5 comments about Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer.

1. This is a classic look at one of the greatest football teams of all time, headed by one of the greatest coaches of all time: the incomparable Vince Lombardi.
   
   The book started out with a desire to keep a journal of a year in football from training camp through the end. Serendipitously, this particular year turned out to be the third straight (and unprecented) championship year for the Green Bay Packers -- and featured a spectacular end-of-the-game play by the author.
   
   I wouldn't call myself a rabid football fan (that would be my husband), but this was an excellent book for anyone with a passing interest in football.



2. I read this book twice: once when I was a kid shortly after it was initially released, and again several years ago. It was just as interesting a read the second time as it was the first. I recently bought a copy of this re-released version for a friend. I thumbed through it and noticed some additional photo's have been added since the release of the paperback edition that I own.
   Anyone who has an interest in football will want to read this book, despite the fact that it relates to events that took place 30 years ago. If you're my age, it will bring back memories of the glory days of the Packers (back when a water bucket was a tin pail with a ladle on the sidelines). If you aren't old enough to remember those days, the names in the book will most likely be familiar to you as great characters in football history.



3. I am not a Packers fan, yet I found this book fascinating. Jerry Kramer has opened up the mystique of America's favorite spectator sport to the public in "Instant Replay." And what a cast of characters! So many legendary figures of the game participated in this single season: Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, and Ray Nitschke, to name a few. After the fabled "ice bowl" league championship game against the Cowboys, the Super Bowl vs the Raiders was almost anticlimactic. Football fans of any age would truly enjoy this personal account of a remarkable team in their most memorable season.



4. Instant Replay is an essential book for every football fan. The tradition of the NFL and the inside story of the Green Bay Packers in the Vince Lombardi era come to life with a wonderful blend of humor and pro football detail in this great book.



5. There will never be another great team like the Packers of the 1960's for a number of reasons. The only way to relive this era is through the numerous books that rehash the Lombardi dynasty. This book has to be one of the cornerstones of reliving that era with its candid yet humble prose giving an inside view of the Packer locker room. Jerry Kramer, who resents the 'dumb jock' stereotype of football player, composed a well written memior of football in "Instant Replay".
   
   From the days after Superbowl I to Lombardi's retirement after Superbowl II, this book takes readers through the entire 1967 season. Lombardi is known for the grind players were made to endure in his training camps. Kramer tells what the players are feeling as speculation begins that this would be Lombardi's final season coaching in Green Bay. Being the number one target of the NFL after being champion for the last two years makes the regular season a grind. While the Packers did not play their best in the regular season, they turn their game up a notch in the playoffs. Often voted the greatest game in NFL history, Kramer devotes significant time to the Ice Bowl. This is significant because Kramer had a key role in the game and this book marks an early admission that he may have moved a little prematurely. After the Ice Bowl, the Superbowl almost seemed anticlimactic.
   
   Two years after the 1967 season, Vince Lombardi died of cancer and many of the pieces of the Packer dynasty were in retirement. This book is a great way to relive the magic of the Packer dynasty.

No comments about Dreamseller.

5 comments about The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire.

1. I read this book as soon as it came out, and things in the career of the Hardy Boyz has changed a lot since then. However, this book was fabulous. I loved learning more about them, their matches, their family and their career. I think it's a great book and any wrestling fan needs to read this. Even if you aren't a wrestling fan this book might turn you onto wrestling.



2. This book was great. The format made it seem as you were sitting in someones livingroom just talking to these guys. It gave you a totally different look at these two young men. In all the interviews I have seen it seemed like they always get along and agree with each other. It was refreshing to see that they both have varying opinions on many things. Just like most brothers. It was a very good read.



3. When i got this book i really loved the beggining when they meet everyone
   to when they made omega,their mom died when matt was 12 and jeff was 9 and their father had to take care of them.They first made their own wrestleing ring out of a trampoline.



4. This is another, in a long line of, insightful autobiographies of a revolutionary force in the recent resurgence of pro wrestling over the last 10 years. The Story of the young duo of Matt & Jeff Hardy is a compelling one. I recommend this to anyone who loves wrestling and any one loves watching these guys perform.



5. Ive been a huge fan of the Hardyz for a long time, and when I bought this book, I thought it would be about their lives outside the ring. I was wrong.
   
