5 comments about The Hardcore Diaries.

1. This book is poorly written and very boring. I cannot recommend it.
   The book on Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold's books were much more informative and entertaining.
   This one was a waste.



2. Not Mick's best work, but he is still by far, the best author to come out of the WWE. The book itself is well written and gives you insight to how things work in wrestling. The one thing you can always count on is Mick's terrific sense of humor. After reading this, you will see Mick Foley is a big man with an even bigger heart. He truly lets you see his human side.



3. I have read 2 of Mick Foleys 3 Autobiographies (Hardcore Diaries and Foley Is Good) and I loved them both. Mick Foley gives a wrestlers, all tell look at the WWE. He also tells many stories about his own life with the perfect amount of detail.
   
   Any Mick Foley fans, or wrestling fans in general...This is a must have



4. This was a major disappointment in every way imaginable. I wish I had a nickel for every time he plugged one of his own earlier works; I'd be a millionaire. How many freaking times does he have the use the phrase "#1 New York Times Bestselling Author". Yes Mick, we get it. You sold a lot of books. But why did you need to write another book just to brag about your earlier accomplishments?
   
   In terms of insider wrestling information which is what I was hoping the WHOLE book would be, it is again a diappointment. I actually had to skip over many sections of the book because the content was so incredibly boring.
   
   I would highly NOT recommend this book; if you are a true blue die hard Foley fan, read on his other 2 autobiographies, or rent this from the library.



5. When first picking up this book I wasnt unsure as to whether or not I would enjoy it, because I loved Have a Nice Day. But what I liked about Hardcore diaries is that it is such a personal read. For lack of a better way to describe it, its almost like sitting in a room across from Mick Foley having him tell you this very different story. While it is true that the book does tend to bounce from topic to topic including politics/charity/wrestling/Celebrities, but the way he tells it is so personable I think he could write a book about paint drying and captivate people. None the less, wrestling fan or not this is a great read and finished the book in one sitting.

5 comments about A Skating Life: My Story.

1. Dorothy writes in almost too much detail, with a balance between revealing and keeping reserved ; what is written bewteen the lines is enough to fill in the blanks anyone might feel exist. It is curious that although Dorothy has the generosity and presence to reveal to the public a large dimension of her private suffering , benefitting so many who have suffered from depression or lived with a demanding or mentally ill family member , there is still a small faction of readers that want MORE, and this is the bane of her sweet sparkling gifted life. Someone is always asking for MORE! Her parents her husbands the coaches and now readers who feel like she must cut open a vein and bleed on to the pages or describe her bedroom details. Yikes.Dorothy is a giver, a woker who gave 110 percent to the world and the sport and the vultures still circle to pick her bones. One reader noted that she has no bitterness or anger, I think she should get some , and fast. Thank you Dorothy for the book and everything you've given in life...Now make part two of your life for you.



2. I love biographies, but this one left me looking forward to getting to the end. It seemed written through the eyes of an adolecent girl. There was nothing juicy or even interesting. It seemed Dorothy was dealing with the guilt she felt, about treating her mother badly, by writing this book. The binding fell apart half way through. It was a bust in every way possible for me!



3. If her Mother ever realized and/or finally got access to the enormous amount of money Dorothy was sending for her independence? If Dr. Forsythe's first wife told Dorothy about her life with him and how she was treated, or more to the point mistreated by him...I can't believe how blindly Dorothy allowed him to take, and take and take from her, one cannot buy love or devotion. I would have liked to know how Dorothy is doing financially; not exact figures of course, but has she recouped to a degree of financial independence, and with all the money she sent her parents over 7 years, didn't they have the decency to provide her some of her own capital to start fresh and help her young daughter? If they didn't, she needs to shut them out of her life too. Parents are to give to their children willingly, not with strings. Had some of these things been discussed in greater detail, the book would have been infinitely more enjoyable overall.
   
