5 comments about Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman.

1. My granddaughter needed books on Wilma Rudolph for a 5th grade school project. This ended up being her favorite. The text was just right for her understanding and she really liked the illustrations. As she was reading it she clutched it to her chest and exclaimed to me, "Grandma, I love this book!" It prompted a conversation about overcoming doubts, believing in yourself and what things inspire us... a conversation I don't think we would have had otherwise.



2. This is a true and exciting story that will make you never want to give up on your dreams. I really liked this book and recommend that you read it.



3. I have used Wilman Unlimited in my classroom for the past few years. It is a fantastic book to use any time during the year, but good for Black History Month also. I use it with fourth graders to teach sequencing and analyzing character. I highly recommend this book.



4. Inspirational stories fill hundreds of picture books every year. Most are simply awful. They either tell tales that are loose plots barely supported by facts or they paste together a slapdash concoction of truth and fiction with as little thought as possible. The truly beautiful bio-picture books out there are as rare as hummingbirds in autumn. So it was with great joy that I located "Wilma Unlimited" and found it to be not only inspirational but also a darned good read. Written by Kathleen Krull (the woman who could make long dead musicians fascinating in "Lives of the Musicians" and bring Cesar Chavez to life in the recent "Harvesting Hope") and illustrated by David Diaz the book is the best possible way to introduce kids to one of the world's greatest athletes.
   
   Born in 1940 to a family of twenty-one people (nineteen siblings, no less), Wilma Rudolph was initially a sickly child. Though she was energetic enough, she often caught every disease imaginable. At the age of five, Wilma's left leg twisted inward and it was clear that she'd come down with polio. Still, Wilma was a determined child and she consistently exercised her unruly leg to get stronger. After continual practice, she was finally able to walk free of the leg brace that had weighed her down. At twelve the brace was put away for good and Wilma started participating in sports. She led her high school basketball team to the finals, catching the eye of a college coach. Before you knew it, Wilma was recruited into the Tennessee State University's track-and-field team on a full ride scholarship. In 1960 she competed in the Olympic Games in Rome. The book sets this part up beautifully. Wilma arrived with a twisted ankle into a place filled with television cameras (the first time they ever filmed the Olympics), the place "shimmering heat", and her competition consisting of runners who had run faster races than she ever had. Then Wilma proceeds to win one... two... three gold medals! The last medal is especially dramatic, hinging on the moment when Wilma drops her baton and STILL beats the other runners in the 400-meter relay. The last double page spread in this book shows Wilma standing, "tall and still, like a queen", earning the last of her three medals. It's a truly proud moment for all who have the privilege to experience it once again in picture book form.
   
   Krull has a way with words. I'm not saying that Wilma Rudolph's life is dull. Far from it. But in the hands of a lesser author this story could easily have been bogged down in all the wrong moments. This author knows which moments should be given full glory. The moment when Wilma removes her brace and walks proudly into church will banish from your mind that similar pseudo-inspirational moment in "Forrest Gump". Wilma's struggle at the Olympics through pain and skepticism puts the reader through the same strains. You yearn for this woman to beat them and beat 'em she does. Then, best of all, come the illustrations of David Diaz. This is my first Diaz experience, though I suspect that I'll read many more of his books as the days go on. Diaz has accompanied his illustrations in this tale with sepia toned photographs. The book's endpapers display the outlines of footprints in the dirt. The title page is an evocative view of ivy climbing a raw wooden fence. Behind his colorful illustrations, each background photograph refers to the corresponding scene obliquely. When Wilma and her mother take the bus to the hospital, the photograph is a close-up of a wheel. When she packs away her leg brace, it's shredded packing paper. A great relief it is indeed that the colored illustrations are worthy of their sepia compatriots. Though these pictures may appear blunt at first, they are filled with the most delicate of designs. I loved watching the character of Wilma as she aged. As she grows in confidence, her posture improves and back stiffens until, by the last shot, she is standing taller than all the women around her. Than all the women in the world.
   
   "Wilma Unlimited" should be known to everyone living in American today. This is inspirational without being either annoying or faux-patriotic. It's an actual honest-to-goodness amazing story. The book is beautiful and its story is worthy of its packaging. I challenge you to read it and not shake your head at least once in amazement. It's just that good.



5. i am a reading specialist in Washington, DC and chose this book b/c i love David Diaz and because, like wilma, my children have many obstacles in their lives. i simply can not finish this book without nearly crying in front of my class. i've read it so many times, but the suspenseful writing and triumphant ending never get tiring. it is a truly wonderful story and wonderfully told and illustrated by this duo.

