5 comments about A Test of Will: One Man's Extraordinary Story of Survival.

1. Survival stories are a 'guilty pleasure' of mine and over the years I've gobbled up quite a few. Although I have yet to find a story that gets even close to Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air' this is definitely one of the better books of the genre.
   
   As opposed to plenty of other author's of survival books Warren Macdonald stays refreshingly human in his outlook and he quite openly describes also his not so positive and politically correct feelings. I was very impressed particularly by the second half of the book describing how he works to get his life back on track in a self-determined manner. His attitude could certainly serve as an example for a lot of people out there.
   
   As for the contributions of his travel companion, I could have very well done without them.
   
   Certainly a good read!



2. Very inspiring. I did see Warren MacDonald in an interview and he had so much Charisma that I wanted to read the book. An amazing story how a person can evolve through crisis, this goes for the victim as well as for the savior. Warren shows that the sky can be the limit and it is possible to put mind over matter. It is a very intense story and the way it is written, it feels like being part of it. It's remarkable how candid he describes his feelings and conclusions regarding the amputation. It gave me very important insights as I never knew anyone dealing with amputation, but it completely changed my view.



3. I approached this book with some trepidation. Having just read two similar accounts of persons severely injured in the wilderness, I was in no mood to endure yet another awfully written book.
   
   Apparently, Warren MacDonald has some writing experience or perhaps a very good editor. In either case, readers are treated to an exceptionally interesting book chronically the course of Warren's maverick life.
   
   As expected, Warren first immerses his readers in the gripping tale of his entrapment beneath a one-ton rock as fellow hiker Geert van Keulen frantically goes for help. An added feature of the book are the Geert van Keulen written sections covering his side of the experience.
   
   In interspersed chapters, reader's learn of Warren's introduction to the wilderness, his doomed efforts to save a portion of it, and his eventual and emotional efforts with friends and family to overcome the loss of his legs. Showing his maturity, Warren is wise enough to thank all those folks responsible for his rescue and long recovery.
   
   This is truly a well written and inspiring take on the age old ideal of never giving up.



4. For Warren, things went from bad to worse, to worst. Wow! I knew how it ended and I still couldn't put it down. It's a great message in an even better book.



5. After you read this book, everything in your life will be measured by the BEFORE Warren, or the AFTER Warren Macdonald experience. Because one thing is certain, you will NEVER see the world in the same way, AFTER
   reading Warren's book. There are some books that change your life, your heart, your mind and your perspective forever.... and then there is Warren's book, that is far greater than that! Warren will change how you value life itself. Warren will change how you feel inside your own skin! Warren will transform your
   relationship with the Earth; and he will do it with an honesty, a directness and a sincerity that you will never forget.
   
   There are some stories that forever change who YOU are by reading them. There are some people whose courage and strength, redefine what it means to be alive and successful. I am a better person for having read
   Warren's book; how many authors can say that about their literary contributions?
   
   Vaishali

5 comments about Tony C: The Triumph and Tragedy of Tony Conigliaro.

1. This is a great book about Tony C. It shows both his strengths as a person and some of his weak spots, which makes this book a very true and real story.
   It's a great history of the Red Sox when Tony C. played. It shows the true guts, determination, courage and love for the Red Sox that Tony C. had. No player in any sport has made such an effort to comeback. And, this book captures it all.
   The Red Sox should retire his number -- just read the book it supports retiring #25.
   Billy Conigliaro's quote sums up how i feel about Tony C. "I will always remember Tony C. as a fighter, a clutch hitter, warm to his fans. He was a brother who made me proud."
   Tony thank you so much for all the wonderful memories as a Red Sox player. You have given me the strength to fight my own battles in life. I hope that someone makes a movie from this book.



2. I began work on this book in 1994...I'm glad to see that the public has received this book well. It is a fine tribute to a dashing young ballplayer for whom this book was a labor of love...Here's to you, Tony!



