No comments about Heavenly Twins Of Boston Baseball: A Dual Biography of Hugh Duffy and Tommy Mccarthy.

5 comments about You Go Girl! Winning the Woman's Way.

1. I just got my copy of You Go Girl in the mail. I am Mom who traveles in her van all over town to attend her kids sports activities, and this book has been with me all week. I liked the way Charlie and Kim told the personal stories along with professional truimphs. I think woman of all ages would enjoy reading this book. It has truly been a hit in our household.



2. The book "You Go Girl" is a must have for female athletes of all ages. As you read through each chapter, the steps and obstacles of becoming a successful athlete are presented in the stories of women in the world of sports. The greatest part is you can pick up the book and begin reading any story! I am a teenager playing 3 sports in high school and can easily apply the lessons these women present into my daily routine. I have recommended this book to my friends and cannot wait to show my coaches!



3. These amazing women athletes all made the decision to set a goal, to have the right attitude, to have faith and determination, and to make sacrifices in order to reach their dreams/goals in life. This book is very uplifting and inspirational - full of wisdom, optimism, gratitude and joy. It is truly a gift that makes you feel so good after reading just a few pages. I had the opportunity to share some of the stories with my male friends and they enjoyed it as much as I did. My five star recommendation goes out to both Kim and Charlie. Thanks for being able to share all these inspirational stories with us!



4. A must reading for females and males a like. I bought it for my 2 girls, ages 10 and 7 and started to read it before them. It is not just about sports but rather how we all should approach things in our life and situations that arise... I am making sure my 2 boys and wife also read it and I am recommendeing it to my students



5. I flipped through this book at a local book store and was impressed with the life lessons Doren and Jones have presented in a wonderfully readable fashion. I gave "What makes winners win?" to my grandson, I'll give my grandaughter "You go girl" and hope they both read it!

No comments about Away from the Ball: The NFL's Off-the-Field Heroes.

2 comments about A Reason to Believe: The Blaise Winter Story.

1. Blaise tells a very inspirational story about his life and all the challenges that he was able to overcome to follow his dream. Blaise used football as a way to communicate when he was unable to talk plainly. He tells how he never gave-up and continued to believe in himself when no-one else would. Blaise had a vary successful football career and is now a successful speaker. I would highly recommend this book.



2. This book is a great illustration of where heart and determination will get you in life. Blaise Winter, from day one, had to overcome many problems. From his cleft palate to his stubborn high school principle and coach, Blaise battled against all who didn't believe and reached his life-long dream....playing in the NFL. If you are feeling down on yourself or have little confidence, read this book and allow Blaise Winter to inspire you.

5 comments about Boots on the Ground by Dusk: The Life and Death of Pat Tillman.

1. Mary Tillman and her coauthor did their homework in writing this story of her son and the aftermath of his combat death in Afghanistan. She was as objective as anyone could expect a mother to be, and she deserves credit for the overwhelming amount of time and research devoted to finding answers. I listened to the audio book version from my perspective as a biographer and retired senior officer with 32 years in the U.S. Navy. The book impressed me on both counts.
   
   The complex writing structure especially impressed me. The authors picked an excellent staring point--when the Tillmans learned Pat's death had been a fratricide. The book then goes forward on parallel tracks, alternating present tense to move the story forward and past tense to fill in the background. I enjoyed the layered flashbacks and the challenge of piecing together the story as I listened. The anecdotes are out of order but not confusing. For example, we read about Mary's brother learning of Pat's death and going to her house before we read about her being notified of the death. Pat's selection as a pro-ball player is the final segment to complete the story of his life. I liked this arrangement because it emphasized his military career over his football career.
   
   The audio version is read by the author, which adds intimacy to the telling of the story, but her sweet, soft, slow voice quickly became boring. Because she never changed her tone, it was hard to tell when "I" referred to her or to a transcript she was reading.
   
   My only complaint about the book was the excess of meaningless dialogue and details, such as listing all the names in every scene. Instead of saying "the boys and their father," for example, she would say, "Kevin, Pat, Richard, and Patrick." We heard every "Hello, how are you?--I'm fine," and we went through step-by-stop processes such as getting up in the morning and making coffee.
   
   Although I don't for a minute believe Pat Tillman's death was a planned conspiracy, I have no difficulty in believing a cover-up was orchestrated for public relations purposes after his death. That's a sorry way to treat a family and the American public. I read through the reviews on Amazon.com to see if anyone disagreed with Mary's research or complained about her leaving out vital information. No one did. I hope she someday gets the answers she seeks.



