4 comments about Never Turn Back: The Life of Whitewater Pioneer Walt Blackadar.

1. In August 1971, after three days of paddling his fragile kayak through a wilderness of bears and glaciers, Walt Blackadar , a doctor from Salmon, Idaho, tackled what is arguably one of the worst stretches of white water in the world- Turnback canyon on the Alsek river. He was forty nine years old and he was alone.

   His solo run of Turnback canyon was one of the major breakthroughs in the history of white water kayaking and has been compared to the first ascent of Everest without oxygen. Although techniques and technologies improve, psychological barriers define what is possible. Walt's run of Turnback, no matter how exaggerated it may have been in hindsight, blew those definitions wide open.

   In Never Turn back, Ron Watters, himself no slouch when it comes to river running, tells the story of this impressive man. Although born in the eastern united states, Blackadar went west looking for adventure. He didn't take up white water kayaking until he was in his forties. He quickly established a reputation though his pioneering runs on the biggest white water in the states.

   The chapters dealing with Blackadar's solo run are the core of this book, an inspiring description of one man pitting himself willfully against the possibility of his own annihilation. Turnback made Walt a celebrity. Seven years later he was dead.

   Watters deals honestly with Blackadar; he comes across as a loud, brash boozy man. He also describes Walt's failures and there are some great stories along the way.

   Blackadar, like Mike Jones, died in 1978. Unlike Jones, Walt died in what seems a stupid accident on a Saturday morning paddle on a local river. The image of him causally trying to drawstroke his boat from under the log he was pinned against is one of the book's most haunting images.

   There are two underlying themes which make this so much more than an accumulation of well told kayaking stories. The first is the tragic story of a man forced to be the impotent witness to his body's slow decay, a man who was terrified by the thought of dying in bed of cancer and old age, who constantly looked for new challenges to prove he was till young and strong. This is the man who constantly claimed that was invincible, that he would never die on a river and that he could, and would, one day paddle over Niagra falls and live to tell the tale.

   Walt was also a representative of a certain, almost specifically American hero. He comes across as John Wayne in a kayak. Loud, bursting with energy, he went west to find adventure and the adventures he sought were the traditional test of "man in the wilderness". But there was no longer any social purpose to these adventures and the people of salmon recognised this and protested against their doctor continually risking his life. The days of the great individual , if they ever really existed, were disappearing fast. Salmon was changing from wild west town to settled community. Blackadar's lone yellow kayak in a world of ice grey is a symbol of the final fling of a man unencumbered by corporate sensibility, innocent of economic calculation, impervious to social pressure.

   Never Turn Back is meticulously researched and written in a stylish, understated prose that artfully lets the subject tell itself. If you know nothing about Blackadar and have no interest in white water kayaking, this is still a rare book, intelligently and honestly written, an entertaining and thought provoking biography.




2. My thoughts have often returned to this book even though I read it several months ago. I cannot quite grasp how Blackadar survived the first descent of Turnback Canyon so long ago with the older equipment and kayak, alone. Such strength, courage, and focus is rarely encountered. He belongs to an elite group. He is compared to Hillary but I think he is more aptly compared to Mallory. Watters portrays several sides to this most interesting man. I find myself often thinking about how different he is from me. Yet the exercise of comparison is rewarding.



3. This book gave me a different look of a man that I have seen many times. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I knew what the outcome was prior to reading it, it still brought tears to my eyes. Well worth reading it.



4. This book gave me a different look of a man that I have seen many times. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I knew what the outcome was prior to reading it, it still brought tears to my eyes. Well worth reading it.

2 comments about A Lifetime in a Race.

1. There are some very good segments in Matthew Pinsent's autobiography, A Lifetime in Race, particularly his rower's-eye-view of the Olympics. Unfortunately, while these bits made for an interesting excerpt in Rowing News, they don't really justify a whole book. The pacing and style of the prose bothered me enough that I probably wouldn't recommend the book to someone who didn't already have an interest in British Olympic Rowing.