5 comments about I Was Right On Time.

1. What a great book. How I would have loved to just sit with Buck and just talk and listen to him and his stories. I also learned some new things about Sarasota, FL and all the great players in the Negro Leagues and people in general. Now more than ever I believe he is a Hall of Famer and he should be in there. He might not have been the greatest player... but he was a GREAT man. If you want to read a great book that will make you laugh.. smile.. maybe tear up... this book is for you.



2. Just what I needed to learn more about Buck. Horribly over-looked by the Hall of Fame. Very informative book, just in time for baseball season.



3. Back in the early 90's, before Ken Burns, I ran into Buck in the lobby of the Otesaga hotel in Cooperstown. It was the year that Willie McCovey was going in and we "snuck" our way into the building. Buck entertained me for over an hour with stories of guys I never had heard about. When I asked about his career, he really downplayed his greatness. I was mostly struck by the fact that this man did not have a single ounce of remorse or spite. Quite the opposite, he felt he was blessed to have played.
   
   The book is written in a conversational style that goes quickly. I felt I could hear Buck's voice in my head has the pages turned. It was a fantastic book and Buck will be sorely missed.



4. This is not simply an autobiography, but an oral-history on where we have been and where we are going. It was written from the heart, and - if you read closely - it will open yours to live life in a different, better way.
   
   I read the book when it was initially published and recently purchased the soft-cover edition. Rarely do I re-read a book, but I felt the need after hearing Buck O'Neil's moving and uplifting speech this summer at the Baseball Hall of Fame and listening to a rebroadcast of an interview conducted several years ago by radio sports-talker Jim Rome.
   
   The road to racial equality remains long and steep, but by gazing upward you may view what appears to be a finish-line tape rippling in the breeze at the top of the mountain. But look ahead and you see the harsh reality that the road remains unfortunately rugged, with many twists & turns.
   
   Buck O'Neil is an American hero and if your eyes are dry after reading the last page of I Was Right On Time (no matter how many times you read the book), then your heart may not have opened up wide enough to tackle the journey ahead.



5. This easy-going autobiography combines sunny optimism, seriousness, and rich baseball history. John J. "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman in the Negro Leagues during the 1930-1940's, and he then spent another half decade in baseball, both in the Negro Leagues and in the majors. Here he recounts his upbringing in Florida during segregation (where he was denied entry to high school) and his long career in baseball. O'Neil details life in the Negro leagues, including barnstorming and low pay, playing for the famed Kansas City Monarchs and his friendship with stars like Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith. He also describes managing in the Negro Leagues, coaching for the Chicago Cubs (the first black coach in the majors) and spending decades as a baseball scout. O'Neil is an intelligent man gifted with great charm, and he's often described as the "ambassador to baseball." That charm shines in the prose of co-writers Steve Wolf and David Conrads, and lets O'Neil attack injustice without losing effectiveness via stridency.
   
   Buck O'Neil gained fame from the "Baseball" documentary by Ken Burns, and at this writing remains a board member for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City well into his 90's. This is a readable look at the Negro leagues by one of its most charming members.

4 comments about A Season on the Brink: A Portrait of RAFA Benitez's Liverpool.

1. A very interesting read about Benitez and the changes he has made during his spell at Liverpool, the guy is a workaholic and the book opens your eyes to how much work and prepartion goes into building a successful team!



2. A great book on football. I'm a recent Liverpool supporter having transitioned from American sports. The book is a great account of Rafa's first season. My respect for Benitez grew immensely after reading the book. I thought NFL coaches were the hardest working sports managers. This book with its behind the scenes look has proven me wrong. Benitez works just as hard if not harder than his American counterparts. The write-up of the Champions League final is fantastic. It made me wish I was supporting LFC then and at the game.
   Once again, its a great book on football even if you're not a Liverpool FC supporter.



3. Frank overview of Rafa's vision for LFC. Had me captured from Christmas right through to January 6th when I finally finished it. Engrossing read.



4. This book gives a great inside into the workings of the "New Liverpool".
   It starts with the ending of Houllier's reign at the club and the "luring" of Rafa.
   It builds up through the season and gives an inside veiw of how things began to gell. Ending up at the final game, the champions League Final.
   Being a Liverpool fan all my life, it is just another great Read.

5 comments about Pure Dynamite: The Price you Pay for Wrestling Stardom.