   The start of the book is great. But about halfway through, it just loses momentum. They go to far into detail on the matches, and it just gets very boring. Also, as I mentioned earlier, they have about 5 pages talking about their lives outside of the WWE.

1 comments about Tiger Woods: A Biography for Kids.

1. Tiger Woods first came to fame in 1997 when he won a spectacular victory at the Master Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He went on to be one of the most successful professional golfers the game has ever known and won the admiration of a whole new generation of young men and women for the game. Indeed, because of Tiger Woods, the game of golf has a degree of popularity within minority communities that it has never before held in its entire history. Libby Hughes' Tiger Woods is a splendidly written biography of their remarkable young man's career from when he hit his first golf ball at the age of 9 months, through his days as a junior champion in grad school and high school, on to his years at Stanford University (when Tiger turned pro in his second year of college) and down to the present with a representative sampling drawn from his spectacular pro tournament victories. Tiger Woods is a great biography for young readers and will serve to inspire children with one of the most genuinely praiseworthy young men in professional sports today!

4 comments about The Way of the Shark: Lessons on Golf, Business, and Life.

1. As a lifelong golfer and equally devoted reader of book about the game, I was somewhat curious about Norman's latest. After all, he's certainly out of the spotlight as a golfer so what's the purpose of this late-issue autobiography?
   
   Let's say this: if Greg Norman is your hero, if you worship the ground he walks on, then I suppose you will fine this effort...uh... awesome. For someone slightly more critical, I will say that the content is less-than-inspiring. During his years as the number one ranked golfer (and did that mean he was really the BEST, or simply one whose high finishes in run-of-the-mill events put him there) I was neutral toward Norman, and I still am. Sure, I thought he cut a dashing figure on the golf course, despite that rediculous hat, but there was always something a bit false about him. Perhaps, of course, that stems from his many failures in majors -- after all, if he was truly as bold and dynamic as he liked to portray himself, wouldn't he have won a great deal more?
   
   But I digress. The book is written in a most pedestrian style, perhaps designed to appeal to Australian teenagers who still have posters from the 1986 British Open still on their walls. Norman's version of his greatest defeat, at the hands of Nick Faldo in the 1996 Masters, tells us how he played beautifully for three days, but even before teeing off in the final round, he tells us that his "hands felt funny," telling caddie Tony Navarro, "It's going to be a long day." Well, it was a long day, as Norman blew a six shot lead to finish third. Hmmm... nerves never had a thing to do with the detonation?
   
   Greg Norman devotes a whole chapter to his befriending of young cancer victim Jamie Hutton at the Heritage and offers countless other examples of just what a splendid fellow he, Greg is. Still, if you're looking for any golf insight, it's just not here. The last two-thirds of the tome is Greg Norman tooting his own horn about his all-important "brand," his many business deals -- without his own money, of course -- and just what a little Donald Trump he's determined to be. All this is both tiresome and uninteresting. The constant crowing about his stellar character are, themselves a complete contradiction. Perhaps one of his "good friends" will one day mention the virtues of modesty. (And while it's none of my business, how does one dump his loyal wife of some 25 years to take up with Chris Evert?)
   
   I strongly suggest you pass.



2. 
   How unique, indeed refreshing it is to read a book by and about a professional athlete, unlike so many others past or current, who has achieved great success both in athletic competition and in the business world. In this volume that Greg Norman wrote with Donald T. Phillips, he shares the lessons he has learned thus far (he continues to compete on a limited basis) "in golf, business, and life." It is important to note that when writing a book as well as when preparing for a major tournament or conducting due diligence on a business opportunity, it makes sense to enlist the assistance of others who can provide the knowledge and experience needed to achieve success. I commend Norman on selecting Phillips -- who collaborated so well with Mike Krzyzewski on Leading with the Heart and also wrote Lincoln on Leadership and The Founding Fathers on Leadership - but there can be no doubt that the insights and, of equal importance, the "voice" in this book are Norman's.
   