2. This book isn't a biography at all. It covers Pinsent's career of rowing from his teenage years where he first began to his 4th Olympic Gold. Considering it was a decent sized book I got through it in about a week or so. A very enjoyable read and something rowers will love. Right up there with Assault and the Amateurs.

5 comments about The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty.

1. This is a very good inspirational book about an underdog inner city basketball team rising up to be the best, coached by Bob Hurley--best high school coach in small, broken down parochial school. Kids all had problems and he taught character and perseverance as well as basketball. It's tells how the coach motivated and taught his players. Parts moved a bit slow but it's definitely worth your time reading this one!
   
   Coaching (and teaching) tips I got out of it included the following:
   
   *Always keep the bar high and require respect.
   *Never let anyone slide--keep on them all the time.
   *Coach all the players, not just the best.
   *Make kids earn your respect and ignore them until they do.
   *Give everyone a role--even those on the bench.
   *Use drastic measures (wrestling practice) to punish sloppy playing.
   *Use the drastic measure practice for motivating in the future.
   *Let the players experience the glory, keep low profile as coach.
   *Help players make good decisions concerning their futures.
   
   Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



2. What a great, inspirational book. On top of that, it was only $5 when I purchased it, so you can't go wrong there. If you enjoy basketball, I strongly suggest you read this book!



3. I read this a few years back and I really enjoyed it. I have always found books about geniuses within their little realm fascinating. Bob Hurley's success is not attributed to a new revolutionary school of coaching thought, but rather basic hard work, discipline and commitment.
   
   Despite its small enrollment, St. Anthony's teams have been pretty stacked over the years. That is why I always thought the St. Anthony's mystique (i.e. Poor little Catholic school in Jersey City) was overblown a bit. Give anyone an MacDonald all-american and a couple of All-NYC type players and you'll have success at the HS level. But this particular season, the players at St. Anthony's were something a bit less. Good players, certainly, but not the highly recruited types that usually populate the top HS Programs in the country. Hurley guiding this ragtag bunch of ballers to the heights of success says alot about the guys ability to coach and motivate. Its a great story that would have been something less if it chronicled one of the other St. Anthony's seasons.
   
   Indeed, Hurley is a tough coach that borders on verbally absuive. But in this day and age of coddled athletes, he's refreshing. He's unambigious about what his expectations are and kids respond to his style. He's not a mean, cruel guy he just wants to get the most out of his players.
   
   It would be a good read for coaches of youngsters through teenagers.
   



4. If you're a coach this is for you. If you're a sports fan this is for you. I loved it so much I bought a book for my entire coaching staff. And we are a hockey team! There are a lot lessons and values that Coach Hurley teaches. More importantly it's about life. He never let up on these kids and pushed them to success. Challenged them to succeed. At that age level they need guidance, they need someone to sponsor them. Then its up to them to follow the path Coach Hurley gives them. It's amazing how a time tested path still can't lead some kids. It's a struggle between the kids backgrounds and the future they can have
   Wow what a great book. What I liked is that these kids are now in college so we can follow their careers.
   The one player that sticks out to me is Sean McCready. Great talent, bad guidance (family). Now he is sitting out the 2008 season because he transferred. Coach Hurley was right!
   
   I also loved the fact that he sweeps the floor. That's his time, and we all need our own time. But coach is dedicated to a school that is struggling. There is no way a school like this should be on the verge of bankruptcy. Coach could leave and make millions, but he doesn't. Because if he does the school will close.
   BUY THE BOOK



5. Adrian Wojnarowski's "The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty" is one of the best sports and leadership books I have read this past year.
   
   St. Anthony's is a private Catholic High School in Jersey City, NJ, with 230 students (120 boys). Students come from an area where 16% pass the HS proficiency test and where the local drug-infested, back-sliding culture has a hold on the kids. Despite its size and location, St. Anthony's basketball teams have gone undefeated four times, have won two USA Today national titles, and 24 New Jersey Parochial state championships. The basketball program has developed 200 college players, including 5 who went on to the National Basketball Association.
   
   St. Anthony's is a special and safe place under Srs. Felicia and Alan and legendary Coach, Bob Hurley - the streets stop here. Their focus in athletics and academics has been to help kids get to the finish line. They share a collective value that there is no shortcut to success.
   
