2 comments about Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered.

1. THIS IS A NICE BOOK ABOUT FORMER PACKER QUARTER BACK BART STARR. THE AUTHOR DOES A NICE JOB GIVING US A LOOK AT THE PERSON AND PLAYER. HE ALSO TELLS OF THE SEASONS THAT STARR COACHED THE PACKERS WHICH I KNOW VERY LITTLE OF. I ALSO ENJOYED THE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF EACH SEASON AND ALL THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES. THE NEGATIVE I HAVE IS THAT IT SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON VINCE LOMBARDI. IT ALMOST COULD HAVE BEEN 2 BIOGRAPHIES IN ONE WITH ALL THE PAGES DEDICATED TO LOMBARDI. BUT ALL IN ALL IN ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS.



2. Those interested in reading about former Green Bay Packers' quarterback Bart Starr for the first time will find this to be an interesting biography. However, if you have read previous books on the Packers such as Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" and David Maraniss's definitive biography on Vince Lombardi entitled "When Pride Still Mattered", you will not find anything new here. Author David Claerbaut relies heavily on Maraniss's book on Lombardi in addition to having a similar title "When Leadership Mattered." Claerbaut does delve into Starr's nine years as the coach of the Packers in addition to Starr's son, Brett, who suffered from drug addiction. As far as Starr's years as a player for the Packers is concerned what this book has to offer can be found in several other books on the team. However, if you have not read a previous book on Bart Starr or the Packers of the 1960's then you will enjoy this book.

2 comments about Nitschke: The Ray Nitschke Story.

1. Ray Nitschke is a symbol of a football era that has passed. He played the game for enjoyment not for money. Unlike current players, he was grateful to the fans and never passes up an autograph seeker. Truly, there will never be another Ray Nitschke.

   Edward Gruver began putting this biography together before Nitschke's death. Much of the information was gained in interviews with Nitschke. Because many of the stories are in his own words, it lends authenticity to the story. Gruver interviewed teammates and opponents to get their perspective of Nitschke. The result is the best rounded biography of the man who is arguably the best middle linebacker in NFL history.

   Aside from the stories of his playing days, the book also looks at Ray Nitschke the man. He lived through a rough childhood to become an unlikely recipient of a scholarship to Illinois. Although he dreamed of playing for the Bears, he made Green Bay his home only a few seasons after he was drafted. After getting married, Nitschke changed from a rough bar room brawler to a family man. His nasty on-field persona was left on the field. Nitschke was involved in numuerous charities. However, his family came first.

   Nitschke is an easy read, that is historically accurate and well written. My one objection to the book is my feeling that some of the stories could have been expanded up further. Nevertheless, this is an excellent read for Packer fans.




2. Nitschke is the first biography of accomplished professional football player Ray Nitschke (1936-1998), who won the Green Bay Packers five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. Constructed from thorough research and dozens of interviews by biographer Edward Gruver, Nischke is the impressive portrait of a courageous man who lost both his parents at age 13, played a legendary championship "Ice Bowl" game in sub-zero weather, was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame in 1978, and earned lasting memorials and tributes after his unfortunate death from a heart attack. Nitschke provides the reader with an inspiring account of the life of a dedicated game player and is "must" reading for Packer fans in general, and those who remember Ray Nitschke's performances on the field in particular.

3 comments about Tom Landry: An Autobiography (Walker Large Print Books).

1. There are some great lessons on leadership and character in this book. Landry's strong faith and belief system helped shape the morality of many that came in contact with him. His vision on life is based on a high value system. He is a perfectionist and a great strategist who believes that preparation is always the key, which I also agree. After reading this book you will walk away with a new layer of tenacity, an increased will to be challenged, and a new resolution to embrace patience more.



2. America is a sports-crazy nation. Tom Landry's career is worth reading about because it parallels the rise of professional football in the U.S. His rise from the tiny town of Mission, Texas to building a football dynasty is inspirational because through years of losing he had the determination and faith to stick with his plan for winning. A major factor in this was his faith.
   
   Landry's narrative is also intertwined with larger historical events. His older brother Robert died during WWII when the B-17 bomber he was in disappeared over the Atlantic en route to England. At age 18, the younger Landry enlisted and eventually flew 30 B-17 missions over Europe. Another aspect of history--after President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, the Cowboys were booed at every game they played for the rest of the season, and into the next.
   