   Others have their reasons for praising this book. Here are three of mine. First of all, Norman's candor. This was especially obvious when, in Chapter Twenty-Five, he discusses his final round at the 1996 Masters. I was in Virginia that Sunday on a business trip, playing a relaxed round of golf with a friend before a series of stressful meetings the following week. When we teed off, Norman had played the first several holes, well ahead of the field; after we completed the round, we were shocked to learn that he had not won the tournament. How could that be? Later, I saw a telecast of the news conference, one that many golfers would have avoided, responding to questions that many of them would have evaded. "I screwed up today. My thought pattern was good but my rhythm was off. My good shots weren't good enough and my bad shots were pitiful. And that's pretty much it. Just didn't have it today. I place all the blame on myself." Of course, he was grateful for the strong support he received from family members and friends as well as from Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Fred Couples, and countless other players. Norman may have failed to win the Masters that year but at the same time demonstrated qualities of character which continue to earn respect and admiration for him, both on and off the course.
   
   I was also fascinated by all that he shares about his various business activities. He is a ferocious but principled competitor. Over the years, he and his associates have build a multi-national corporation focused around golf and the golf lifestyle (e.g. clothing, real estate, sporting goods, wines, gold course design, restaurants, and event management). Norman is an active and involved chairman and CEO of Great White Enterprises which now generates hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. His approach to leadership and management in the business world seems exactly the same as when playing competitive golf: set ambitious goals, assemble the "best and brightest" people, rigorously prepare, keep ultimate objectives in mind while focusing on significant details, explore all appropriate opportunities, measure only what really matters, never confuse pride with arrogance, welcome constructive criticism, be resilient when circumstances require adjustment, and remain convinced of achieving success eventually, preferably ASAP. As Norman learned on the golf course, there are some pars that are as valuable as birdies, there are some hazards to be avoided even at the cost of a par, that there are sucker pin placements which require a "safe" shot, and that sometimes what seems to be a perfect putt simply won't go in the hole. In this book, Norman cites dozens of examples of comparable situations during his career as a corporate executive.
   
   Finally, I admire the humanity that Norman is willing to reveal so generously. For various reasons, many celebrity athletes are viewed as role models and even as icons. Over time, they become very protective of how they are perceived by the general public. (Joe DiMaggio is one example that comes immediately to mind.) In this instance, I am not referring to protection of privacy that I think is every person's right. Rather, I mean to suggest that it is rare that an athlete of Norman's stature and achievement is willing to discuss, even celebrate those in his life - over the years - whom he has most loved and most respected as well as those whose friendship he most appreciates. He recalls many fond moments, dark moments, lucky breaks, and other ingredients of his life and career thus far. Throughout the narrative, he gives full credit to those who have helped him but always assumes full responsibility for mistakes and failures of various kinds that he duly acknowledges.
   
   When concluding his book, Norman observes, "In golf, you can always shoot a lower score. In business, you can always make another buck. And in life, you can always become a better person. The next minute is the most important minute of your life. You are limited only by your imagination. Your dreams are the blueprint of reality."
   
   Really, this is not a "golf book" nor a "business book." Rather, it is a book about one man's pursuit of self-improvement and personal fulfillment while achieving success both in golf and in business. Greg Norman's journey continues, guided and informed by the lessons he has learned, lessons that can also be of substantial value to others who share his faith in what is possible and his determination to "go for it."



3. I LOVE Greg Norman and this book so far is AWESOME!!!! ANYTHING to do with him is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



4. Who is the greatest athlete Australia has ever produced? Arguably it is Greg Norman. He is certainly the most well known. He has won 91 golf tournaments around the world, including 20 PGA tournaments in the U.S. and 2 British Opens.
   
   Swimming and surfing were his original passions, but his mother's passion for golf captured young Norman as well, and after a stellar, but brief amateur career, he started as a golf professional trainee in 1975 for the magnificent sum of $38 per week--Australian!
   
   If Arnold Palmer pioneered the "go-for-broke" attitude in modern golf, then Greg Norman certainly picked up the mantle from him. That attitude on the golf course carried over into business, and even to the writing of this book. Norman is willing to share his perspectives on the good, the bad, and the ugly--when most would want to focus only on the good.
   
   You'll love his descriptions of his British Open victories (the good), his part in trying to start a World Tour which was quickly snuffed by the PGA Tour's response (the bad), and his meltdown on the final day of the Master's against Nick Faldo in 1996 when he lost a 6 shot lead and lost by 5 to finish third (the ugly). They are open and honest.
   