2. the passages from the memorial services are alone worth the read, Pat Tillman was someone I had an enormous amount of respect for and his brother, Kevin and mother, carry his memory with respect and appropriate outrage.



3. This book turned out to be something of a puzzlement to me. According to its title, it is intended as a "Tribute to Pat Tillman," and the early chapters certainly bear that title out. They document a mother's trials and tribulations as she confronts an entrenched military organization in her attempt to learn the truth about when, where, how, and why her son died in Afghanistan. But there are also frequent flashbacks to Pat's earlier days. In those chapters, Pat Tillman can be seen in his true essence as the son that every mother would dearly love to have. It is clear that Pat Tillman was an exceptionally fine young man who dearly loved his life, his mother, his family, and his country; and that Pat's mother dearly loved her son.
   
   The latter half of the book, however, seems to deviate from this theme. Rather than continuing the "tribute" to Pat, amplified by such memories, it appears to document the author's frustration and anger as she struggles to determine who tried to cover-up the facts concerning his death, and at what levels of the military and/or the government it was authorized. I can't help but admire her for her efforts, but, to me at least, how and why her son died and who attempted to cover-up the facts and why are two different things. It is very easy to hypothesize any number of possible scenarios for either case, but as Mary Tillman and her family learned through this long and arduous process; chances are the truth will never be known; especially where it concerns those who instigated the cover-up and why they did it. I, for one, would very much like to know, but I don't consider that a tribute.
   
   The facts concerning the events surrounding Pat Tillman's death, however, appear to be quite clear if one is willing to accept the on-sight investigation and the interviews performed by Captain Scott within twenty-four hours of the event. But, for some inexplicable reason, the Army seems unwilling to give them any credence. To me it is obvious that Pat Tillman's death was a tragic mistake set in motion by poor decisions and inexcusable negligence, but also contingent on a remarkable sequence of events, a change in any one of which might have altered the outcome. What if the humvee hadn't broken down? Or, the platoon hadn't been split? Or, the jinga truck had been able to negotiate the road to Tit? Or, if Serial-1 hadn't missed the turn-off to Manah and, therefore, was long gone? Or, if the firing vehicle's view hadn't been obstructed causing them to cease fire just as Tillman tossed his smoke grenade? Or, if Tillman had waited just a little bit longer to ensure that firing had ceased before stepping into the open?
   
   I have often wondered why people write biographies of twenty-something actors and entertainers. What have they really accomplished? What does it matter? And, why should anyone care? Granted: Pat Tillman was a twenty-something when he died, but he is also an American hero and his life is over -- and it does matter. So I'm glad this book was written. It is unfortunate, however, that all the facts concerning his death will likely never be known.



4. This book was so good that I read it in just 2 days. It was so good that I was unable to put it down. I would recommend this book to everyone I know.



5. Mary Tillman has skillfully written a complex account of military and political blunder and deceit into which she expertly intermingles her own story and that of her family. The resulting narrative is personal, political and readable - all at the same time.
   
   Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan over 500 American soldiers have died. Since George W. Bush invaded Iraq, in March of 2003, over 4100 have been killed and almost 4000 of those have died since the president's infamous declaration of "Mission Accomplished." Tillman's "Boots on the Ground By Dusk" is the beautifully written, but gut-wrenching story of one of those soldiers.
   
   By this time, I suppose, there can be few Americans who do not understand the general outline of the Bush Administration's complex push for war in Iraq. That campaign, as it has been uncovered elsewhere, involved the deliberate use of distortion and misinformation ranging from unambiguous lies suggesting a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, to tales of the non-existent WMDs, to neocon assertions of an American democratizing mission in the middle east.
   
   The larger-scale story of the Iraq war involves, among other things, the international repercussions of President Bush's attempt to assert American global hegemony in the 21st century. In stark contrast, this very personal book, written by the mother of pro-footballer-turned-soldier, Pat Tillman, is connected to that war at only the most basic level; that of the individual soldier. Nevertheless, as the book unfolds, it reveals a web of deception that matches the distortions at the international level. It is as if everyone connected to this administration's war effort is simply unable to tell the truth. It is as if dishonesty and manipulation have become part of their DNA.
   
   The book begins with Mrs. Tillman's account of staring into a fire pit. She is sitting in front of her home, the home in which she raised her children, smoking, listening to the crackling logs, and thinking, "I light my cigarette wondering what I would do if I couldn't smoke, if I couldn't blow out my anger, frustration, and sense of crippling loss into the night." It is a stunning description of the isolation and helplessness that accompanies unbearable loss, but the book that follows is, in one sense, an answer to her question. When blowing out anger and loss "into the night" was no longer enough she would ask questions, investigate contradictions, and write.
   