   She was quick to mention Vioxx (which has been recalled), and SHOCKINGLY goes to the very man who betrayed her for medical advice and medication? How foolish. Surely she could afford a "real" doctor who is working for a living and up on the latest advances in osteoarthritis. Someone without an ulterior motive for helping her. There was always a sense of her needing to go back to these men for some sense of self, it is really upsetting and very sad. Dorothy will have to keep her vulnerability in check if she is to escape such mistakes in the future.
   
   She is a lovely skater, a national treasure, but has paid way to high a price for that medal.
   
   Best of luck!



4. This is a revealing look into Dorothy Hamill's life from her first moments on the ice at 8 years old, to training to become a Gold Medal winner at the '76 Olympics through her life today. Dorothy Hamill details the sacrifices her family made, the challenges with coaches and training to become an Olympic athlete and how her passion for skating got her through some of the most difficult times in her life.
   
   Dorothy Hamill was my hero growing up. I had the Dorothy haircut, the Dorothy glasses, and spent many afternoons on the skating rink at my grade school trying to teach myself spins and jumps. After reading A SKATING LIFE: MY STORY, she remains my hero.
   
   I never realized what went into becoming serious in a sport like ice skating. The expense of traveling to train with the right coach, traveling to get enough time on the ice to practice, the cost of equipment and trying to get an education while competing in shows around the world was only a part of it. It was inspiring to learn the sacrifices made by Dorothy's family and Dorothy herself, although she never writes much of her own personal sacrifices. I learned so much about the beautiful and challenging sport.
   
   Dorothy's story doesn't end with winning the gold medal in the '76 Olympics. It was only the beginning. She met the love of her life, Dean Paul Martin only to have it end in heartbreak and tragedy. My heart broke right along with her. I so wanted her to live happily ever after and the love that she still feels for her first husband, Dean Paul radiates from the pages. This was when her struggle with depression truly came to the surface, even though she battled with panic disorder and depression all through childhood. The honesty that comes from this book is truly a gift. The painful family issues and frank discussion of depression were courageous.
   
   That being said, I hoped for a bit more about her struggle with depression. There was a lot of publicity about this book and America's Sweetheart suffering from depression for years, but little description of her struggle. It was written in a very matter of fact style without a lot of adjectives. Perhaps that's where we glimpse the real Dorothy. Instead of waxing poetic or dwelling in the difficult, she soldiers on telling her story with respectability and straightforwardness.
   
   She survived another marriage that ended in painful divorce and leaving her a bankrupt single mother. I was so sad and angry for what she endured. And yet she never wrote a bitter word about anyone. I don't know of many of us who could have endured what she did, and remain so humble and without animosity or hostility.
   
   While this wasn't the best written book I have ever reviewed, I had to give it a higher rating for its pure heart and openness.
   
   I think that Dorothy found closure with some of the issues plaguing her. The one issue that will probably always haunt her is the death of her first husband. I have a feeling Dean Paul will continue to be a shadow, watching over her and waiting for her.



5. Have you ever wondered what it takes to become an Olympic champion? What is the toll this feat exacts from a person? And after the big gold medal win, then what? Sports memoirs are usually interesting because the subjects possess a skill or talent that most of us don't, and we are fascinated to read what it was like to hit that winning home run or participate in that agonizing marathon. When picking up a memoir by Dorothy Hamill, who launched the careers of thousands of would-be skaters as well as creating a hairstyle craze, readers want to know what it was like to win the gold medal in figure skating in 1976, as well as all the hard work that led up to and followed it.
   
   Hamill candidly talks about the sacrifices her family made to enable her to skate at the highest level. She also details openly the ups and downs and the often icy relationship she shared with both parents, especially her mother, who wasn't in the arena in Innsbruck, Austria, that day in February 1976. Her mother remained back at the hotel, an absence that Dorothy never could understand but took as rejection. After the performance, when she told her mother she had won, Hamill was stunned when her mother responded with a laconic, "That's nice, Dorothy."
   
   We're accustomed to seeing an athlete's meteoric rise. But what happens after the competitions and medal ceremonies? Without their rigorous and regimented training schedules, how can these seasoned athletes acclimate to real life again? One of the most interesting aspects of this memoir is Hamill's assessment of just that: "I should have been on top of the world, but I was ill-equipped to handle these new pressures. All I knew how to do was to get up every morning at 4 a.m. to go to the rink and practice. My day had always been planned around structured activity toward a specific goal I cared about. Suddenly, that was gone, and my present life was so hectic and without meaning."
   