   There are some great lessons on leadership in the last chapter that are applicable in any context.
   
   For all he did, Landry certainly didn't deserve the kind of dismissal he got at the end of his career.



3. Having been a lifelong Cowboys fan I saw this book and had to read it. The first thing I found upon reading it was that total honesty of Coach Landry and the guts it took to wither all the storms life can throw at one person. I found that, even though it deals worth football, there are lessons that are applicable to everyday life. This would be a great book for all school children to be assigned to read. It shows what can happen when one person puts faith and families and principles ahead of instant gradification.

1 comments about A Hero Perished: The Diary and Selected Letters of Nile Kinnick.

1. Nile C. Kinnick played halfback at the University of Iowa and won the Heisman Trophy in 1939. He was also senior class president, a brilliant economics student, and later, a WWII Navy pilot. Paul Baender has compiled Kinnick's diary and selected letters in the life of this extraordinary man.
   
   The first half of the book contains letters of Kinnick from his college days onward up through his Navy service. Baender does his best to provide explanations and historical context either before or after each letter. The book's second half contains Kinnick's diary, followed by Baender's explanations at the end. My only complaint is that Baender would have provided some sort of conclusive end to the book.
   
   It is fascinating to read such wonderful prose from Kinnick's letters and diary. College life and the game of football has certainly changed since 1939, but Kinnick's hopes, dreams and struggles are the same as we feel today. He was not perfect, but I find it remarkable that Kinnick, a country boy from Iowa born long ago, recognized racial inequality in his domestic travels.
   
   Nile Clark Kinnick was killed in on a flight training mission during WWII, one of thousands of U.S. casualties. The act of reading this compilation of Kinnick's writings has helped me see the personal courage, honor, and integrity with which thousands of veterans have served, and has helped illustrate the weight of the struggle in which we were engaged. If you want to read about a great man, pick up this book.

No comments about Tradition: Bo Schembechler's Michigan Memories - Includes 1-hour DVD (University of Michigan Football).

5 comments about The Final Season: My Last Year as Head Coach in the NFL.

1. For those of you who fantasized about what it would be like coaching an NFL team, Bill Parcells aided by Will McDonough offer the opportunity to find out what it is like.

   Parcells takes readers through his entire final season with the New York Jets in 1999, when he ultimately concluded that this would be his final coaching responsibility. Jerry Jones has since hastened Parcells out of retirement at a hefty salary to jumpstart the formerly mighty Dallas Cowboys as he had earlier altered the fortunes of the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Jets respectively.

   You cannot help coming away with an admiration for Parcells due to his rock-ribbed honesty. Here is a man who will criticize his players if he believes they are giving less than 100% or playing less than intelligent football. He blames himself for losing a game in the closing stages by "getting cute" and calling for a pass which was intercepted and ultimately cost his team the game when it would have been wiser retrospectively to keep the ball on the ground. When assistant coach Dan Henning tells him that his insistence on keeping Rick Mirer in the lineup as starting quarterback in the face of less than awesome performances stemmed from a stubbornness to face the facts since Parcells made the trade in his general manager's capacity, the coach, rather than blowing up over having his ego assaulted in the manner that a smaller man would, ends up agreeing with Henning. Accepting genuinely felt constructive criticism in a positive manner is the hallmark of a mature and honest man.

   In addition to telling us plenty about strategy, how games were won and lost, and providing his opinions on players he reveres, such as his own sterling running back Curtis Martin and respected opposing quarterback Dan Marino of the Dolphins, Parcells tells about the deeply rooted pressures in NFL coaching. He reveals about his bypass operation and expresses dismay over his inability to sleep and nervous eating anxieties when the season is in full swing, leading to weight gain. He also weighs in on his view of the poor performance of certain NFL officials, especially in key situations, a problem which has magnified since this book appeared. Parcells expresses his concern as well over the rise of fan hooliganism, fearing that perhaps America may follow the example ultimately of the European soccer rioters.

   If you love pro football, this is a can't miss read. The coach is an intelligent man of candor with plenty of interesting things to say.




2. i doubt Parcells is DONE with football as a coach.. I'm sure there will be PART 2 because this guy will coach somewhere sOON.