   In the earliest pages the reader is introduced to the extended Tillman family and how they become the people they are. They share ideas and debate issues. The attacks of 9/11 hit them hard and, in response, the two oldest sons, Pat and Kevin, decide to join the Army. It is not a popular decision. The youngest brother, Richard, reacts with anger, others are worried, and still others confused. Kevin is just about to leave a life in minor league baseball, but Pat will have to give up a promising career in pro football with the Arizona Cardinals. Pat and Kevin Tillman both become Army Rangers. On April 22, 2004 Pat is killed in Afghanistan.
   
   Initially the family is presented a version of Pat's death that has him leading a charge up a hill. That story is soon contradicted by news (first heard from a reporter!) that Pat may have been killed by "friendly fire." The army then constructs an official version of death by fratricide, but as the reports come in they are full of contradiction and ambiguity. The family, led by the author, demands answers. After intensive investigation and vigorous questioning the official version of death by "friendly fire" is altered. As more reports are written and, as the family investigates each the story, the official version is altered again and again. Tillman convincingly demonstrates that none of the distortions are accidental. Even the narrative that accompanies Pat Tillman's posthumous silver star is shown to be deliberately false. Despite the fact that the story involves detailed descriptions of volumes of official reports and two congressional hearings the book reads like a good mystery with the reader anticipating the next twist, the next revelation.
   
   Appropriately, it all begins with a quote from Charles A. Beard: "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." In Mary Tillman's examination of this very dark incident in her life and, by extension, her examination of this very dark stain on contemporary American leadership, she manages to reveal some real stars. A mother who does not give up. Family members able to support each other in horribly difficult times. And Pat Tillman, a man of honesty and honor, who deserved better treatment from his government. "Boots on the Ground By Dusk" is an important contribution to our understanding of what has become of us in an era of politics by propaganda, but it is also a wonderful story of a family dedicated to finding the truth no matter what.

4 comments about The Great Black Jockeys.

1. Any person who is a serious study of sports history will find this a most compelling dialogue on the "true" evolution of the American professional athlete. It is simply the most "untold" and most compelling story in the American experience. Today's athletes - of whatever color - should read this book to get a true appreciation for the foundations of the "professional" athlete in America and the depth of character exhibited by these great athletes under the most dire conditions.



2. I read this book because it combined Black History and horse racing. Two of my favorite subjects. The book is well organized, full of information.

   The author seamlessly intertwines American History, African American History, and the history of horse racing in America. So the book keeps your interest. He also balances historical facts, with the colorful characters\stories surrounding horseracing, while elevating Black jockies to their noble place in the "sport of kings".

   This book is worth the price. A great read!!




3. This book explores a negleted aspect of the African-American experience in the United States. I had always assumed the African-American heros of sport were a twentieth century phenomenon. It was an eye opener to learn that there successful African-American jockeys and trainers as early as colonial time.

   I would recommend this well written book to anyone with an interest in American history




4. Mr. Hotaling's latest horse-racing book is a must read for anyone who considers himself a true afficianado of the sport. It tells a story which far too many people, even serious horse players, know little about. Horse racing is unique among sports in America because it is has virtually no black presence. There are few black owners, trainers, and breeders, and very few of the most visible players in racing, the jockeys. This was not always the case. In fact, black jockeys once dominated America's oldest sport. The first winner of the Kentucky Derby was black, as was the Derby's first repeat winner and its first three-time winner. The jockey with the highest winning percentage in history was black. Hotaling gives the history of these pioneers, and in doing so gives a history of the sport. He also deals with the glaring question: why have black jockeys largely dissappeared from the sport? It is well-written and insightful, a book invaluable to those who value the history of horse racing.

2 comments about Clemente: La pasión y el carisma del último héroe del béisbol (The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero).

1. I gave this to my hubby for fathers day. He is an avid Clemente fan. He's not much of a reader, but this was one he could not put down!



2. Esta excelente biografia de Roberto Clemente nos adentra a la vida de un idolo que, a pesar del tiempo, sigue siendo un ejemplo para todos. En ocasiones se tiende a olvidar sus vivencias, pero David Maraniss nos ilustra con lujo de detalles muchos detalles desconocidos de esta leyenda. Este libro incluye fotos, datos estadisticos y es un excelente recurso para aquellos que deseen conocer mas de este heroe que trascendio el beisbol, y las fronteras sin dejar su humildad, y amor hacia el projimo. Hacen falta más personas como Roberto Clemente. Excelente libro.