   Apart from her skating career, Hamill also talks about her two difficult marriages. The first was to actor/aviator Dean Paul Martin, son of singer Dean Martin, who would die in a plane crash a few years after their divorce. Her second marriage produced a child, her daughter Alex, but was fraught with deceit, placing her in dire financial straits that ultimately had her declaring bankruptcy. She also talks frankly about her lifelong struggle with depression (a family affliction) and, more recently, osteoarthritis --- the bane of every aging athlete's existence. The love of her child and the desire to make a better home for her enabled Hamill to weather the hard times. Apart from her young daughter, her one abiding love was skating. Whenever she felt down or out, she could always count on a little ice time to relieve whatever pain she was feeling.
   
   Despite all the ups and downs and the years that go by, Hamill still remains the little girl in the red skating dress, with that signature haircut that captured the world's attention and hearts. The book also serves as a good primer for the life of a young skater, the physical and emotional involvement, and what the family of an ambitious skater can expect. Both the athletic and the personal sides add up to a pleasing and enlightening read.
   
   --- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

5 comments about Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts.

1. I'm afraid I didn't get to the end of this tedious tale. It was so badly written that I lost interest very quickly. Repetitious, lacking credibility and sloppily structured, it also lacked credibility.
   
   It has got rave reviews and sounded promising. But having lived in post-communist Hungary, there is nothing romantic about bank robbers or any criminals.
   
   I was living half-way up a mountainside in rural Spain but even that didn't spur me on to finish.
   
   Good robbers don't necessarily make good writers and with his ill-gotten gains he would have been better to invest in a ghost writer.
   
   Sorry, it gets a thumbs down from me.



2. I have no idea how accurate the facts are, but this is brilliant storytelling. Think Douglas Adams in the post-Communist Eastern Bloc.



3. This is a well-written, well-researched book that captures a unique moment in history and a bizarre character who's also a product of his place and time. Rubinstein goes the extra mile to follow the thread of this true-crime story, and his engaging prose takes you with him.



4. Excellent book! Great true crime story that is action packed, and very funny...plus a little bit of history!
   Highly recommend this book!



5. Julian Rubinstein tells the true story of Attila Ambrus, the Transylvanian-born backup hockey goalie in Budapest who also lived the life of a pelt smuggler and daring bank robber between practices and games. It was a story the author first heard about in a short news piece in Sports Illustrated in 1999 and on writing the book he's able to set the story in hilarious style against the backdrop of the changing Hungary and Romania of the early 1990s. At one point Ambrus is described as "a sizable conundrum within a notable contradiction, the best unpaid hockey goalie in a filthy-rich slum town". The photo section in the middle, the appendices and interview with the author at the end, and the references throughout to world events the west would be familiar with serve to remind us that this is largely a work of non-fiction despite all the absurdity. A great read especially for those who have visited or have lived in this part of the world in these changing times from Socialism.

5 comments about Babe: The Legend Comes to Life.

1. This is a complete and thorough examination of the life and playing career of a baseball icon. The author has done a commendable job of separating the facts from the fanciful fictions that have grown up surrounding George Herman Ruth. While his home run record has been surpassed, I still think one can argue that Ruth was the greatest baseball player when one considers that in addition to his hitting abilities Ruth was an outstanding pitcher. He was shifted to the outfield when his managers determined that he could be of greater value as an everyday player rather than pitching every third or fourth day.