3. Dave Cantaneo gives this young fan a second chance to remember a boyhood idol through this very insightful book about the tragic figure thatb inspired thousands of boys my age. The ultimate complement to any baseball player when I grew up was that everyone wanted his baseball card and everyone wanted to "be" the player during pickup games. These were simple times when players were loyal to teams and teams were loyal to fans. Everyone wanted to be Tony C, and since he was just a teenager joining the Red Sox, all of my buddies and I idolized him immediately. This book permits us the opportunity to spend a few hours with a real sports idol. Tony C was to Red Sox fans what the Beatles were to American rock and roll lovers--- except he was right here. Thanks for the book, David.



4. I am a 12 year old kid and have read the book Tony C. I never watched him play on t.v, and I haven't heard about him until 1991 when i watched a quick clip on sportscenter about him. I couldn't quite remember his name and wanted to find out more about him as I searched for 7 years just to find the guy's name. I came close to finding his name as my friend next door had a model of him, but unfortunately his dog knocked it down earlier and the bottom of the model was broken off and we didn't know his name. Thats when i finally found this book at a local bookstore. This book takes you in depth of his short lifetime. This book tought a lesson to me and i feel that I never give up anymore in anything that i do (like him) This book takes you from his good days in the minors to his excellent early years in the majors until that awful august night. The night when he was struck by the pitch that put him out of baseball. That is where i will end because i don't want to tell everyone the untold, but i do highly reccomend this book. It changed the way i look at everything in life.



5. Understand that this review comes from a thirty- six year old lifelong Red Sox fan, who never saw Tony Conigliaro play before the infamous beaning (and who wasn't subjected to the Red Sox of the early sixties). I went to my first Red Sox game as an eight year old boy in 1970, with my twenty- something aunt who got tickets to see the California Angels, because Tony Conigliaro was on the roster. I was thirteen when Tony electrified the Boston fans early in the magical 1975 season. Because of my aunt's infatuation with Tony C., I have always been intrigued with his story and enthusiastically picked up this book to learn more. The early biographical information was compre- hensive and, although clearly not unbiased, detailed enough to let the reader make their own opinions regarding Tony's immature social values and his arrogant "super jock" attitude. I appreciated the anecdotal history of Tony's minor league and early major league career, especially his rocky ! relationship with the Red Sox other star of the era, Carl Yastrzemski.

   The emotional struggles of Tony's attempted come- back following the beaning were also well reported. The book followed Tony's career beyond baseball, and honestly reported the heartache of a shortened athletic career and the struggle to then fit into a traditional career.

   I would recommend the book as an above average sports biography or an excellent real life human drama. I think the story provides lessons for young men and is heart-wrenching story that would interest young women as well.

5 comments about Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century.

1. This is not the greatest biography of any century. Its theme is stated in the introduction and then repeated on almost every page. You can extract some useful information and perspective - but it is not easy or fun.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone who wants more information on Merckx than can easily be found on the Internet. However, I would recommend skimming or speed reading to find what you want and not bothering to read from cover to cover.



2. Total agreement with the first 4 reviewers. Van Welleghem should not be writing, and if he has an editor, the editor should find another occupation. Eddy Mercxx was an idol of mine as a teenager, and still inspires my riding and racing today, several decades later. Unfortunately, this book is very poorly written--utterly repetitious, without inspiration or insight--it's making a fascinating subject a chore to explore.



3. Don't get me wrong: in cycling terms, Eddy Merckx is and will be the greatest rider who ever lived (Jeannie Longo another candidate, arguably). It is impossible to imagine anyone else being able to win 30% of the races he entered in a sport where just finishing is often a big deal, let alone owning the yellow, green and polka dot jerseys at the end of a single Tour de France. Eddy Merckx was a prodigious talent but, judging from this book, an astonishingly dull person. The author concentrates on Merckx the man rather than the racer and we find a lower-middle class Belgian with no schooling, no outside interests and a tendency towards complete silence. At the end of this poorly-structured and repetitive book, we feel nothing about the great dramas of the Cannibal's sporting life, his motivitations, his training methods. It seems he got on his bike, won the race and got off. Nothing heroic about any of this yet Merckx rode some of the most dramatic bike races ever.