   Norman also does a wonderful job of describing the business side of golf. At this point only Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have done a better job of parlaying golf talent into business success. And Norman's success in helping build the Cobra Golf franchise, as well as his thriving gold course design business, clothing lines, etc., all make for fascinating reading.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Any golf aficionado will appreciate this book.

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 Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing.

1. Inspiring. Talks not only to the story of the great person Eddie was, but to what he means to Hawaii and the pride of their culture and roots.



2. Eddie Aikau is the personification of selflessness. You need to read this story to truly understand.



3. I recommend this book as a convenient source for information about Eddie Aikau for those who wish to know more about him or those who simply wish to know about people who have inspired others.
   The subtitle of the book is well chosen: this is a story, not a biography or history. It is obvious (at times frustratingly so) that Coleman relied heavily on hearsay for much of his information (cf. some other reviews), and he does not hesitate to simply make up things he could not possibly know about (e.g., what sundry characters, including Eddie Aikau, think at various junctures).
   Another shortcoming of the book is Coleman's poor writing. He is much given to hyperbole, and this detracts from the story. For example, several times he writes that surfing and water-related lifestyles generally are dangerous because the sea is "the most unpredictable thing in the world" (this being a paraphrase). Nearly simultaneously, he stresses that only the skilled dare or ought dare challenge the sea. Obviously, total (or even substantial) unpredictability precludes acquisition of any skill--there are no professional lottery players, for example--and such would make the process of learning about the sea, big waves, and what have you impossible. As Eddie Aikau obviously (on Mr. Coleman's own testimony and the testimony he collected) did possess such skill, the sea cannot be totally unpredictable. Coleman intends the reader to conclude only that the sea is not perfectly predictable; the reader would be better served if he had simply said so.
   That said, however, the shortcomings of the way this story is related do not detract from its attractiveness. The story of Eddie Aikau _is_ inspiring, even to this reader. By "even to this reader," I wish to relate that I do not surf, have little special interest in Hawai'i, and fully intend to go happily to my grave (happily at least in this respect) without ever having surfed or visited Hawai'i again. A strong point of the story is that Coleman does not gloss over unattractive aspects of Aikau's character: political ignorance (visiting South Africa during the worst times), reckless drinking, a tendency to violence, etc.
   Don't expect much of the book, and it won't disappoint; however, readers may well wish to do on their own more research than Mr. Coleman did.



4. Stuart Holmes Coleman did a wonderful job displaying the life of Eddie Aikau. The story entailed plenty of Hawaiian history and culture while telling Eddie's moving life story. The book also displays the difficulties of being Hawaiian and gives a good background of his loving family. Eddie was the first one to surf big waves, and I mean big (40-50ft.). He is a Hawaiian idol because he inspired many to surf, and there is a big wave contest every year in memory of Eddie. Eddie was on the yearly trip to re-enact how the Philippians founded the Hawaiian island when a storm broke loose and the boat was stranded at sea. Eddie convinced the captain to let him take the surf board and swim to shore to get help (that's where "Eddie would go" comes from). He left the ship with intent to save everyone but was never seen again, but the crew was later rescued by a ship passing by. I loved the book; I think that it is inspiring to live life to the fullest as Eddie did. After reading a story like this, my own life seems boring; I wish that I was as brave and bold as Eddie. This book can let you draw your own conclusions and learn your own life lessons, and the story is so great that is it worthy of rereading and retelling. I highly recommend the book to surfers, or anyone else that wants to read a good life story. Eddie Would Go is a great book for any kind of reader, and good for anyone over the age of eight. If you are contemplating reading this book, go and buy it, it is well worth it.



5. I have spoken to Mr.Coleman and he admitted to me, Butch's sister, that he did not verify his scorce(s) when he wrote Butch VanArtsdalen was the son of alcholic parents. This is a slanderous lie, and if our parents were still alive I would sue Mr. Coleman for it. If Scott would do this to the VanArtsdalen family,I can only wonder how much of the book is actually true.
   Also, I do not see why he chose to attack Butch, since the book is about Eddie Aikau!
   Shame on you Scott & Stick to your subject!
   
   Sincerely & Always Butch's Sis

5 comments about Best Damn Garage in Town: My Life & Adventures.