2. As author of the yet to be published "Babe Ruth: The Man Behind The Legend," I have read every book I can find on the subject of Babe Ruth. The more I read, the more I appreciate Creamer's exhaustive account of Ruth's playing career. This one is, by far, the best of all and I keep it with me at all times when I am in need of reference material. It is the most thorough and comprehensive. It is easy to see why this book has endured the test of time - an amazing 33 years in print. Thank you, Robert Creamer, for your truly wonderful contribution, and may you enjoy many more years in print! Sincerely, Rebecca Rau



3. Legends transcend time. The Stories get better, the adjectives get bolder, until they become passé. Ruth was the only athlete who was already at legend at age 21. There was no reason to exaggerate, and no words to describe his ferocious dominance. And the timing of his nuclear assault on history couldn't have been better planned. Fresh from the Black Sox crisis of 1919, America's greatest sport teetered on extinction. To this day, this baby faced Neanderthal had more athletic dominance over his peers than anyone in history...and more charisma than ten W.C. Fields. He changed the sport. Some say he changed the world.
   
   Home Runs were non-existent before him. Baseball runs were earned one base at a time; singles...sacrifice bunts...a sport of hard drinking pitchers, and gritty base stealers led by Cobb. After Ruth arrived, the physical dimensions had to be rearranged just to accommodate his abilities. Mammoth stadiums were built with double the capacity, replete with awe inspiring 450+ ft fences. All because of Ruth. But the parks were no match for him. He was the all-time home run champion at age 25, HR champ 13 times in 15 years, and in his 17 years as a hitter, he hit 235 home runs 450 ft. or further. By comparision, Bonds was HR champ just twice, and hit just 3, count em, 3 450ft HRs his first 15 seasons pre-roids.
   
   I've just read the new Ruth book out called The Big Bam, but afficionado's like me still choose Beamer's documentary as the voice of record. Unlike the rest, he best captures Ruth's massive power and abilities, childhood innocence, great sense of humor and rebelliousness, and rock star image. Ruth was the real deal. He was a true legend in his own time, and wore the badge humbly on his sleeve. He lit up every room he entered, and lit up every pitcher he faced. This book is a classic, like the man himself.



4. Some personalities are too big to be contained in a single book, especially one who exemplified bigness like Babe Ruth.
   
   Ruth was not much into analyzing the whys of his greatness. As retold in Robert Creamer's 1974 biography, when asked the secret of why he hit so many home runs, he replied: "Just swinging." Asked about "the psychology of the home run" by the same reporter, Babe responded: "Say, are you kidding me?"
   
   Creamer seems to feel the same way. He's not the prose version of Jack Webb exactly, but his "Babe" is heavy on facts and remarkably light on the sort of thing modern sports writers like to fill their weighty tomes up with, cultural impact and inner-self profiling. Creamer presents teasing glimpses of Babe's revelries, and some hints of who he really was beneath the legend (one close friend says "I don't think he really loved anybody"). But his focus is on Babe the baseball player, his statistical brilliance and his awesome, game-breaking power.
   
   He broke into the majors as a pitcher, developing into "the best lefthander in the game" before it became clear, in this blessed time before the advent of the designated hitter, that he could do more to win games with his bat than his arm. What followed transformed baseball from a slightly noisier and faster version of cricket into the National Pastime. Babe Ruth didn't invent the home run, but he might as well have deserved the copyright, hitting 54 homers in 1920, more than any other entire team produced except for his Yankees, red-haired stepchildren to the fabled New York Giants until Babe arrived and changed everything.
   
   Even though his career home-run record was in the process of being broken when "Babe" was published, Ruth was about so much more than that. Creamer gets at a lot of the on-field stuff, especially, like the fact he once led the American League in batting average and, as a pitcher, produced the longest stretch of earned-run-free innings for more than 40 years.
   
   The book does come across as dry at points, though, focusing on Ruth's more measurable accomplishments and ignoring the less tangible stuff. Creamer doesn't overwhelm you with a lot of flowing prose, which is a good thing, but he leaves a lot of things alone that seem fertile ground for exploration. Possibly because the last bio I read was Robert Caro's "Path To Power," it felt like Creamer was light on sourcing, but that's probably because his method of research was a lot less formal, chats at the bar with old-timers over the course of decades condensed into the iceberg we get here.
   
   What Creamer wrote, he got right, though, something I know as a fact. My grandfather covered the Yankees and was Babe's favorite ghostwriter, and my father, who saw Babe in the Yankee clubhouse, swore by Creamer as one of sportwriting's best for giving the honest, unvarnished truth. It's not a book for boys, as Creamer notes, but "Babe" will make you feel like one reading about this real-life giant who walked the earth.