1. Tommy was and still is the most unrated worker is the business. He had talent and mat skills you just dont see in today's business. He paved the way what we see in the business today. He pulls no punches, one thing that can be said for Tommy is that he is blunt and tell it the way it is, he was never one to cupcake anything, and that made him disliked by many. If you want to see the man behind the name pick up this book, you will be glad you did



2. Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington was one of the first true superstars of the then World Wrestling Federation.
   
   Traveling the world and headlining many major shows - while taking more bumps inside the ring in one match than many stars take in a career - Billington led the fast-lane life of a rock star. But when it all came to an end, Billington was left with poor health, a shattered personal life and little to show financially from his years on the road.
   
   Published in 2001, Billington is not looking for sympathy. Rather, he is telling a real story about one life in pro wrestling; but a story too often played out with many of the stars from the 1980s.
   
   Perhaps best known in the U.S. as the tag-team partner of Davey Boy Smith - the British Bulldogs - Billington was an accomplished single's competitor, and was especially popular in Japan, where - to this day - the top wrestlers are pop icons.
   
   But the years of taking a physical pounding in the ring and the cocaine & steroid abuse left him damaged to the point of being wheelchair-bound. And comparable with too many great boxing champions, the worst damage was perhaps done when Billington was trying to recapture the glory that was never to be seen again.
   
   If a reader is looking for a storybook finish, there are books published literally every few months that give the sanitized version of the industry. Pure Dynamite shows what can really happen after the arena lights dim, the last fan has gone home and the real storyline begins.



3. Tom Billington, the Dynamite Kid, tells his story. It is the story of struggling, winning, enduring and surviving. Unfortunately, it is also a story of bitterness. Billington speaks out on many aspects (good and bad) of his career and wrestling in general. As a book independent from any current wrestling organization, this had the chance to be an in-depth look at everything. While Billington does give great details at times, he also comes across as too bitter at times. He does seem to have valid reasons for bitterness, but the book would have been much better if he would have concentrated less on this part of his great career.



4. This is the first and best book to really shoot on the wrestling world.Tom holds nothing back about drug use or who liked who.He sometimes makes some his friends sound a lot better than they were i.e. Danny Spivey.But so due many of the other books on wrestling that let friendship cloud their opinions.But if not for Tom the wrestling world would be a differt place.And it is a shame the way he has wound up.A great read for a fan of 80's wrestling.



5. I have long been a fan of The British Bulldogs, and was eager to collect the original U.K. print of Dyanamite Kid's book, Pure Dynamite. A lot of people claimed the book was very negative, and that Dyanmite was bitter and crippled, and had little respect for anyone who was not a legit "tough guy" like Dyanmite, so I went into this book with a lot of curiosity.
   
   I discovered that the book was FAR from what was rumored. Dynamite's book was as brutally honest as it gets. This is probably one of the best wrestling books I have ever read. Dynamite is very honest about everything from his drug use, to his attitude, likes and dislikes of other wrestlers and promoters, and his penchant for his often destructive ribs.
   
   Dynamite's book comes off as if you were a buddy of his, sitting down in the pub for a few drinks with him, just telling old stories about the business to you, both the good memories and the bad.
   
   To dispel a few myths about Dynamite and his book:
   
   --Dynamite is far from bitter about the circumstances that led to him being confined to a wheelchair. While it is true that he prefers to be remembered as he was, rather than pitied for the way he is, he freely admits, that it's nobody's fault but his own. Between cocaine, steroids, speed and everything else that he did "living life in the fast lane", as he puts it, combined with his very physical ring style, he is very mellow, admitting he misses wrestling and the cameraderie of being in the wrestling business, and has absolutely no hard feelings about the business, because he made good money, and enjoyed entertaining.
   
   --He does not hate Davey Boy Smith, they just fell out of touch with each other. He does admit to be disappointed with Davey Boy on several levels. He feels that Davey Boy was always kind of a kiss ass, and that he was led around by Diana. He felt that Davey abandoned him when he was hurt, never coming to visit him when he was in the hospital, except for a photo opportunity, and that Davey's trademarking of the name "British Bulldog" for himself and not allowing Dynamite to use it later on was wrong because Dynamite used the name before (which a case could be made in terms of use; if Dynamite used it before, and that could be proven, Davey Boy's trademark could be revoked), especially in light of the fact that it was Dynamite who gave Davey Boy his start.
   
   --He doesn't hate everyone who isn't a tough guy, he just prefers working with guys who actually know what they are doing in the ring, tough or not, just so you're a good worker. There are several he liked, and vice versa. He was close to Abdullah the Butcher and Cactus Jack, neither of whom are what you would consider "tough guys". If he likes you, you're gold to him, just don't jerk him around.
   
   An excellent and compelling read, one of the best since Foley's first.