1. Smokey was an amazing personality and I did know very little about him before reading the book. It is written in such a way as if Smokey told you all of it in one go in a pub behind a glass of beer - in fact in many places he anticipates readers questions and answers them or tells weather you have guessed right or wrong. Often he repeats himself, then when telling a story something reminds him of another adventure which leads to another interesting fact, but finally everything comes back together. His grammar is not perfect and the language he uses, specially the detailed descriptions about his adventures with different women - well, you would not want to read it to your daughter or mother!
   But all the above is also reflecting what Smokey was as a person.
   Many times he looks back to what he has done in his life, points out mistakes he has made, dedicates many pages to other racing legends he has met, worked together with, some became his friends and some his enemies.
   All in all this is very interesting book. Smokeys's own story what happened to him before racing, during racing years and after that until his last months before cancer took him away.



2. I consider Smokey to be one of the greatest things ever for automotive innovation. This book is somewhat hard to read. It almost seems like he dictated it to somebody and told them "Don't edit a thing!!" If you get your self into the right frame of mind while reading, you'll have a lot of fun reading. I thought I wouldn't be too interested in his WWII years, but it was one of the most interesting parts. He did some really cool stuff during the earl years of NASCAR, but he doesn't really get into too much detail until you get to the technical chapters. When he does get into the technical stuff, he warns readers that it's gonna get technical and if you don't like that sort of thing, skip ahead. He also has no problems talking about his failures, and thats nice to see.
   
   He is very repetitive. I guess the book was written over several years, and he must of forgotten he'd already told a story here or there. If you're a sensitive person, you might want to pass on this book. Lots of sex stories
   
   It blows me away that a 10th grade dropout was able to become a B17 aviator and one of the greatest automotive engineers ever. I personally think this book is good enough to be made into a movie. If you're a racing fan, you must read this book! I'm buying the hard bound version next for my library.



3. Anyone who knows NASCAR should know who Smokey Yunick was. I thought I did till I read this book. Sure, he could build a bullet fast race car, sometimes stretch the rulebook alittle. I knew that. But I never knew what this guy had really done in his life. What a great story. The guy lived a life that would make just about any guy awful jealous. He lived by his own rulebook, and backed down to no one. Need someone to look up to? Need a hero? Read this book. You may hate him. But if you don't, you'll love him!!



4. Best Damn Garage is one of the better books I've read on a racing personalty. I have a couple dozen books on NASCAR and the people who raced from the 40's till the present. This book and Fireball by Godwin Kelly are must reads for the diehard fan.



5. The book starts with Smokey's rough childhood in rural PA and then a very graphic view of WWII as a bomber pilot in Europe and how he ends up with the Flying Tigers working for Chiang Kai-Shek(pretty wild life!).
   Next Smokey gives an insiders look at the history of early NASCAR and his relationship with Detroit automakers. Nothing is sugar coated and I'm sure offended a few people. Also many details about automotive engineering, rules bending and his experience with INDY cars.
   If you're a car guy this book belongs on your shelf.

4 comments about Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World's Smartest Horse.

1. Jim Key, the horse who did marvelous stunts like talking, counting, and keeping his owner in money, was a part of daily life in times of the depression when performers, human and otherwise, traveled the countryside from one end of the U. S. to the other to sell products or services to the populace. Jim was owned by a black man in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and was the first talking horse recorded up to that time. He was not a mule. He did not keep people who saw or observed him in stitches, amazement, or wondering how he did the tricks. It was typical carnival fare, and Jim was just a mere horse.
   
   Why he was described as beautiful, I was unable to determine. I've seen many more beautiful with coloring and eyes even in our continuous parades. I take photos of them and so I know of which I speak. Jim was not beautiful, nor unusual. His owner used him to get money from poor people who were brainwashed into thinking he was an unusual animal. His dead body was buried in the countryside outside Shelbyville, home of the Tennessee Walking Horse. If they could not talk and count, they sure could walk funny. Jim was ordinary, but Mark Mayfield (not real last name) was gullible to think this was a special horse. Where'd he grow up, not in Kentucky the home of racing horses.



2. This book is in my Top Five to recommend. It was such a great read that I tried not to finish it too fast because I did not want the story to end. It is filled with great background information covering the various World's Fairs to Slavery to the Civil War. It is not just a book about an incredible horse, but of his teacher as well as the mindset of our race and the history being made during that time period. Jim and Bill Keys connection to animal rights were equally facinating. To me this book is in the vein of "The Professor and the Madman" offering an excellent story with welcomed historical information.