5. That was written for boys & swallowed every legend whole. Robert Creamer has written quite a bit on baseball. This may be about the best biography of its time. You can't do much better than Tom Parker if you take the audio route. I've read or listened to other works by Mr. Creamer & they are consistently good. That said he has alway seemed a bit to attached to the numbers. Baseball is the most satistical of sports & I do enjoy them. Ever year there is a new on that can be applied however unofficially to players of other eras such as the Babe. One of the newest ones now in vogue is the quality start.
   Six inningss minimum with three earned runs or less is a quality start. Having said that sometimes the numbers overwhelm the story. Stats on the Babe's minor league years will be forgotten about 2 seonds after you hear them. Mr Creamer endeavors to be accurate & may knock down some of the legends, or reduce them to believable proportions. The belly-ache heard round the world & The Babe hitting three home-runs in his last game are examples of the hype at the time. Creamer gets real & lifts, in the end his biography to a more adult level. I think Mr. Creamer dwells a bit more on Babe's other appetites, as well, such as women. His various ailments, injuries & suspensions have surprisingly depressed records that could have been even greater than they eventually were. Babe's juvenile behavior in his early years & the number of people in the baseball world that he irritated by his sometimes arrogant attitude through-out his career thwarted him in the thing he wanted most: to be a big league manager. That is sad & we'd have a lot more to talk about since he lived for another 10 years after he left baseball. He died relatively young but he was & still is (despite his numbers being slowly
   eclipsed) the greatest. If you wanted a truthful biography this is is a pretty good one & its available in the audio version.

5 comments about The Yogi Book: "I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said".

1. Yogisms are a special kind of aphorism which usually involve a certain surface absurdity , and perhaps grammatical error- a cliche mispoken- but which add up somehow to something funny and wise at the same time.
   Hearing that the mayor of Dublin Robert Briscoe was Jewish , Yogi said, "Only in America".
   When Mantle and Maris hit back- to - back home runs in their famous duel to hit sixty homers, Yogi said "It's Deja- Vu again"
   I somehow thought it was Casey Stengel another aphorist of note, but this book says it's Yogi who said ," It ain't over till it's over".
   "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."
   "You should always go to other peoples' funerals , otherwise they won't go to yours."
   About Yogi himself it might be said " They broke the mold when they made him" Or with a word of apology to Leo the Lip " Nice guys are funny first."



2. It is a very short book, with classic Yogi Berra saying and descriptions of the events that surrounded these funny phrases being uttered.



3. This is a must have for Yogi Berra fans or just anybody who appreciates baseball in an older, more pure era. This book contains not only his most famous quotes, but many from his personal life at home as well. The book is short (30 minute read). It is definately well worth reading or at least scanning through.



4. This small book contains many of Yogi Berra's humorous, and sometimes thought-provoking, statements. I added over 30 to my quotes collection. He explains how many originated and that he did not say some of the sayings attributed to him (p. 9: I really didn't say everything I said). Quite a few of them have been quoted so often as to have become part of our culture:
   
   p. 30: It's dèja vu all over again!
   p. 95: You can learn a lot by watching.
   p. 118: The future ain't what it used to be.
   
   But some were new to me:
   
   p. 64: It gets late early out here.
   p. 73: Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours.
   p. 93: Never answer an anonymous letter.
   
   Finally, Yogi's family contributed some of their own:
   
   p. 125: Tim-I knew exactly where it was, I just couldn't find it.
   p. 125: Betsy-Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.
   p. 125: Mario-I've double checked it six times.



5. Yogi really DIDN'T say everything that's attributed to him. A whole cottage industry for sports writers has sprung up inventing way too clever stuff and putting it in Yogi's mouth.

   Unfortunately, it may be too late to correct the record. How can Yogi disown such gems as "It's deja vu all over again" when everybody WANTS to believe he said it?

   In the early 1980's I read an interview with Berra in which a journalist walked him through the fifty best known Berraisms, and Yogi disowned about half of them. Included in the spurious Berraisms was the world-renowned "It's deja vu all over again."