   As for the story it was easy ready and it was pretty cheesy. Nothing really BIG or personal described in the book. For a man as criticial as he is, I expected more DEEP thoughts in this book, but it never happen.




3. A perfect illustartion of the greatest football coach ever !! Yes, even better than Me Lombardi himself. First of all, it was a wonder Bill continued to write this book when his team was 1-8. Almost every story has a happy ending right ?? Well not exactly. Being a Parcells fan (followed him fron NY, to NE and back to NY) I followed this season closely. For a team to go 1-8 and win ther next 7 in a row with nothing to play for, is amazing. Parcells is the greatest motivator ever. The book talks about his relatrionship with the players. Yes, he actually got along with his players, well some of them. But the one relationship he'll never forget will be the one with The Boy Wonder. You'll have to read the book to understand.



4. I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. Bill Parcells and his legacy here in New England and how he left the team were front page news here. His personality is larger than life. His press conferences were must-see TV.

   That said, this book was disappointing. It started out well, the first portion of this book is riveting, and gives you real insight into his thoughts, and how he puts a team together. Where it goes downhill is after the Jets very first game of the '99 season where they lose multiple starters for the season, including the starting QB. Going into the season the Jets were considered by many people a favorite for the SuperBowl. If it were to follow the team through a season like that, it would've been a great read throughout. Instead, after those injuries, Parcells basically mails it in for the rest of the book, in my opinion. What could've been a great book instead becomes a mediocre effort.




5. As to be expected of Bill Parcells, this book is carelessly written. It provides no insights, nothing new, and is basically just a place for him to pound his chest. Parcells is an egomanica and a very nasty person. How may franchises has he left hanging. He will coach again, his ego will not let him not. Do not waste your money on this "egogrophy", its not worth the paper its printed on. I'g give it zero starts if i could.

5 comments about Zee Bees.

1. I am the Publisher of Zee Bees. Roger Staubach, one of America's superlative athletes, has recommended the book. I pass along his comments to all readers who may be interested;
   
   "Zee Bees took me vividly back to my football days...the hard work, the bruises, the excitement, the camaraderie, the emotional ups and downs, ...it's all there. This is an inspirational book that teaches the lessons that team sports teaches so well...how to establish goals, stick to it, work together, ...and succeed! I highly recommend Zee Bees for readers of all ages!"
   
   Roger Staubach
   Heisman Trophy Winner Navy 1963
   ALL Pro Quarterback Dallas Cowboys



2. "Zee Bees" by Bob Osman is an exceptional read. The story about a group of young people, a football team and their friends(girl friends and teammates)is a great portrayal of growing up in America in the 50's. It has many lessons about friendship and working for your goals that would serve any generation of young people. Once you start reading the book you can't put it down. I recommend it to young people of any age. You will enjoy it. My son and daughters read it and enjoyed the story and it was not just because their mother is the girl that swept Bob off his feet in the book and the star center on the team is their uncle. It is a good story and one all of us can relate to regardless of the generation in which we grew up.



3. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I had a general idea of what the book was about but once I started reading it brought me back to a place that I have never been, and really never even heard about growing up. You see my dad is Paul Jackola and reading this book showed me how different values and team work was before my teen age years. We all expect things and back then you had to work for them. This book is something that all kids should read, make them think of how it used to be, how it is now and what they can do for the future. This book will be read by my 3 children and then it will be brought to the local schools for teachers to read and hope to teach a lesson for all children of today.



4. As a foreign exchange student at Zion-Benton in 1961-62 - 7 years after Bob Osmon graduated - I was delighted to read his book about the team and the coach that set out to win the championship - and did! - against formidable foes like Lake Forest and New Trier. You don't need to understand the rules and tactics of American football (I frankly don't) to enjoy this fascinating story. And you don't need to know Zion - which springs to life even 50 years later - because this could be any small community anywhere in the USA. A book for grown-ups and youngsters - everyone will want to immerse themselves in this tale of challenge, frustration, team building - and winning.



5. This is an excellent book. I couldn't put the book down! It tells about how people lived in this small town of Zion, IL and the values they had which rubbed off in their high school students. It tells about the football team who had their dreams of championship and persevered toward it. The high school students had respect for their coach no matter how they were treated, they could see, they all had one goal in mind. That is pretty difficult for teenagers, sometimes. The book will make you laugh and cry and bring you right into that small town. The descriptions of the football games and the sights of that town are so real! This book should be read by everyone who wants to make a difference in thier lives by overcoming any problem. Work hard and have respect.