   The definitive Merckx book remains to be written. Save your money until then.




4. It's a shame that Rik Van Walleghem's abilities as a writer fall so far short of Eddy Merckx's brilliance on a bicycle. This book is flabby, repetitive, poorly edited and, in the end, not very informative. The only other book I have read on bicycle racing is the equally dismal An Intimate Portrait of The Tour de France by Phillippe Brunel. In my experience, cyclists aren't stupid. They deserve better than this.



5. This wonderful book gives the reader an intriguing insight into one of sports most decorated cavaliers. It's to no surprise that this SUPERMAN dominated his opposition with with relentless intensity, only leaving them to wonder at his feats.

   The continuous comparsions to this man are not even worth mentioning because the technology has advanced so much in the last 35/40yrs. For his era he was truly in a class all of his own. I can only ever see one EDDY MERCKX, THE GREATEST CYCLIST EVER!

5 comments about The Basketball Diaries.

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.

2 comments about Mickey Vernon: The Gentleman First Baseman.

1. Mickey Vernon may not be a famous baseball name among the non-historians, but he deserves this book. Had the Yankees been successful at trading for him, he would be much more famous today. As it is, he won two batting titles and several fielding championships, including lifetime records. Obviously a graceful player and a true gentleman of the sport, what he gets in this book is rather more a tribute than a biography. Mr. Westcott covers every year of his career, but many lesser campaigns are covered in a sentence. His batting championship years get more detailed attention. But most of all, this is a book about how well he is regarded in his home town and area, and a chance for all who played with him to submit a laudatory quote or story about him. It's easy, light reading. One of the fastest reads in the baseball bio segment. But it's fun and definitely a feel-good book.



2. As was the case with his book, "Philadelphia's Old Ball Parks," Rich Westcott's book about Mickey Vernon is well-researched and well-written. There are numerous very interesing and entertaining details and stories about Vernon's playing and managerial/coaching career. The author interviewed a lot of former players and others that played with or gainst, or otherwise knew Vernon; this is always a plus.
   
   The negatives are that: (1) there is very little about Vernon's personal life, other than where he worked in the off season; (2) the book is not balanced, presenting Vernon as an almost a perfect individual, other than he was thrown out of a few games; and (3) there is no index. I would have liked to know much more about Vernon's family and personal characteristics apart from baseball. It's possible that Verbon's family and personal life were largely off limits to the author. Nevertheless, this is a very worthwhile book to buy. I enjoyed it a lot.

5 comments about Learning to Fly: Reflections on Fear, Trust, and the Joy of Letting Go.

1. If you are more influenced by books that show rather than by books that tell, add this one to your list.
   
   Keen gently unfolds his ideas of meeting the challenge of life changes and thriving through a gently told memoir of his experience of becoming a flying trapeze artist at the age of 62. The word artist is important here: an artist is one who strives for beauty, although he may not be the most accomplished of his co-strivers. The effort, and the successes that do occur, are enough.
   
   Those who have found themselves dangling at the end of a parachute, kayaking a gorge, learning to run, or learning to surf at midlife or beyond will recognize the drive for efficiency and beauty in ones own bodies' actions.
   
   This lovely metaphor for life has given new context to my own: I don't ask for more.



2. At age 62, Sam Keen learned to fly. In 1993, he started his training on the flying trapeze at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. The fact that he was the oldest student at the school did not deter Keen from pursuing his "strange passion" (p. 15). "Over the years," he observes," I have discovered that it is hazardous to ignore passing fantasies and emerging passions. To begin with, in the degree that I cease to pursue my deepest passions, I will gradually be controlled by my deepest fears. When passion no longer waters and nurtures the psyche, fears spring up like weeds on the depleted soil of abandoned fields. I suspect the major cause of depression and despair and the appetite for violence in modern life is the result of the masses of people who are enslaved by an economic order that rewards them for laboring at jobs that do not engage their passion for creativity and meaning" (pp. 16-17).
   
