5 comments about Shooting from the Outside.

1. This is a fun and easy read for any fan of the women's game, centered around the pivotal 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning team, which in many ways marked a turning point in establishing the foundation upon which the modern game is built.
   
   But not only does this book offer a wonderful historical perspective, and some great stories and inside anecdotes on many top players past and present, it also provides insight into the mind of one of the college game's top coaches.
   
   Even for those close to Stanford basketball, Tara Vanderveer is a very private inividual. That's why I found this book especially helpful in providing a better understanding of her personal history, philosophy toward the game, how she feels it should be played, and how that all filters down to the teams she puts on the floor today.
   
   Because Tara is often softspoken in public and not one to actively seek the limelight or TV cameras like some of the other big names in her profession, there may be a tendency by some to think she is more of a hands-off coach. And despite the occasional glare from the sideline, a calm and quiet presence. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book does a good job of uncovering the intensity that boils deep inside and her unbending desire to win.



2. Tara Vanderveer is the author of the inspiring autobiography Shooting form the Outside.  In this autobiography, Tara Vanderveer discusses the challenges and obstacles that she must overcome into to reach her goal of winning the gold medal.  The autobiography discusses the hardships, conflicts, and problems that the team faces throughout the year and shows how teamwork can overcome anything.
   This novel is pretty much an overview of the Women's Basketball team throughout their Olympic season.  The novel starts out with Tara Vanderveer talking about her child hood days and how she developed a love for the game.  She talks about how she use to be a mascot for the school, used to write down every new play she heard in a notebook, and how she went and watched the men's basketball team to learn any new play on offense or defense she could pick up.  The story then proceeds to Coach Vanderveer discussing her thoughts and concerns for the year that lay ahead of the eleven woman that have been selected as the national team.  She talks about her past failures like the 1994 World Games that have pushed her and motivated her to win the gold medal.  She promised that the embarrassment and disgrace that she felt from the World Games will never happen again.  One can easily feel the strong determination and motivation that Coach Vanderveer feels, and how she uses this as an ally and works the team harder than they have ever been worked before. 
   This book was undoubtedly worth reading from my point of view.  This book taught me information about Title IX that I had previously never even heard about.  The book showed me the true struggle that a woman must face and has taught me a sense of respect for woman who have succeeded in the past. 
   One issue the book brings up is that woman are not given enough opportunity to succeed in life.  A woman's determination and motivation can easily be destroyed or brought down by the cruelness and unfairness of discrimination towards woman.  Therefore, since woman can do all jobs just as productively as men, the book suggests that woman should be given fair and equal treatment and equal opportunities to men. 
   In conclusion, Shooting from the Outside is an excellent book that teachers lessons and values that should be known and followed by all of society.  The story teachers discrimination is pointless and by not allowing woman to perform to their full capacity we are truly ruining our own opportunities to further succeed in life.



3. This is a really inspirational book for those who care about womens' basketball. I had a really hard time putting it down. You feel as if you are part of the U.S. Olympic Team, and were there to witness the trials and tribulations of their road to Gold. Great book for those who play basketball or enjoy it. (Especially if you're female!!) I think I will start reading the book from the beginning again tomorrow. It also meant more to me then maybe someone else because I have been to Tara's Camps and been able to interact with Jennifer Azzi and Katy Steding, and other players as well. It is totally my favorite book ever!



4. I confess that I have been a fan of Tara Vanderveer for nearly 10 years. I think I understand that basketball is a very major part of her life. She likes Bob Knight, sheesh. This book was a very easy read even though you already know how it will end. When you finish the book you might feel like you want to see if the players saw everything the same way. Well, this is her point of view.



5. I thoroughly enjoyed this in-depth view of Tara's work with the Women's National (Olympic) team of 1996. The team was a masterpiece, and being able to see it thru the eyes of its coach was really something special. It gave me great insight into Tara and her drive and dedication to the sport and to the team. A great book!!

2 comments about Remembering Bobby Orr: A Celebration.

1. I have a web site dedicated to the greatest hockey player of all-time, Bobby Orr. If you are searching for something for a Bobby Orr fan this would be a great gift. Packed with many great photos and stories this book will defenitely be cherished. You will also be greatly thanked.



2. "Remebering Bobby Orr" is a great little book you will cherish, and a great gift for any young kid who loves the game. Much of this has been said before, but true fans can never get enough of # 4! Great Pictures, and hopefully someday a definitive biograpy will get written about the man who changed the face of hockey, and began the modern era.

No comments about Sunley Book of Royal Golf.

No comments about Alan Mullery: The Autobiography.

No comments about Ledley King: The Biography.

No comments about Pro Football's Greatest Quarterbacks: Joe Montana Cover (Pro Football's Greatest Quarterbacks).

1 comments about Blazing Trails: Coming of Age in Football's Golden Era.