5 comments about Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero.

1. THIS BOOK BY MIKE FREEMAN IS A VERY GOOD BIO ON A VERY INTERESTING PERSON IN JIM BROWN. HE CAPTURES BROWN AS A VERY COMPLICATED PERSON WITH MANY SIDES. I AM FROM CLEVELAND AND SAW MANY OF HIS GAMES AS A CHILD AND ARE STILL ETCHED IN MY MIND FOR THE GREAT PLAYS HE MADE. OFF THE FIELD IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY. JIM WAS ARROGANT, ALOOF AND A MAJOR WOMANIZER. HE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF PHYSICAL ABUSE MORE THAN A FEW TIMES OVER THE YEARS. HE ALSO WAS A MAJOR MOTIVATOR IN TRYING TO HELP BLACK BUSINESS PEOPLE ESTABLISH THEMSELVES BACK IN THE 1960'S AND 1970'S. ALONG WITH ALL THIS, HE MADE SEVERAL MOVIES AND HAD A SOLID CAREER FOR AWHILE. THE ONE COMPLAINT I HAVE WITH THIS BOOK IS A LACK OF TIME SPENT ON HIS FOOTBALL CAREER. OTHER THAN THAT I REALLY ENJOYED AND ALSO FOUND THE PART ABOUT THE FBI KEEPING AN EYE ON BROWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO BE VERY INTERESTING. ALL IN ALL I LIKE IT AND SUGGEST FOR ALL JIM BROWN FANS.



2. It was so bad I went through it in a short evening. It covers Brown's entire life, but I wouldn't call it a biography. It didn't go into enough depth in really any area of his life. Brown is a fastinating personality, but the author didn't do a very good job. I would never be inclined to read another book written by the author. Jim Brown is a subject that David Mariness should write about. Now there's an author!



3. I read "Jim Brown" a few weeks after finishing Mike Callahan's "Johnny U". Like "Johnny U", I gave this 3 stars, partly out of nostalgia. Both books have gaping flaws and those probably are even more apparent to someone who hadn't lived through these players' glory years. Unitas, in many ways, was the last of a certain kind of player--one who said little, played hard, and seemd to go along with management. These were the guys who lived next door to their fans and had off season jobs (usually in some sort of sales), because they and their families needed the money. Brown was the beginning of very different era. He left the game at his prime and spent his career being very outspoken about football, and was willingly to confront Coach Paul Brown. The elder Brown was instrumental in developing the modern game of football--he approached the game in a studied, almost academic manner and developed the foundations of the modern playbook. He also was rigid and authoritarian and by Jim Brown's time, his competitors were catching up with him. Although the racial integration of football had begun before Jim Brown's time, he was the first player to speak out about racial issues and he did it in a way that didn't necessarily resonate with white fans. Brown was arguably the best running back of his time and, perhaps, of all time. He was a gifted athlete who lettered in lacrosse (and considered his lacrosse coach to be his real mentor) and easily mastered new sports like golf. Brown left football for Hollywood and after a short but lucrative career in movies, it appears that he's continued to prosper. Going back to his football days, Brown has gotten in trouble with the law, mostly because of violent acts against other people. He's also had a long-term interest in troubled youth and has been involved in numerous civil rights and community based works since his football days.
   