   While Sister Felicia and Sister Alan play prominent roles in the success of St. Anthony's, "The Miracle of St. Anthony" is mostly about Bob Hurley and the class of 2004 - the most athletically and socially underachieving team in St. Anthony's history. Yet, under Hurley's coaching leadership, the team went undefeated, winning the NJ State Championship and was named by USA Today as the top high school team of the year.
   
   Hurley struggles with the problems of the inner city and sees the potential in these kids that they do not see in themselves. He has always been a disciple of John Wooden... fundamentals, well-conditioned, team play, and defense...and he has always been a no-nonsense driver.
   
   He creates an expectation of performance and accountability that the kids will not find anywhere else in their lives, and helps them out the door to life with values and a voice to become the best they can. And despite his daunting ways, the kids respect Hurley and when returning after graduation, they always come home to the warm embrace of family. The relationship changes from tough task master to a friend.
   
   "St. Anthony's" covers the entire basketball year from pre-season preparations to the championship game. Wojnarowski provides the ups and downs of the season - injuries, players leaving the team, tough wins, and all the key relationships that makes St. Anthony's the special place it is.
   
   This is a great read for anyone interested in coaching, leadership, and basketball.

5 comments about Bat Boy: My True Life Adventures Coming of Age with the New York Yankees.

1. The purpose of a book, in my opinion, is to take the reader away and allow him to experience what the author writes about. McGough has done an excellent job of doing this in his debut.
   
   As a kid, I was obsessed with baseball. It was a rite of passage in our country for young boys to collect baseball cards and idolize the players on their faces. McGough was able to gain access to this world, which is a privilege most of us would have died for. He preserves that childlike wonder throughout this book. Rather than becoming annoying, this tone allows the reader to empathize with McGough's struggles and cheer at his triumphs.
   
   The book also gives a fresh new look at the inner workings of a baseball team. Most sports books are written by players or journalists. Both groups have a certain detachment from society as a whole. McGough is an average kid from New York city with an average kid's problems. He writes about how his grades suffer, struggling to talk to girls, and other situations an adolescent male would find himself in. The difference is that most kids don't have millionaire pals who will lend a helping hand in impressing a young lady. McGough's description of his interactions with the players is very humanizing. In a way, McGough takes these players off the pedestal society has placed them on and shows the reader they are average guys.
   
   This book is my favorite baseball book by far, even surpassing Jim Bouton's Ball Four. If you have a baseball fan in the family, get this book for them. You won't be sorry.



2. You don't need to be a Yankee fan or a baseball fan to enjoy this book. As a diehard Red Sox fan, I feel guilty that I've taken a liking to a Yankee's team written about in this book. Mr. Mcgough does an incredible job of making you feel that you're part of the locker room, in the dugout, and on the field with the team.



3. This was an amazing book and probably one of the best autobiographys I've ever read. Growing up in California I've been a hard core Oakland a's and San Fransico Giants fan. Reading this book makes you love the Yankees. Mr.Mcough's writing gives you the feeling that you're actually at the baseball game. Matt gives you a full on description of everything he does and if he does something bad or gets in trouble it makes you relate when something like that happened to you. It's great description and humor this definitely a must read for anyone.



4. I can't recommend this book enough for any Yankee fan who suffered through the '80's and early '90's. Perfect read for a day at the beach or a plane ride.



5. If you are a Yankee fan who remembers the team of the mid-80's era, this book is a nice walk down memory lane. It's a quick, easy read written in an enjoyable narrative style, and it provides the reader with an inside glimpse that most of us Yankee fans would have given our left foot to experience.

3 comments about Mad Game : The NBA Education of Kobe Bryant.

1. Kobe Bryant is all Ready a Important Player but wait until a few years down the line His Best shall come.the Guy is a Good Balance of Talent&Flaw.He is gonna be Scary in years to Come.this Book brings all those Elements&More out.He has had to deal with alot of things On&Off the COurt but He is Headed for Something Special with His Career.the Sky is the Limit for Him.