1. John Mackey revolutionized how the tight end position was played and for those of us that remember his on field exploits this book fills in the holes that many may not know. But, it is a surface book that does not go deeply into any issues. You learn that he was Ernie Davis' roommate and the trauma of watching him die. 70% of the book concerns his pro career. But probably the most controversial section is about his negotiating as the President of the Players Union. Some of the tricks the owners pulled were amazing and evidently Mackey did a great job slowing their process.
   
   Overall this is a good story of a very good man. And while it mentions all family members in a positive way, the book really doesn't delve deeply into the mind of Mackey. It's a great, short read if you like him as a football player and that was enough for me.

1 comments about A Golden Age: The Autobiography.

1. Steve Redgrave is an amazing rower. We get to learn something about the cost of his unparalleled Olympic achievements. But this is not a dramatic book, rather a somewhat rambling memoir, transcribed by Redgrave's cowriter.
   
   If you're a huge Redgrave fan, rowing fanatic, or Olympic sport freak, get it. If you want to learn how to row, buy Redgrave's Complete Book of Rowing (or better yet, Frank Cunningham's Sculler at Ease, which covers sweeps too). If you want Olympic drama, buy The Amateurs by Halberstam or Assault on Lake Casitas by Brad Lewis.

5 comments about Houseboat on the Seine.

1. Not much of a novel (and awarded as non-fiction) this book recounts William Wharton's adventures which started when he decided to move out of Paris to a boat moored on the Seine. The dream of living on the river is very quickly over while real life intervenes. The boat sinks and it takes some two hundred pages of hard work to get it back on the surface and make it a livable place for the Whartons.
   Perfect gift to anyone who is into DIY



2. I have only read two of William Wharton's other books, Birdy and Last lovers, both of which I thought were brilliant although not at all similar.

   Houseboat on the Seine is a different type of book completely. It is certainly no literary masterpiece, but it has it's own fascination. When I bought it I was not expecting to be brilliant, having read other peoples reviews. Certainly as other reviewers have pointed out it contains a lot of detail such as how to nail together some wood to make a floor, wall paneling, a ceiling, a gangplank etc., or how not to moor your houseboat to a river bank.

   What is fascinating though is watching how Wharton makes a small investment to realize a minor dream, and then gets dragged into a series of ever increasing expensive and time consuming investments to keep the dream alive. There are many points where he seems to be out of his depth with what is going on around him, but he pumps the money in regardless, despite the fact he had precious little of it at the time. As he goes on this minor dream becomes major and in fact takes over his life.

   It is interesting to speculate whether put in the same situation you would persevere as he did, or at which point you would have walked away from the whole calamity.

   The last twenty pages or so fall apart somewhat, and it sometimes feels like he had a target number of pages to write, but that he had finished the main story long before writing them.

   I recommend it as a character study and as a tool for doing some self-evaluation, not as what most people would consider to be a gripping piece of entertainment though. Having said that I read cover to cover over two evenings.




3. This was the first book I read by Wm. Wharton. I found it so interesting I couldn't put it down. It held my interest right away. I loved it. He is a very detailed writer and keeps my interested to the end. I continued to find other books by him.
   Ever After is another to hold ones interest. As before he is an exellent writer. Would love to see his paintings also.
   I would say anyone who reads his books won't be disappointed.
   Eleanor C.Roby



4. William Wharton, American expatriate in France, author and artist, determines to live in a houseboat on the Seine. It promptly sinks. The book recounts the refloating, repositioning and refurbishing of this old tub. Somehow, he does it with the help of friends and a very bright, very practical teenaged friend. As I can barely find my way around a hardware store--and care less--I didn't appreciate the cleverness of the rehab, but I did enjoy the people and the stories abounding in the countryside. Wharton, of course, succeeds. He may be a moderately annoying expat, but he writes an interesting book.



5. If you find home restoration stories interesting you will find this an intriguing and satisfying read. However, despite the title and location the book contains exceedingly little in the way of descriptions of French atmosphere, scenery, or culture, virtually none, actually. While this doesn't necessarily detract from what is an interesting memoir, Wharton's story could have taken place on the Mississippi or Hudson for its descriptions of the host nation.

   It is an amazing story of fortitude and luck. The story begins with Wharton's acquisition of a houseboat and what appears to be a lingering plague of bad luck. However, through sheer determination he surmounts it, and in so doing he attracts the advice and help of people interesting in making his houseboat reconstruction project a success. In the process he learns alot about himself, and the project galvanizes what is a family distinctive in patience, character, flexibility, and sense of adventure.

   An interesting side note is the allusions to what is a seemingly cohesive American ex-patriot community which seems to live in France but not to assimilate. One gets the impression that they appreciate the location, but aren't inclined to acclimate to French society.

   The book isn't great literature and about 4/5 of the way through, after describing grueling tests and continually avoiding devastating failures, he suddenly begins to describe his life approaching retirement 20 years later...with virtually no segue. Hmmm. Still, an interesting book. The intricate (excessive?) detail given to the reconstruction project will appeal to a distinctive audience; this might be generalized as a "men's interest book".

No comments about A Splendid Madness: A Man, a Boat, a Love Story.