No comments about Pele (DK Biography).

5 comments about Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest.

1. I expected a dramatic book about mountaineering (in the beginning), survival, and determination but got mainly a memoir about family problems, bouts with depression, childhood and earlier climbs. I really tried to like Beck and I do admire his ability to come back from death and recover; but does one need all this drama and trauma to make a man realize that his family and loved ones come first and are the main things in life, and you don't have to climb a giant mountain to understand? In my observations, I always find obsessions a bit weird and off-center in life. In fairness to Beck, the 1996 story has been professionally and strategically told by others, so maybe he and his ghost writer had to fluff up the pages to make a book. There was definitely enough for a great magazine story but a stretch to find over 300 pages to keep the reader interested. Enough said...Beck, hope you're back on the job and helping others like so many helped you. Mabuhay!



2. For a real life story it does not get much more real than this, a passion becomes an obsession that takes away the hero status that he was aiming for in the first place? . I found it easy to read. A bit of soft filling in the middle and couldn't really relate to the relationship with his wife.



3. As one of the other reviewers had written, I too have becme nearly obsessed with the events surrounding the tragic events of May 1996. I have read every book I can find on the subject.
   
   Dr. Weathers book is very well written. It gives perspective from his wife and friends view as they waited his return and the sadness and then apprehension when they find he is still alive but in dire trouble.
   
   I'd highly recommend this book. it is inspirational - his courage - his acceptance of what happened.



4. If you like to read about real mountaineering, try a book by Joe Simpson or Jon Krakauer. If you want to read a book about a guy who blows off his family to climb, and all the damage he does because of it, then this book is ideal for you.
   
   I was hoping to read a survival story, instead I got family dynamics.



5. This book has a great title, as it sums up Beck Weathers' Mt. Everest experience.Unfortunately, this is the only great thing about this book. It is, at best, a mildly interesting book. The only truly interesting part is his recollection of the Everest trip and its immediate aftermath. His survival, which is truly amazing, is almost glossed over and turned into a sad soap opera about a marriage gone stale with time.
   
   It does seem that Beck's patient wife, Peach, had been ill treated in the sense that he would go off to do some amateur mountain climbing (with the emphasis on amateur), leaving her with the kids for weeks at a time and remaining incommunicado. Since her voice is interspersed throughout this book, you can see why he might want to get away. A more insipid voice, I can't imagine. She is what is bad about this book. Yet, at the same time it was her efforts, along with those of her friends, which were the catalyst for the herculean helicopter rescue by Colonel Madan K.C. who brought Beck down from the mountain. Still, she is an utter bore.
   
   What is good about the book is Beck's sense of humor and his indomitable spirit, which is undoubtedly what kept him alive in unbelievably harsh conditions on Everest. Though it is those like him who, financially able to go on these expeditions but lacking the technical skill to effectively navigate the harsh terrain, put themselves and others at risk. While it is clear that he was delighted to be rubbing shoulders with the mountaineering elite on Everest, it did not seem to dawn on him that he was just another foolhardy dilettante who, though having had some climbing experience, simply did not belong on Everest. It is this hubris which brought him to this pass. Quite frankly, given his description of his mountaineering efforts on some of the world's other tall peaks, it is a miracle he was not left for dead long before Everest.

5 comments about Albert the Great: The Albert Pujols Story.

1. I found this book to be interesting, and would recommend it to any baseball fan.



2. Easy and quick read. Professional athletes can still be great people and players. True to his beliefs Albert is a great role model for all people young and old.



3. this book is great it is an awesome book if you like albert pujols if i could rate this book higher i defenetly would have. i recommend this book to anyone who is an albert pujols fan or loves a great story about baseball.



4. My son is an Albert Pujols fan of the first order. I bought this book for his birthday. He keeps it in a special place in his room, and likes to talk about it all the time. A wonderful book about a modern day baseball player of incomperable skill and character.



5. This was a great book. I really enjoyed it very much, however I wish they would talk about Albert. Overall I gave this book 4 stars because it is so hard to put down. Great story of a baseball player acheiving his goal.

1 comments about Bodyguard to the Packers.

1. I think this is a great book. Kind of a behind scenes book.
   Great reading.

5 comments about Mickey Mantle: Stories and Memorabilia from a Lifetime with The Mick.

1. Book was nicely put together and contains some great pictures as well as reproductions of his first contract, a letter from Richard Nixon, a love letter to his wife, etc. I'm sure there are better books out there in terms of the amount of information about Mantle. Buy the book only if you want to own reproductions of Mantle memorabilia but skip it otherwise.