   Part memoir, part metaphor, Keen's book is filled with daring leaps, midair turns, somersaults, and catches. For Keen, the trapeze is a good teacher. From his six-year love affair with the trapeze, he derives insights into fear, trust, letting go, and what it means to live life passionately. If we learn to live life as a "ten-ring circus," he writes, in "a world ruled by enchantment--where magic existed before morality, wonder before worship, pleasure before piety, and amazement before practicality" (p. 24), then we will be "transformed, changed back into children whose horizons are open" (p. 25). "The Great Path is a spiral journey," Keen notes. "Every day we begin again, knowing that danger and death may be lurking, that we will be fearful and will need to cultivate courage. We will need to keep our balance and discern when it is time to wait and when to act. We will take leaps of faith, fall, and rise again. If we are diligent in our practice, there will be unexpected moments of grace and joy and a gradual growth of mastery in fashioning our lives into something of beauty" (p. 241).
   
   Keen's LEARNING TO FLY is inspirational and insightful. Although reading it did not inspire me to attempt a triple somersault, it did encourage me to find a flying trapeze in my own life, and then to practice it, knowing that "practice is perfect" (p. 237).
   
   G. Merritt



3. Everyone who reads Keen knows he writes very well and from the heart. But in this book his very soul flies through the air with his words. When Sam reviewed my book, PRIMAL AWARENESS, he said it was an adventurous search for the lost ark. LEARNING TO FLY is about finding the lost ark.



4. I read a passage from the book at my daughter's wedding and then I wished them wings and flight. I found this book to be absolutely fascinating and, at age 57 myself, found inspiration to try new ideas. Learning to Fly is never boring. I found the chapter-beginning drawings helpful as I tried to follow Sam Keen in flight, literally as well as figuratively. A real winner!



5. I read Sam Keen's "Learning to Fly" out loud with my husband over the course of a few road trips. It was a truly amazing experience for us. Sam Keen shares his experiences of life and trapeze in a philosophical way, but avoids being pedantic or condescending with his message about simultaneously taking hold and letting go. I've been thinking about what Sam Keen has to say ever since I finished the book.

1 comments about Wheelchair Warrior: Gangs, Disability and Basketball.

1. Wheelchair Warrior is an eye-openeing portrayal of Melvin's fight through life, whether it be during his time as a youth involved in a gang or his rise to the top of wheelchair basketball. The book is inspirational for everyone who reads it because the adversity Melvin faces can be related to anyones everyday life. I enjoyed the book from cover to cover.

5 comments about Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties.

1. Marqusee succeeds in putting Cassius Clay's transformation to Muhammah Ali in the rhythms and images of the times. An excellent cultural history.



2. This is a fascinating book - looking at Ali in a historical, social and political context.
   
   It is not a typical sporting biography - there is very little focus on boxing. This is not even a typical biography - Ali is the central character but there are many digressions - Malcolm X (and Elijah Mohammed), Martin Luther King, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Bob Dylan and Don King feature heavily. The real focus is on the social & political upheaval of the sixties.
   
   This is also a reclamation project. The Ali who is now an almost universal hero is not the Ali that inspires Mike Marqusee. Marqusee loves the Ali who said "I will not be what you want me to be", the fascinating, flawed man - one of the most controversial, divisive but important men of the 1960s. The man who transcended his nationality and embraced the world, which in turn embraced him back. He wants to remind us what an extraordinary man he was. I think that he succeeds admirably.
   
   This is not a hagiography - it is prepared to look Ali's flaws and contradictions directly in the eye. However, the book is fundamentally very sympathetic to Ali and the whole black power movement of the 1960s, particularly Malcolm X. This is not a problem, as Marqusee's politics never get in the way of the book.
   