   Brown's life has had many contradictions--he was a civil rights advocate, but supported Nixon (who famously exploited racial divisions) for president. He has worked to be a constructive figure in public life, but has had repeated scandals involving women in his private life. He was the prototype for many modern professional football players, yet he has been bitterly critical of the way in which later players have played the game and participated in society. Freeman attempts to address Brown's character flaws and contradictions, as well as his accomplishments, both in football and away from the game. The result is mixed, at best. The book suffers from rather superficial research and a tendency toward pedantic and shallow attempts at sociological and psychological explanations for Brown's behavior. Freeman brings in "experts" on violence and sport psychology whose expertise mostly consists of boilerplate soundbites. There are any number of people who have more expertise with regard to these topics and many of them are well known to the media. Freeman's explorations of Cleveland media seem limited and he appears not to have contacted any of Cleveland's sports writing/media figures and apparently ignored the morgue of Cleveland's afternoon paper, which was the dominant newspaper in Brown's time. The book also relies on very few of Brown's contemporaries. Despite access to federal records of Brown's economic development program from the 1960s, Freeman has little to say about how well it worked or what it did. The writing isn't as cliche-ridden as Callahan's Johnny U, but even for this genre, it's not very inspiring. Freeman tends to talks at us about Brown's motives and his life,rather than just letting the story tell itself. It's clear in the afterward that Brown was unresponsive to Freeman's requests to be interviewed and may have kept others away from Freeman. On the other hand, it's clear that he could have dug deeper with the material that was available. Some of his observations are simply laughable--Frank Ryan, the famously indecisive (and poorly protected) quarterback gets the kind of laudatory treatment that few Cleveland fans of the era would have given Ryan. The book also has sloppy errors, such as giving an incorrect history of the name of Miami University, the "mother of coaches" and a school that should be well known to sportswriters. Freeman opens by characterizing Brown as the greatest football player of all time, something even a native Clevelander would hesitate to say. Later, he describes Bill Belichick as the greatest coach of all time--a point that Cleveland fans, in particular, would dispute. Comments like these are made with little justification. There are other comparisons which attempt to compare Brown with other Black actors of his generation that fall flat in terms of knowing those actors' work and their appeal to different audiences. The book could have used a decent editor, particularly someone who knows football and Brown's era.
   
   Jim Brown was a towering figure in his time. Football was gaining ground in popularity and the decline of Cleveland's once great baseball team created an opening that Brown easily filled. Fans were disappointed with his sudden departure from the game and his abandonment of an otherwise lackluster team. There's much drama in his story and the book will bring back memories for people who will tolerate its shortcomings. The story of Brown's life after football tends to meander and it's never really clear how managed to get along after the film roles ended. Freeman also takes a lot of Brown's community work at face value and makes claims about Brown's role in dealing with urban problems in L.A. that seem overly generous and which lack any real documentation. I don't doubt Brown's intentions or his willingness to do things that other people might not consider. I just don't think Freeman really gives us a full picture. Given the dearth of written material on Brown's life and his importance to the "modern" game of football, this is better than nothing, but hopefully, someone will do another book that truly does justice to this great football player and interesting, controversial man.



4. I just finished reading this book and although it slowed at times it was worth the read. Jim Brown probably the greatest running back to play football in any era is laid out warts and all in this bio.I believe the book reveals alot in regards to how Brown evolved into the person he is now. The social and racial prejudice he encountered early in life chiseled not only his body but personality into a hard edged, tough to get close to icon.



5. Just old enough to have seen Jim Brown in his prime I therefore read this out of respect for the football player, activist, and occasional jail occupant. The author clearly has great respect for Brown and details the steps he took to be granted interviews from this controlling, contentious man. This book is a great summation but really without any revelations. Brown was a great football player from a broken home in Georgia whose mother brings him to New York and works as a domestic to raise him. High school coaches guide him to a great Syracuse career while he experiences racism and events that will shape his life.
   
   Brown left the NFL at the top of his game for a career in movies. The book seems to glorify the Jim Brown acting career which seems to me to be quite a stretch. Whether it compensated Brown better than staying in football is never made clear. After acting and football we are left with Jim Brown the activist and possible abuser. I applaud Brown for his long history of effective activism but am conflicted on how to balance this with the domestic violence incidents which he continually tries to explain away. This is for the reader to decide but it is apparent that the author also has this same conflict.
   
   Overall, this is a fine book. But does it really add new ground? Not really. Does it give great insight into a unique period America? Probably, in my opinion this is the book's greatest failure. While he touches on what is happening in America during this period, particularly the support for Mohammed Ali as he objects Vietnam duty, there is no great reflection to open this historical period to the reader. Therefore I was left with a biography of maybe the greatest football player who is now an activist and who doesn't want anything written about him. There is just not enough insight or reflection to call this an exceptional book. But if you have a specific interest in knowing of Jim Brown, this book will serve that purpose.

5 comments about No Excuses: One Man's Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame.