2. I got this wonderful book for my father for Christmas and he loves it! It's his favorite book on Mickey Mantle. As a Yankee fan myself I also love the book-it's very touching how Danny and David Mantle talk about their Father.The photos are beautiful and all the little extras are really neat to look at. I recommend this book to Mantle and Yankee fans everywhere.



3. My favorite player (my nickname is 'Mickey'). Well done different presentation. I really enjoyed



4. The book was given to my husband as a gift and he enjoyed it so much that we bought one for a friend. Our friend was equally impressed with the book from the different memorabilia to the overall presentation. It's a book you want to look over again and again.



5. This book contains many seldom to never seen photographs from the Mantle family archives that make the book priceless. The inserted reproductions of Mantle memorabilia are a perfect supplement that give the reader an insight to Mickey that you can't get anywhere else. Top that off with great stories from Mickey Herskowitz, David Mantle and Danny Mantle and you have a real winner.
   
   Mantle was a one-of-a-kind ballplayer that the sport has not seen since his retirement. Almost 40 years later, Mickey still holds many baseball records including the fastest time from home plate to first base (3.1 seconds), the longest measured home run (565' even though he hit a few in excess of 600' that could not be measured) and most World Series home runs (18).
   
   The legend of #7 will live forever.

5 comments about The Earth is Enough.

1. This is an unfortunate book. Based on reviews and the very interesting/ moving author bio I had big hopes for this one and it fell short. Middleton is clearly a gifted word-master; however, he fails to present a cohesive novel. The book is billed as both quality nature writing and literature, but in reality it exists in the undefined and, thus, unfortunate space between the two. That is, it falls short of, say, Rachel Carson's social portent, but also of the graceful emotive power of Maclean or Hemingway (both of whom also base novels around fly fishing, for whatever that is worth). Let it be said also that this book succumbs to the most consistent flaw of nature writing--it is often effusive. If you just want to read an account of the good ol' days in the rural south where life consisted of witticisms and outdoor activities, then go for it; otherwise, keep looking.



2. I finished up The Earth is Enough last night. It left me feeling both sad and at peace. It's a book that's in the niche genre along with the Travers Corners Books in that it's not a pure fly fishing book like a collection of Gierach essays but it's built around a type of fly fishing philosophy and a current of fly fishing is in every part of the book. Like Travers Corners it is also based on a true account with the names of the people and places changed. The author Henry Middleton has a beautifully rich style of writing. This is a story of a child who is sent to live with his eccentric grandfather, great uncle and crazy Indian (Elias Wonder). Their down to earth philosophy runs counter to the wordly progress that the other residents of the town seek. The philosophy of the grandfather and uncle has a beautiful and compelling simplicity that will leave you questioning who we relate to the world.



3. I picked up a paperback copy of this book on the eve of my daughter's wedding. It was to be something to occupy my mind in between the things that Bride's fathers are required to do before and after the hectic push and pull of a wedding; In the first few chapters I was immediately overcome by the book's characters.
   
   The book reached out to me. Reached into my heart and soul. I related to the childhood loss of a friend, being sent off to be raised (for a time) by my grandparents and meeting odd but colorful old sportsmen who baffled me with their dry wit and country philosophies of life. Although I went through these experiences in Northwestern Connecticut, I could appreciate the descriptions that Harry Middleton provided of the farm, the steam, the fields and woods in which Emerson and Albert molded his young mind.
   
   Although I do not believe this book to be a "flyfishing" book I do believe that one must have experienced the individual early development of the craft to appreciate the words in which Middleton describes his introduction, and early education in flyfishing.
   
   He handles well the loss of his elder mentors, a fact that many of us older sportsman had to deal with and still recall now and then. Upon finishing the book, I realized that had gone through an emotional journey. While reading Middleton's words, I recalled old memories - happy and sad - and when I set the book down I was glad that I had made the choice of this read at this point in my life. It was good to go back in time again, it makes me appreciate all the more what the future will bring.
   
   A must read for an older sportsman!!!!!



4. Five stars is a modest rating, it deserves ten. This book is what life is all about- simplicity, devotion, respect, and love for those things the earth has given these two old men. Being from this same Ozark mountain area, I have known men like these. It drew me back in time when I was youthful and the simple old men who impacted my life. Thank you Harry Middleton for a journey down memory lane.



5. I read a lot - probably 3 - 5 books a week and this has to be in the top three books I've come across.
   
   I have bought this as a gift for people not interested in fishing, confident that the style and characterization will carry it through. I have yet to be wrong!
   
   Sam