2. I read the book a little while back, and I thought it was a great read on the most electrifying basketball player today. At that time, Kobe was going through a lot of growing pains, a lot of failures, crticisms, bad chemistry with teammates. And now, this season, I've seen Kobe's maturation and improvement in the league, playing more under control, playing in Phil Jackson's triangle offense, having better rapport with Shaq and his teammates. His incredible performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in overtime was unforgettable and it is only the beginning. Now he is finally an NBA champion with the Lakers, and hopefully, this will be the beginning of another great Laker dynasty, the first of the 21st century!



3. welcom to the world of kobe bryant this book is nomber 1 out of2,865 books i have read (still counting) this book doesnt just tellyou about kobe it tells you about the whol lakers history and abot how other players reflect on kobe bryant like m.j. & magic Johnson I've read this book 3 times and i never get tierd of it i could tell you at least 5 things kobe has remarked of the top of my head I'm 11 years old & for me to type this much I'd have to love this book! & allso the author r. lazenby is supurb!

4 comments about The Kid: A Season with Sidney Crosby and the New NHL.

1. I have read a lot of biographies about hockey players, including Sidney Crosby, and while most are informational, few are what you might call "page turners". The Rookie is a suprising exception to that! Richer has done a wonderful job of bringing Sidney's amazing early career to life with the perfect mix of hockey detail and personal account. Some books of this type present material that is second- or third-hand at best but Richer committed to getting the real story first-hand. Her balanced approach to Sid's meteoric rookie season will appeal to hard-core hockey enthusiasts, devoted Sid the Kid fans, and curious people watchers all.



2. An objective review of this book from me is impossible. But a fair one, the book more than deserves. Late in the text, Ms. Richer gives a speech, or at least an anecdote, some advice she was given as she wrote this book, on objectivity in writing: "But objectivity ... is not necessarily a worthy goal. To be objective in the literal sense would be to remove all emotion from the coverage, and sportswriting at its best can only be worthwhile by embracing and exposing emotion and all the things that fuel it. Fairness ... is the tone you want to strive for." So I give Ms. Richer and her book a fair deal, but not an objective one, as I am emotionally attached to the subject matter.
   
   I lived in Pittsburgh for over 30 years and am a die-hard Penguin fan. I know the entire cast of characters in this book, what they look and sound like, including the indefatigueable Tom McMillan, Penguins Vice President of Communication, who is a major player in the story. I can hear Mike Lange's voice calling out the plays, and Phil Bourque's commentary, on the air or not. I can picture the Igloo (the Pens' home arena) with snow on it, or the rolling hills of Upper St. Clair (Ryan Malone's home neighborhood). From Molinari to Mario, Sewickley to the Steelhead Grill, whether you are from Pittsburgh or not, you too will settle into this story as if you were hearing it from a friend in your own neighborhood.
   
   Shawna Richer gained the enviable assignment of chronicling Sidney Crosby's first year in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is a significant season for two reasons - Sidney Crosby is not just another hockey player, and this wasn't just the mere beginning of another hockey season. Crosby, a native of Nova Scotia, was the most anticipated rookie since 1984, when Mario Lemieux was taken first overall (also) by the Penguins, the same draft in which Crosby's father was selected. The NHL was also making a debut of sorts. After an owners' lockout of the players had cancelled the previous season in its entirety, the revamped league was back for business.
   
   A new collective bargaining agreement had finally been reached by the owners and the player's union. The owners had conceded to revenue sharing which would allow small market teams to survive financially. The players conceded to a salary cap, which would allow owners to survive financially. The league would benefit from the parity that this arrangement breeds - all 32 teams able to compete with each other, year after year.
   
   League executives restructured and reinforced the rule book during the unfortunate lull. Their intent was to free the game from the stifling "clutch and grab" style of defensive hockey and allow for a faster, more skilled, offensive game. Showcase the league's more talented players. Give the old fans something to cheer about, and try to lure new fans to the speed and grace of the game. As a player with "once-in-a-generation" ability, 18 year old Sidney Crosby would be shouldered with the mantle of the "new NHL". From the time before he was even drafted, Crosby had been labeled as "The Next One", and after a full lost season, the league looked to him to win fans, old and new, to the game. Even though he didn't ask for it, the youngster understands his role and carries it out with a gentle passion as fierce as the one he brings to the ice.
   