5 comments about Only With Passion: Figure Skating's Most Winning Champion on Competition and Life.

1. I read over this book in the waiting room of my Dentist's office. All in all I think this book is a good guide for parents of aspiring skaters. On a personal note one has to really ask if it is worth sacrificing a childhood for a medal?. These skaters have to train relentlessly for years.In the process they miss out so much of childhood which when lost can never be replaced. I have no children of my own but given what I saw during the whole Lillehammer Nancy Kerrigan / Tonya Harding scandal someone needs to watch over these young athletes so they do not lose contact with reality. I wish Ms. Witt had the courage to write more about her life in the former East German sports machine as it is especially relevant today when we read about athletes and doping scandals. I think Ms Witt like so many of the former Communist Bloc athletes were products of a system that treated them like racehorses to be bred and trained. Many had health problems in later life due to the strange performance enhancing drugs given them. Ms. Witt was hosting a TV show in Germany called "The OSTALGIE Show ". Ostalgie is term used by Germans as nostalgia for the good aspects of life under the old regime. I wonder if Ms. Witt has read "Faust's Gold: Inside the East German Doping Machine". The problem with nostalgia is no matter what the past is always better because one can be sentimental about the good and forget the evil.



2. I am not a skater but I am a great fan of Katarina Witt since my childhood..I have grown up with watching her skating programmes and when I was a little girl I was wearing my rollerblades at home and I was Katarina Witt:)collecting all the flowers -that my mum,grandfather,and other family members that I made them throw me flowers:))-but due to the lack of skating arenas I have never been able to start to skate seriously although I was very talented and willing but I always admired Katarina Witt.This book is really good for me to observe the mentality of the East German approach for sport and emposing being ambitious and tough to their sporters.I have read some comments regarding this book before ,some people say this book will not be a good example for young skaters in mean of nutrition but I want to say that in these years we were not as conscious as today regarding nutrition.Remember we were still watching the Cigarette Advertisements on TV.So the nutrition mentality has changed a lot in all over the world and Katarina just told her working conditions frankly .She did not give this as an example to be copied of..Besides today's teenagers and their trainers are so conscious that they will only take the parts that will be helpful to them from this book they are aware of what's good or what's bad..
   On this book I reccomend to the readers that when you read for example Olympics part from the book ,it will be more fun to read the Olympic parts and after to watch Katarina's that show on youtube ..
   Thanks a lot to AMAZON for providing this book !!
   NIL



3. Throughout the 1980s and early '90s, East German Katarina Witt dominated the world of ladies' skating. In her autobiography, Witt describes what skating has meant to her, as she details a coming-of-age story being "told" to a young up-and-coming skater, Jasmine.
   
   The book is a fast read, and while it is mildly interesting, it is also very repetitive. Katarina skates past her childhood in the GDR, briefly mentioning her parents, and glosses over the competitions she has had in her life as well. There is virtually nothing about her Olympic bids in Sarajevo, Calgary, and Lillehammer, and little is mentioned of her famous rivalry with American Debi Thomas. Instead, the book focuses on advice Witt has for young skaters - namely, stay true to your dreams and don't give up.
   
   When compared with what is perhaps skating's most famous memoir, "My Sergei" by Katia Gordeeva, this book falls far short. There is virtually no emotion, and the character Katarina is supposedly telling the story to may or may not exist (it's not made clear whether she is real or not). Little insight is offered into the world of skating, either at the amateur level or professional (Katarina doesn't talk about her years on Stars on Ice at all).
   
   Overall, this book is decent, but by no means great. It is emotionless, and mildly intriguing, if more for its outrageous title than anything else. Looking for a great skating book? Try "My Sergei" instead.



4. I wonder why Katarina stirs clear about her real life and her close involvement with the Stasi, and how it ruined and destroyed people's lives, it would at least have made a more interesting read than this dull book.
   
   Ho hum, it has been said that Ms. Witt was never a very naturally gifted figure skater, that even her wonderfully choreographed programs were never easy for her to do.
   
   It's also rather odd that for such an unrepentant and strident communist to take advantage of all the opportunities western life has given her, but she doesn't seem in the least bit grateful. Everything is about her, her, her. Definitely NOT a good role model for young girls or women.



