunch on newspaper clippings and vignettes on early NBA thugs. I think there's more to Mr. Malone than that. I think there's more to his development as a player than what I read.

   He still hasn't won a championship. Well neither did Barry Sanders, Carl Yastremski, Gale Sayers or even Jerry Sloan. K.M is a great basketball player and an even better person - he deserves a better story than what the book told.

5 comments about The Basketball Diaries (Audio Literature Presents).

1. I knew of Jim Carroll, read some of his poetry and such. And then I saw the movie--and let me tell you, you have to see that one. So I finally got around to picking up the book. Carroll is unflinchingly honest (though I do suspect he took many liberties with the story) and the story is brutal. This book does not glamorize drug abuse, as it shouldn't. This is a book I'll be coming back to over and over.



2. Could have been interesting, but this book was so foul (language) I had difficulty staying with it. It has remained, unfinished, on my bookshelf.



3. This odd mix of biography and novel takes some terrible situations and turns them into a quest for purity. You won't be able to put it down.



4. fun story, sure it's dark but you know what you're getting when you pick it up. I like that this book despite being a novel shows how heroin use doesn't cause health problems other than its addiction. too bad he became a thug on it, which also doesn't need to go hand in hand with drug use despite popular misconception. loved the movie, the book is about as good. can relate to more of this book than probably anyone on amazon (nyc, prep school, former precocious poet & dope user, successful shooting guard, thriving today). not saying that to brag but to say it holds up enjoyably as hell well as an odd mix of biography and novel.



5. This is the best book that I have ever read. It is so well written that it takes your breathe away. In this book he transforms horrible awful situations into a quest for purity. I didn't want this book to end.

No comments about Running Toward the Light: The George Mendoza Story.

No comments about Clem Haskins: Breaking Barriers.