   Ms. Richer tells the story well. The Pittsburgh Penguins, like most of the small market teams in the NHL, had been losing millions of dollars every year. Unable to pay premium salaries, one by one, their star players left or were traded. At the conclusion of the previous season, the Penguins had finished last overall. Under the new arrangements, the Penguins would be able to surround Crosby with veteran talent. And they did so, turning into a contender within a few weeks.
   
   The league literally took off and the fast, exciting pace of the games silenced every pre-season criticism of the rule changes. Crosby's season took off too, but had several unimaginable bumps. His coach was fired in December. There was a slight but sustained backlash from some fans and players against Crosby. In one six day span, both of his linemates retired, and the team was put up for sale by the owner, Lemieux. The same Mario Lemieux who was 1984's once-in-a-generation rookie was now, not only the team's owner, but one of the retiring linemates.
   
   Richer was there for everything and delivers each high and low in a straight, readable narrative. She quickly (p15) pays homage to Peter Gzowski's exemplary hockey book, The Game of Our Lives. (Anything written on the subject since 1981 should.) The Rookie is given a similar form by the author, announcing the time and venue of significant games, going through the Penguins roster with a short paragraph for each player, and weaving her experiences and inferences into the text.
   
   The book falls short of the insider's look and analysis I expected from the subtitle (A Season With Sidney Crosby and the New NHL). It seems like Ms. Richer is barely below the surface of Crosby the individual, the Penguins as a team, the "new" league as a whole, and Canada's reaction to all of the above. I, however, do not know what is acceptable to print about the inner workings of an NHL locker room, so it remains to accept Ms. Richer's coverage and interpretation of events.
   
   Even after the Penguins are disappointingly eliminated from playoff contention, Ms. Richer is able to keep the reader's interest with drama appropriate to the tale. How would Crosby handle playing on a loosing team? Would he be voted Rookie of the Year? Would he be able to achieve certain milestones like being named to the Canadian Olympic squad or reaching 80 points on the season? How would Sidney Crosby's first season and the "new" NHL turn out? You'll want to read this book to find out.



3. I loved this book! Richer provides great detail and has a keen aspect on every situation. I couldn't put this book down and finished it very quickly. I highly recommend this book to any Sidney Crosby fan that wants to learn more about him, or anyone that thinks he is just a hot-shot in order to find out how hard he has worked for this.



4. This behind the scenes book about Crosby's struggling, but amazing rookie year is very well-written and interesting. However, I did find myself grimacing over recapping what a terrible season the Penguins had, but in the end I think it was a very fine read.

5 comments about Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist.

1. Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Rube was quite a charactor!
   I'd put him up there with the likes of: Ruth, Satchel Paige, Jay Johnstone, Etc. I'd recommend this book to anybody. He may have been a charactor but he was a great pitcher.



2. Being a big fan of turn-of-the-century baseball, I have waited a long time for a thorough treatment of Rube Waddell. I'm still waiting. Rube did some silly things during his lifetime, mostly to amuse himself and his teammates, who were often doubled over with laughter. For this, he has been called "crazy", and possibly semi-retarded. This author falls right in line with those conclusions.
   
   What he briefly mentions, almost as an aside, are the several well-documented lives Rube Waddell saved, in addition to possibly countless others too difficult to estimate. From carrying an injured teammate on his shoulders to a hospital (while everyone else stood around), and staying with him all night, holding cold compresses to his injured head, to preventing a fire in a crowded department store by dragging a dangerous, fiery stove out of it, Rube Waddell was very serious and clear-headed when someone else's safety was at stake. Several times he jumped into rivers to save people from drowning, once when it was just a log in the water. No matter, Rube acted instantly when he thought someone needed help.
   
   The author, like everyone else these past 100 years, mentions Rube's chasing after fire engines as evidence of his immaturity. Lost is the fact Rube wanted to get to the fires to help put them out, often at great personal risk. Connie Mack recalled the particular bravery of one firefighter combating a house fire, standing on the second story roof and pouring water down onto the fire. Suddenly he realized, that was his star pitcher!
   