   Sorry to be a spoilsport, but let's have a little truth here. Does anyone seriously believe that during his playing days this guy, who had such a shaky command of basic English, had the French expession "deja vu" in his word stock to draw upon when needed?

5 comments about Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria.

1. If you want to know about the Andrea Dorea or have read about it before this is a must read.



2. After reading "Shadow Divers", I was drawn to read more about the people and about diving the Andrea Doria. "Deep Descent" is a well-written account of the people and dangers of deep wreck diving on the Andrea Doria by an author who has personally dived the wreck several times and interviewed all of the significant players. Once I started, it was hard to put this book down. It is a great read for diver and non-diver alike.
   
   The focus is on the personalities and the emotions driving those involved and how they were a factor in many of the deaths for this dangerous dive. It recounts interesting personalities of the dive boat captains and key Doria divers, their competition, and their concerns. It includes both sides of many issues whose schisms are clear in some of the other books. It is not a travelogue of the ship itself nor is it very technical -- neither detracts from the enjoyment of the book and allows it to retain its appeal for non-divers. He also talks about how advances in diving gases and equipment have made such deep dives safer and reachable for less experienced divers, yet divers continue to die for many of the same fundamental reasons -- driven to the limits of their abilities and beyond.
   
   If you want a book on the technical aspects of deep wreck diving, or accounts of the scenery of the wreck, this is not your book. Otherwise, you will find this a very enjoyable read.



3. There are many other books about real - and harrowing - experiences diving that are much better written. A true disappointment - don't bother.



4. Kevin McMurray produced an exciting and revealing account of the men and women who dive the Andrea Doria. Its a very good book for people just getting into the sport, because it deals with the pioneers.



5. This was a great book from two standpoints. As a reader, I appreciated how well-organized the book was. The chapters are not broken down chronologically but rather by weaving important ideas into a coherent story about the history of diving the Doria. McMurray knows exactly how to turn possibly hundreds of hours of interviews into a suspenseful adventure for the reader. As someone who has just started diving, it was a great way to cement some of the lessons taught by my instructors regarding panic under water, narcosis, and equipment malfunctions/hazards. This is also a great book if you want to read about some legendary divers in the 80s and 90s. McMurray paints a detailed and honest picture of the book's characters, allowing the reader to step into their shoes and understand their motivations. Thankfully, he didn't seem to baby the reader when it came to explaining the science behind the risks of diving. As a diver himself, he kept the explanations short and simple for those who are not already familiar with the concepts. The only drawback of the book is McMurray's sometimes sparse recountings. Parts of the book were very matter-of-fact as if it were taken out of a newspaper article when I wished he could provide more detail. However, these parts didn't detract from the overall good quality of the writing.
   
   All in all, a great read for anyone interested in the Andrea Doria, deep wreck diving, or a piece of diving history.

5 comments about Race Across Alaska: First Woman to Win the Iditarod Tells Her Story.

1. Libby Riddles brings you on the Iditarod trail with her. You will feel her cold, her fatigue and the fur of her dogs whom she loves above all. This is the ultimate armchair adventure. It's incredible top believe that people actually put themselves through this. A bonus feature of this book is the informaive sidebars. I recommend it with five stars.



2. I loved this book, from beginning to end. It was engaging, exciting, informative and just a great read. Adventure stories are my favorite and I love animals so it was a great combination. Hooray for Ms. Riddles for her victory and a well written book.



3. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Libby Riddles personally on a cruise with Princess Cruise Line. Her talk was so enlightening that I bought the book. This is a must read for every Iditarod fan or interested person. The grueling schedule and trails will hold your interest until the end of the book. You'll find out what Libby cared on her sled, how she prepared for each checkpoint and what all the mushers have to endure to come out on top of the pack. You'll easily learn to respect the mushers and the love/dedication they have for the Iditarod.



4. Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod, which is the Alaskan dog-sled race that covers over 1,000 miles.