1. Take ajourney with Charles Weis, New Jersey born
   and raised guy who happened to go down and talk
   to one of the 'Fathers' in the Notre Dame Athletic
   office one day back in 1975 about what HE thought
   the 'Fightin' Irish' should be doing to inprove
   the football team. Fast forward through the years
   as Charlie Weis becomes the sports enthusiast who
   moves up through the ranks and becomes a first rate
   football coach who ends up going back to Notre Dame
   after winning FOUR Super Bowls and becomes it's H.
   Coach! Great and inspirational reading! As good as
   Marv Levy's fine football book, "Where Else Would
   You Rather Be?"



2. Coach Weis starts this short autobiography out with a funny story about his student days at Notre Dame and how he had the nerve to complain to the University president about the football team. I would say that this is a rather interesting way for the man who is now in charge of that same football team to start out his book. Right up front Charlie Weis says to us the fans that he understands what it is like to be frustrated and that we Notre Dame fans really matter to him. I like this guy!
   
   I say that this is a short autobiography because there is so much yet to be written in the Charlie Weis story but there is still a lot of information to be found in these pages. I must admit that I had wondered how a guy who hadn't even played college football became the coach of the most storied program in the sport and by reading this book I got my answers. Charlie Weis is one hard working guy. This is not to say that he didn't get some major breaks along the way because he did and he freely acknowledges that he did. Coach Weis is proud of his work ethic and that comes across loud and clear in this book but the man doesn't have a conceited bone in his body. I like this guy!
   
   When Coach Weis was hired at Notre Dame most Irish fans read up on him in a hurry and so we knew the basics of his sparkling pro career but in this book we get a little more of story including some things that I'm sure that he didn't really care to share but he shared them anyway and the book is all the better for it. I really do like this guy!
   
   Best of all, we finally get a look at Coach's personal life and we learn about his wonderful wife and his special relationship with his son. We also get a glimpse of his relationship with his special needs daughter who is able to communicate very clearly when she wants her dad to go away and leave her alone. The proceeds from this book go to a foundation he has set up in the name of his daughter Hannah and it was for the love of her that he even agreed to write this book. Did I mention that I like this guy?
   
   This book is not a deep tome on Charlie Weis' coaching philosophy or an insight into the Notre Dame program. That may well come later when he has been at South Bend for a few more years. This is simply the basic story of a man who accepts no excuses from his players or himself and who expects everyone to give their all for the good of the team. This is Charlie Weis 101 and I hope that the graduate level course won't be too long in coming.



3. This book is a fast read, and I really liked it. I thought he made his points and got his story across very well, and gives some insight as to how the coaching profession works. I recommend it.



4. The book has several interesting stories. Though CW doesn't mention it, he must have been a pretty smart student to get admitted to ND. I thought he said his dad was of a blue collar profession, so he must have gotten quite a bit of financial aid.
   
   I found his story about how he quit HS coaching to take a grad assistantship at South Carolina interesting, as well as how he was to be offered the head coaching job with the Bills, if the Patroits lost the AFC championship game to the Titans. I also found his early days as coach of the Fighting Irish to be interesting. All in all, it's a story of a hard working guy who always tried to do the right thing and succeeding to get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.



5. This is a very refreshing story of how an outwardly ordinary person with some extraordinary insight and self-confidence goes from being a regular kid to a top level coach, and how he balances his family life with his professional life. He doesn't dish dirt or tattle, and it isn't all about Notre Dame Football. He acknowledges success and failure without bragging about his system or complaining about setbacks. He doesn't breach the privacy of others to sell his story, so details of who said what and who did what are not there, though he does give plenty of credit where it is due. It's dignified but not stuffy or superior. You just can't help but admire him, and you wish you had a boss with his sense of priorities, directness, and honesty.
   
   It really does hook you, so make sure you have plenty of time when you first open it to read the whole thing. I bought this for my spouse for Christmas. While wrapping it, I took a little peek. Two hours later I finished it. It was just too darn interesting to put down, and I am not a big football fan. Then I kept thinking about it and had to stop myself from quoting it (to keep from spoiling the surprise). When my spouse opened it on Christmas Day; I warned him that it would suck him right in. He laughed and took a peek. Now I have a nice picture him, surrounded by holiday chaos and kids, completely oblivious while reading this book cover-to-cover.
   
   We both agree that this is a really terrific book. Since my spouse is a big Notre Dame fan (two ND degrees and grew up in South Bend), but I am not, I'd say that this book appeals to a wide variety of people.

No comments about Goin' Deep: The Life and Times of a CFL Quarterback.