   Recommended



3. This is nothing less than the story of an African American man's struggle to define himself within the context of the 60's US black power movement exploited by a white Englishman. Mike Marqusee brings nothing new to the story of Muhamed Ali other than stilted prose and an uncritical eye. It fails as a book about boxing and is equally weak with respect to Ali's struggle with the white establishment of his day. Marqusee's attempt to embrace Ali's story serves only to water down the true struggle of an entire generation against the evils of institutional racism.



4. I'm not a boxing fan, but after seeing the recent "Ali" movie, I was inspired to take Mike Marqusee's "Redemption Song" off my bookshelf and read it. I got the book because I heard Marqusee last year in a radio interview about Ali and the Black Power movement of the sixties and I was very interested in the culture and politics that both shaped Ali and was influenced by him.

   I found "Redemption Song" a powerful and well written book that gives so much more depth than the new movie. The depth of Marqusee's research and analysis made me realize that the Ali movie would have needed to be a trilogy in order to do justice the champ's life. Ali's defiance of racist draft policies could have been an entire movie in and of itself. While "Ali" movie focuses on Ali's defiance, Marqusee's book provides the context for Ali's anti-war stance. His description and analysis makes the movie's focus a mere footnote to this part of Ali's history. When Ali argued, "Man, I ain't got not quarrel with them Vietcong," he was taking a religious and political stance on a personal, cultural/racial, and class level. He was not only echoing the developing anti-war movement, but giving voice to it, even though he never sought to be a leader within the movement. He was in sync with civil rights activists like John Lewis who complained, "I don't see how President Johnson can send troops to Vietnam...to the Congo...to Africa and can't send troops to Selma, Alabama," [where the civil rights of Black people were systemically and violently denied civil rights on a daily basis.] He was in line with Martin L. King who boldly declared and preached that the war "morally and politically unjust." His refusal to participate in the bombing of thousands of innocent children and women in Vietnam and Cambodia was a part of many anti-war demonstrations in which Stokely Carmicheal described Selective Services as "white people sending black people to make war on yellow people in order to defend land they stole from red people."

   Marqusee reminds us most in his book that boxing in this country was linked to issues of race and power representation. Thus, Black boxers and other sports figures like Jackie Robinson were measured, promoted, and criticized by how patriotic they were to the White power structure in this country. They were expected to be like Joe Louis who stood "as a role model--for white America, for the black middle class and for much of the left--by enlisting for military service in World War II," or an anti-communist like Robinson. But Ali becomes a bug in the system. Guided by Black nationalist ideology of the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X specifically, Ali rewrote the script for how Black sports figures were to behave. He proclaimed, "I'm free to be what I want." But as Marqusee points and shows, "he did not invent himself out nothing. In his search for personal freedom he was propelled and guided by a wide array of interacting social forces." This search and influence is the heart of Marqussee's book.

   I would imagine there's much that Marqusee leaves out his book. And at times he seems too apologetic about Ali's break with Malcolm X, his relationship with the conservative tide of the Nation of Islam, and the inherent contradictions between his religious convictions and his views about marriage. Marqusee could have also provided specific references for his research. His bibliography is simply not enough.

   Despite these criticism, "Redemption Song" is a much needed work to offset efforts to depoliticize Ali's past. Read it before or after you see the movie.




5. This book isn't so much about Ali as about Black radical politics of the 60's and 70's and the way Ali's public life reflected them. An excellent, thoughtful book that reads more like a monograph than a work of popular non-fiction (cf. David Remnick's "King of the World", a more accessible book with a different focus and scope). If you are interested in the Nation of Islam, the Black Panthers, the Black Power movement and the ways boxing historically has reflected the racial realities of its time, you will find this book engrossing and informative. If you are looking for a conventional "boxing book" (whatever that is), you will be disappointed.