   As I'm not very familiar with Alaska, I had never heard of Libby Riddles, or the Iditarod for that matter. However, my boss, who is from Alaska, brought me an autographed copy of the book as a souvenir from one of her trips home. I immediately started reading the book and was quickly engrossed in Libby's adventure.

   The book is written in journal style. I felt as if I were right there on the trail with Libby throughout her grueling race to the finish. Interspersed throughout the pages are interesting Iditarod facts that help the reader to better understand the life of a musher as well as the ins and outs of the race.

   Libby, as well as all the mushers, show an amazing amount of courage and strength. From start to finish, many mushers don't get to shower and exist on an hour or so of sleep every 15-24 hours! Imagine that kind of schedule, coupled with the intense physical endurance they're also experiencing. It was simply mind boggling, but very admirable.

   I found this a fascinating read; my only complaint is that I wish it were longer! I wanted the story to continue a little bit after Libby crossed the finish line in Nome!




5. After meeting Libby personally in Juneau May 2001, I had to read the book! She takes you "with her and her precious dogs" on this adventure with details about the event and how she feels,copes and thrives throughout the 1984 Iditarod.

   The best part? She won as a team (with her dogs) and as a person of strength with the knowledge that she would also be a role model from both women and men.

   I found the book inspiring!

5 comments about Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Man.

1. I am glad I bought this book. Not only did I learn some cool boxing history I also learned some ways to look at life. Watch out for the mob in this one. Harsh growings up for Atlas and his brother. I always knew Tyson was a jerk and he is lucky Atlas did not kill him.... so is Atlas.
   I would love to learn some boxing from this guy..he's the best!



2. I am a big boxing fan and have read a lot of boxing books but Teddy's book is the best I have yet to read. Every chapter is full of Teddy's experiances with boxers and life. He pulls no punches (no pun intended) in his story and I learned things about fighters I never realized. The biggest being the fact that Michael Moorer was a real head case. This book is a must read for any fans of boxing. Great job Teddy.
   
   Tony



3. I am only half way through this book and it is amazing thus far. Teddy Atlas is a testimate to true integrity. He has his flaws, as we all do. Yet it is Atlas's struggle to stay true to his values and beliefs that will inspire you to be a better person. It is also very entertaining, his stories will amaze, astound, inspire, and make you laugh. A must have for any boxing fan!!!



4. Candid, stunning, amazing. Those who listen to Teddy Atlas are forever wrapped up in his passion for life and boxing. More than a boxing book, this is the true story of how to become a man. Mr. Atlas' candor and straight talk leave little to the imagination. Others talk tough, Teddy Atlas is tough. He doesn't try to hide his own misdeeds, he presents them in the context of reality. Anyone who reads this books is instantly indebted to Mr. Atlas for his wisdom.



5. I like Teddy Atlas. I like to listen to him analyze a fight. I like that he held a gun to Mike Tyson's head and later walked away from him even though he knew that nutjob could make him millions. I like the whole idea of Teddy Atlas. I didn't like the book though.
   
   If I had to read one more story about Teddy beating the b'jesus out of a guy, or better yet, out of a group of guys, I think I would have lost my lunch right into the book. His hands must be sore to this day from all the beatdowns he administered. Take it easy there Francis. Where do you bury your dead? If you were that tough you wouldn't have brought the gun along when you went to see Tyson.
   
   He doesn't come across that way on television, so I was very surprised, but to me the tone of the book was such that as I was reading I was afraid he was gonna come through the pages and catch me with a right cross if my mind wandered.

4 comments about Klaus Balkenhol: The Man and His Training Methods.

1. This is really three to this book. The first is Mr. Balkenhol's biography, the second is his training methods, and the third concerns the duties of riders and coaches.
   
   In his biography, the author presents a fascinating story of Mr. Balkenhol's childhood, his riding career as a mounted policeman, to his rise to the top of the international scene and coach of the US dressage team. Throughout this part of the book, Mr. Balkenhol also talks about the different horses he has ridden and what they have taught him.
   
   In the second part of the book, Mr. Balkenhol also discusses his specific training methods for the upper-level movements of piaffe, passage, and one-tempi changes. In the third part of the book, Mr. Balkenhol discusses what makes a good riding coach. He offers advice on what a rider should get from a good coach.