   In fact, Rube contracted the illness that eventually killed him by working for many hours in freezing water up to his armpits, helping restore a broken levee. He didn't take a break to go fishing, or wander off to play marbles with kids.
   
   Other than doctors or possibly those who served in combat, probably no other Hall Of Fame player saved so many lives, took so many personal risks, and ultimately died in the effort to help strangers. I'm not saying Rube was a saint, and no author should treat him with that reverence, but to write Rube off as "zany", perhaps retarded, is really an injustice of large magnitude. Rube knew there was a time and a place to be zany, and a time and a place to be serious. When the chips were down, he was deadly serious.
   
   So I wait for an author to come along and realize that throwing a little white ball past a guy with a stick, in the grand scheme of things, really isn't as important as chasing a fire engine, to get to the fire, to save someone's life. Rube understood that.



3. Rube Waddell had a major league career that was not very long (13 seasons, but in three of those he played in 10 or fewer games), but as with Sandy Koufax, when he played in a full season, he could be dominating. Alan Levy makes the same argument in his book, and the record book bears this out: once leading the league in games pitched, once leading the league in wins, seven times leading the league in strikeouts (six consecutively) and a winning percentage of .574 despite playing for some bad teams (and some good ones, too). So why isn't he remembered as the Koufax of his day? Well, he played 100 years ago, so no one who saw him play is alive today. His contemporaries generally had longer careers with better teams, usually a single team (like Mathewson, Bender, Plank, Brown, etc.). And, Waddell seems to be looked at today as "a psychologist's dream," as someone who does sufficiently odd things or is odd himself, so that there is a question if we're dealing with a crazy person here. I don't believe that Waddell was "crazy" - I don't pretend to be a doctor, either, but the book does make a lot of mention to incidents that would seem to make Waddell out of the ordinary today. And that may be a fault of the world that we live in today, that characters aren't tolerated as much as they used to be. It's perhaps enough to go with Sam Crawford's assessment that Waddell was just a "big kid" and leave it at that. Read for yourself the exploits of Rube Waddell in this well-written book, and reacquaint yourself with a unique character with a precious baseball gift.



4. The most entertaining baseball book I have ever read! If you ask baseball fans, many have never heard of Rube Waddell. This is shocking because of two reasons: 1) He was one of the best pitchers of his time. 2) His behavior, on and off the field, was completely insane. In fact, Connie Mack said he had the mind of a 10 year old. Rube truly was the best of his times, oftentimes competing and beating Cy Young for pitching titles. In 1904, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, he struck out 349 batters and this stood as a record for over 60 years. The author, Alan H. Levy, clearly did a considerable amount of research for the book. Each year comes to life in this book, from Rube's time with the Chicago Orphans to his last two seasons with the St. Louis Browns.
   
   It is said that only Connie Mack could handle Rube's behavior. Many times the only way to do this was to just let Rube do his thing and watch in amazement, or perhaps horror. Rube Waddell could be on the mound pitching and if he heard that there was a fire, he would simply walk off the mound and run to help put out the fire. He loved fighting fires! Many times, his coach and teammates would wonder where Rube was and he could be found selling peanuts and hotdogs as a vendor. One of his favorite things to do was to go to the local zoo and wrestle with the bears or alligators on exhibit. Where is Rube they would ask yet again? This time he was found playing marbles with kids under the baseball stands. Rube was also known for leaving a team and playing for another local team. At one point he was on the payroll for three different teams. When Rube was focused he was truly the deadliest pitcher of his time and this pitching allowed his team and fans to watch in awe as he struck out some of the best hitters of that time, such as Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. Fitting to his overall lifestyle Rube Waddell passed away on April Fools Day. This book is both entertaining and informative. www.fatherachildsright.org Robert Pedersen



5. Great book for anyone who loves vintage baseball.

2 comments about Michael Schumacher: The Whole Story.