5. Tear your eyes away from the winter spectacle of the Turin Olympics and treat yourself to multiply talented skating superstar Katarine Witt's most intimate memories. She tells them all to a young girl whose name she kindly changes to "Jasmine," a young girl who comes to her in need of advice. Witt sees Jasmine as a version, perhaps, of her younger self, the self that grew up behind the Iron Curtain, indeed behind the Berlin Wall only to become a pawn of the feared Stasi. As Jasmine spends a week luxuriating in the presence of the adored Katarina, she asks her mentor a series of penetrating, even probing questions and these questions, together with the Delphic replies Katarina makes in response, form the backbone of this wise, witty and winning little book. Some may say, it feels like only about 30,000 words, far too short for a book costing $23.50, but i say, it was just the right length.
   
   Jasmine asks about dating, and of course Katarina, as one of the most beautiful women in competitive sports, or indeed on Planet Earth, has plenty to say about it. Did you know the she once dated East German rock singer Ingo? In fact he was her first serious boyfriend; they met at a "youth festival" and fell madly in love. Those European "youth festivals" sound like fun. If I'm correct, that is where ABBA met each other a bit further north! Anyhow the government soon separated the young lovers. Jasmine then asks Katarina if it is true she once dated "McGyver"! Yes, she uses the name McGyver, almost as if she could not remember the actor's name who played him! (Richard Dean Anderson.) Instead of getting huffy, Katarina smiles sadly and reflects on how neither she nor Anderson were willing to move to the other's continent and that killed the romance, which however was quite "intense." What's little known is that McGyver himself (RDA as his fans call him) isn't a bad skater himself! In love, Witt advises,"if you want to become really serious, to have the relationship work, then somebody has to play second violin." Doesn't she sound charming and old world, where we in California might say, "second fiddle"?
   
   Katarina also discusses her famous nude appearance in PLAYBOY. And she puts it in context, the context of the way that in Europe, particularly her country, nudity is natural. Until she was sixteen she walked around topless everywhere. Reading her life this way, you realize that an appearance in PLAYBOY was just like breathing in and breathing out for Katarina Witt. Ahe is magnificent, the Princess Caroline of Monaco of the ice world. Long may she reign, in the USA at any rate, for she admits that in the US audiences are warm and love an old skater, whereas in Europe the attitude is much more, you're old, get off the ice. In America, she says, she was shocked to see Dorothy Hamill still feted and hailed and worshipped by audiences even in her late forties! Wouldn't happen in East Germany, Hamill would be relegated to cooking strudel for the younger players.

4 comments about All Things Are Possible: The Verlen Kruger Story: 100,000 Miles by Paddle.

1. I found out about this book through an online review by Maine sea canoe adventurer Reinhard Zollitsch.
   (R. Zollitsch has a website). Very good human interest story whether paddling is your thing or not.



2. This book is readable and the pictures are terrific.
   Peterson did a great job telling the Verlen Kruger story.
   I recommend the book as both readable and beautiful!



3. If you are a fan of paddle sports, and have an interest in Verlen, you will want to read this book. It is a well written, very complete and mostly non-judgemental biography.



4. I've read books by Kruger and by Valerie Fons about Kruger. This book, by far, gives the greatest insight and objective look at a fascinating individual. Wonderful photography and good analysis of endeavors that few of us could comprehend the difficulty of. This is a well done, comprehensive biography.

3 comments about It's Only a Game...Unless You're Married to the Coach.

1. This is an incredible tribute to coaches and their wives that are involved with Little League programs, junior high sports, and jay-vee teams. The author has captured perfectly the emotional turmoil endured when most people think that people involved at this level do not have any stress!

   Yes, the book is halarious, but I cried tears of joy at times knowing that someone understands how involved the entire staff becomes with the kids, and the hurt that others inflict upon them thinking that they're in an easy position. Varsity coaches and their wives are not the only people who have problems! In fact, I think the rest of the staff has it worse because they never get any of the glory that the head coach gets, but the author does a beautiful job of recognizing that.




2. I highly recommend "It's only a game..." as a soothing balm for any coach who has endured season(s)of criticism from parents, fans, school administrators, and school board members. The books tells how to handle the criticism while focusing on the real payoff for coaching: the kids. Its a "Mr. Holland's Opus" for coaches.



3. A "must" book for every coach's wife. This book makes you realize that you are not the only one going through the trials of being a coach's wife. Being a coach's daughter and a coach's wife I thought I had heard and seen it all!!! If Mary Lou decides to write a sequel to this book I hope she interviews me-I have plenty of stories.