2. The book is well written and an easy read, however, a lot of space is used to boost Klaus Balkenhol which should not be needed. He is already well known and respected. I think this can happen when the author is a friend to Balkenhol or too much of an admirer. I would have liked more of his training methods, more horse facts. The overall impression though is that the book has its place in the flood of horse books, and that Balkenhol's love for horses, and respect for them, comes through very well.
   Carina Gerken Christiansen



3. This book is a combination of Mr. Balkenhol's life story and his training methods. It's not a step 1, 2, 3 book. How his philosophy on training evolved over his lifetime with specific examples is fascinating. The book has a unique format, the top half of each page is his philosophy and examples and the bottom of each page is his life biography. I highly recommend this book for both the advanced and the beginning rider.



4. An excellent book that looks at the life of an interesting master. Includes some nice tips on training, but the highlights are the stories of his horses and how he dealt with different issues with them. Lovely pictures.

5 comments about The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series).

1. Kid Peligro nails it from an (almost) insider's perspective. As someone who started training with the Gracie family before there was even a UFC, I believe Kid is dead on with his take on the family and the martial art of Brazilian jujitsu. A lot of MMA fans today don't even realize there would be no UFC (or formerly Pride, or any other MMA organization) without the Gracies. Must read for Gracie and MMA fans.



2. I thought I knew somethings about the First Family of Mixed Martial Arts, But this book tells almost everything. Their truimphs,tragedies and hopes for the future. If your a fan, Than this book is worth reading.



3. I love the mystique surrounding the Gracie family martial arts. I was enthralled with Royce Gracie as a kid, and still revere him as a hero of sorts. So, I really enjoyed this book, mostly because it talks about something there is simply not much literature written about.
   
   That said, it is biased. It's okay to lose, and Kid P. should recognize this. All the greatest fighters in the world have lost, or certainly end up losing, eventually. Muhammed Ali lost his share of matches, but always fought to stay on top. He eventually didn't, but he revolutionized boxing and more because of his greatness.
   
   The Gracie's are the same way. Like it or not, the Gracie's changed everything, and made today's fighters what they are. They popularized vale-tudo fights, and taught the world (without reserve) their style. It constitutes half of MMA today. Without it, MMA would be Tank Abbot slugging it out with Ken Shamrock, or whatever.
   
   This celebrates the Gracie family in a non-academic approach. Get it, enjoy it.



4. Despite ranking the book 3 stars out of 5, I will go ahead and say that this book is a must have for anyone practicing brazilian jiujitsu. I have been into the sport for years, and I truly value my copy of this book. The pictures are beautiful, and I love how the chapters are broken down into each of the brothers/cousins. However, I believe the stories on each of the brothers seem a bit fabricated. They may be real, but the diction employed by the author seems to exaggerate and stretch the truth. Peligro is a great writer. With his skills, I believe he could have done a better job on this book.



5. I fully echo what J. Steele has said in an earlier review. The production on this book is fantastic. If you are a Gracie fan, you will be in heaven. For the layman, this is a really interesting read...if you heed the warnings. For the martial arts historian or fan, this book is severely lacking in the credibility department.

   Kid Peligro does indeed have unparalleled access to the Gracie family, and the quality of the family photos and interviews reflects this. The reporting of some of the more controversial events is where the problem lies. An outsider reading this book would not believe that Sakuraba had beaten half the Gracie family soundly in MMA. Gracie losses are mere footnotes, or passed off as no-contests. Similarly the report of Helio's historic loss to Kimura spends more in describing Helio beating Kato, then insinuating that Kimura was bigger, younger and stronger than Helio - well maybe Helio shouldn't have challenged him then. After Kimura breaks Helio's arm, there is the ridiculous suggestion that the whole thing was a ploy for Helio to glean knowledge from Kimura, and in some way this was a victory - Helio had "learned everything he could from Kimura."

   Sadly the text is riddled with such obvious and disappointing bias. Just a little less rhetoric would have made this book outstanding.