3. I hate it when an author takes a perfectly good [true] story and ruins it with a lousy writing style filled with too much preaching and garbage that detracts from the story.
   
   The parts about the horse himself and his intelligent abilities were great.
   
   The rest of the book is not worth reading. I just skimmed over those parts.
   
   It was an easy book to put down except when I was reading about the horse himself.
   
   This story would be great had a different author done the writing.
   
   This author, however, was a terrible choice for such a magnificent story.



4. This is one of the most amazing and entertaining true stories I've ever read. I couldn't put this book down. It is really two stories in one - the man's adventurous life and the horse's almost unbelievable intelligence.

5 comments about Rough Ride: Behind the Wheel With a Pro Cyclist.

1. What's it like to be a wonderfully talented amateur bicycle racer who gets thrown into the meat-grinder of professional cycling? Kimmage answers the question in honest yet depressing detail.
   
   An example: This book explains that the fatigued riders who did not place in the final stage of the Tour wouldn't be tested for dope, so they were free to take amphetamines. Reading "Rough Ride" is a lot like driving by a car crash. You really want to avert your eyes but can't. Kimmage's story of life as a cycling domestique is fascinating.
   
   Kimmage makes it very clear that he is only telling his own personal story and not accusing any other rider in particular. But the practices he exposes clearly indict the entire profession. His revelations of the culture of doping within the peloton brought him withering criticism. He wasn't the first to get in trouble for revealing cycling's nasty underside. Bernard Thévenet almost died of liver failure from overuse of corticoids. When he confessed that doping was the cause of his health problems and that doping was a common practice within the peloton, the 2-time Tour winner suffered terrible opprobrium from the press, his sponsor and his fellow racers.
   
   I believe Kimmage's book is the first (at least in English) to detail at length what life as a professional truly entailed. Since then former professional Erwann Menthéour has also written a memoir about doping in cycling which, to the best of my knowledge, has not been translated. Both he and Kimmage explained that the term for revealing cyclists' doping to the public is called "spitting in the soup". Menthéour's (who was caught using EPO) reply was "People are saying I am spitting in the soup, but it is necessary when it is poison." In the last year the wall of silence regarding doping has come tumbling down and several famous racers have confessed their misdeeds.
   
   Yet Kimmage's book is the seminal tome and writing it was an act of courage.
   
   The book is more than about doping. It details Kimmage's own failure to properly train and prepare for some seasons. He also describes the gut-busting exhaustion that the lesser riders suffer as they work at their limits for their more talented team leaders.
   
   "Rough Ride" is a well-written book about racing in the 1980s but its lessons apply to the present. It is important reading for any cycling fan with an interest in what it takes to produce the spectacle we so enjoy watching.



2. A very interesting though at times a little dark and depressing look at professional cycling. If you have even daydreamed about being a pro this eye opening book may make you change your mind. The pressure to use drugs in cycling like many other sports is tremendous. I am content now to just put on a pro jersey and pretend.



3. This book tells you a number of things that I've never seen in another book. It tells you what it's like to be a pro bike racer who's NOT a star. It tells you what it feels like having taken amphetamines and then racing. It tells you how most of the pro racers make their real living. Kimmage is a pretty good writer, and the story is compelling, if perhaps not riveting. But if you're interested in pro bike racing, you should read this one.



4. If you enjoy the sport of cycling this is a brief look into it. I enjoyed the sections about the not-so-classic races that decent pros need to ride to earn a living; too often we only hear about the Tour or the Giro. If you are expecting great, edge of your seat writing, it won't be found here, you'd be better off with "The Rider" for that.



5. Kimmage rode with some of the greats of cycling, but was only in the cold shadow of greatness in terms of ability. He details in the book the means taken by some cyclists to climb out of the shadows into the sunshine by taking drugs. His book was brave at the time, he was accused of 'spitting in the soup' and lost the friendship of many of his cycling peers for his writing about the drug taking. He was called a liar. But time has revealed through the 'festina affair' who were the liars. A good read, but leaves one feeling a little sad to think that sport in general, not just cycling, can be so diseased.