3 comments about Playing for Paterno: One Coach, Two Eras: a Father and Son's Personal Recollections of Playing for JoePa.

1. An excellent book---I remember seeing Charlie and Jim at the table in the cafeteria at North Halls of Penn State. Charlie was friendly and did not behave like a prima donna football player. He was humble and truly enjoyed being around other students. He was just a nice guy!
   
   He has grown into a wonderful man and his influence is obvious in Tony. Not only is Penn State fortunate to have had a great father-son combination but a father-son combo that continues to contribute to society in a very positive way. Thank you both.



2. There's a lot to like in this book about two great athletes and people and about the legendary coach that nurtured both of them. My personal history makes me biased: I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and when I was in high school, idolized Penn State and the powerful team Charlie Pittman played on. I also have had the great privilege of being one of Tony Pittman's high school coaches at Phillips Academy.
   
   What stands out for me in the book is the way Paterno has created a top level football program whose athletes actually go to college to learn and who earn their diplomas. Charlie and Tony are prime examples of the many wonderful student-athletes who have been a part of PSU football.
   
   This father and son duo have not been successful in their athletic and professional lives, they have been successful in life. Their intelligence and integrity are inspiring...ditto for Joe Paterno. The book gives us a glimpse into the minds and hearts of three people who have made the world a better place to live in.



3. Sir Charles, as some of us who have had the privilege of working for Charlie Pittman call him, is always imparting business wisdom and sharing quotes, so I was eager to read his book and I wasn't disappointed.
   
   There are a lot of interesting facets to this book:
   
   - The fact that both father and son were undefeated and played for the same school and coach (and wore the same number - 24)
   - Insight into what it was like to play for Paterno
   - The Grand Experiment
   - What America was like in the 60's
   - What it was like to be an African American athlete in turbulent times
   - The drawing of business lessons from the game of football
   - And of course, the recounting of games that made history by two players that were there
   
   Some of the practical concepts you will learn how to apply to your career are, the importance of Punctuality, Details, Consistency, Practice, Preparation and Goal setting. One of my favorite take aways was the part about focusing when crossing the "Blue Line" onto the field.
   
   To watch a related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YnkqGEyzY
   
   All in all a great book!

4 comments about The Earnhardt Collection.

1. I ordered a hard-cover copy of this book. I received a paperback. For the longest time, I simply assumed I accidentally ordered the wrong book and remained embarrassed by my gift. Despite the book being a great archive of Earnhardt's career, the paperback appears like a coloring book from the outside. It does not appear to be a quality gift, but rather a cheap way out of one. Then I looked into it, and realized I did in fact order a hard-cover. Fansedge Inc simply delivered me the wrong book-- one that's half as expensive. Convenient? I don't know. I'm interested to see how they handle my complaint.
   Anyhow, I give the book itself, as an Earnhardt archive collection, 5-stars. The company selling the book, however, I give a lowly 1-star rating. Hence, my total 3-star rating. But who knows, perhaps Fansedge Inc will provide me with excellent customer service, in which case, I'll improve my rating of them.



2. This book is a must for any fan of Earnhardt Sr. I bought this for my father for christmas and he hasnt put it down. Very detailed and thourough in Dale's wins. Very impressed with the content, pictures, and overall presentation of the information. A great book and great addition to any collection! a must buy!



3. The reviewer who said Dale Earnhardt Sr. was nothing but trash must be a Gordon fan. This review is to be about the book in question, not about peoples personal opinion's or dislikes of the man it is written about. The book is just as awsome as the man it is written about and I'm sure any true "Intimidator" fan would be proud to own it. At least this book gives us as fans the chance to relive some old memories every time we read it since "The Man In Black" has gone on to greener pastures. God bless ya Dale and rest in peace.



4. I got this book for my birthday this year. It is one of my prized possessions. If you are an Earnhardt fan, get this book. It gives accounts of every win, from the first win at Bristol, to the last one at Talladega. Very colorful and very detailed. It is a real treat!