1. Sorry, but I have to really disagree with J.A.G. Reid's review. He only read the first 70 pages? How do you do a review without really reading the book? That's 2 1/2 chapters of a 12 chapter book; 70 pages of a 433 page book! And none of those first 70 pages actually covers the Grand Prix era! I am guessing that J.A.G. Reid is a diehard Shumacher fanatic who wants to read only praises and positive things about a hero. That's fine, but I'd rather read the whole story - both the good and the bad, and this book provides that.
   
   I have been following Formula 1 and other racing since 1967. Over the years, I have been a Gurney, Stewart, Lauda, Andretti, and then Schumacher follower, and the Michael Schumacher story is a fascinating one. He is obviously one of the all time greats. I look forward to him following Sir Jackie Stewart's lead and some day writing his autobiography, but, until then, I was looking for an attempt at an objective look at the driver. I felt this book delivered that. It discusses the good - all the wins and the team building. It discusses the amazing, such as racing in the Benetton with only one gear (!) while adjusting his stategy to driving it like a sports car, and also winning from all the way back at 16th on the grid at Spa in 1995. It also discusses - in painful detail- the negatives of the Benetton disqualifications, fines, and appeals, the 1994 Hill collision that gave Schumacher the contoversial championship, the 1997 incident with Villeneuve, that led to Schumacher's exclusion from classification for the entire season, and the 2006 qualifying incident at Monaco.
   
   The final chapter, titled "All Time High" tries to discuss how Schumacher will be viewed in Formula 1 history. Probably the most accurate conclusions of the whole book are on the last text page, where Mr. Hilton states "One part of the fascination of his career was that he seemed to leave nobody indifferent. They railed against him or they defended him ferociously....I think in time the memories of the incidents will soften and the success will remain...." Accurate and honest. I wanted to read about both views of Michael Schumacher, and, as I have said, this book delivered.



2. Don't waste your money on this book!
   I received two Michael Schumacher books for Christmas. This one and the excellent James Allen one titled MS:The Edge of Genius.
   I gave Hilton's book 70 pages but could give no more. I have put it down never to be read by me again. What a tiresome piece of rubbish written by what appears to be a lazy hack. What astounds me is that Hilton has written so many books on Formula 1 drivers.
   Hilton's book is nothing more than a tedious race by race, corner by corner account of Schumacher's brilliant career.
   How can book about such a tremendous figure be so boring? It's almost as if Hilton sat down and watched the old races on video and has merely written what he has just viewed.
   Contrast this with James Allen's excellent book. Allen's is truly insightful filled with interviews and comments from fellow drivers and others in the know. Allen's book is such a terrific read that I really had trouble putting down.

2 comments about Muhammad Ali.

1. Contiene un gran numero di foto spendide.
   
   Per appassionati di Cassius Clay



2. This book is a splendid and very interesting view into a Muhammad Ali's life and career. Very detailed and with beautiful photos. A book worth the money.

2 comments about When It's Fourth and Long: Keeping the Faith, Overcoming the Odds, and Life in the NFL.

1. When It's Fourth and Long by Josh Bidwell is the autobiography of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter and former member of the Green Bay Packers. Bidwell was struck down by testicular cancer when he was 23 and had just signed on with the Packers. He kicked the cancer and it strengthened his faith in God and his love for then girlfriend now wife Bethany. The child of a divorce, Bidwell has lived through some rough times in his life, and he's very honest about his mother's battles with addiction and his own struggle with anger. His pride in his wife and two sons brings a smile to my face. He tells a few good tales about playing with the Packers, but really focuses on his deep friendship with Ryan Longwell. His story is inspiring and very moving; his writing isn't poetic, but he's the type of guy you would want your daughter to bring home. This would be an excellent book for someone who loves sports but normally wouldn't read a book about faith and God. It's nice to read about an athlete who recognizes the impact his celebrity can have and wants to do good with it.



2. Football and sports fans will love this book (esp. those from Oregon)! Josh is a small-town Oregon athlete who eventually attends U of O and then reaches the NFL. He credits his dad, coaches and others along the way who encouraged him. Most of all, he clearly notes how his faith in Jesus Christ not only helped him through the trials of cancer, but also gave him purpose and meaning in life.