5 comments about Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life.

1. The most boring tennis book I ever read.I bought almost every single tennis book Amazon has to offer, and this one is by far the dullest one.This book is not aimed at the serious tennis player.You'll learn nothing new from it.It's just a personal journal where he keeps trying to take the focus away from tennis. The only conclusion I arrived to is that Blake's life without tennis is boring as hell.



2. Interesting, inspiring, uplifting story. Reminds us that there are still a lot of GOOD people in this world.
   
   A good and enjoyable lesson for people of all ages, athletes and couch potatoes alike. After reading, you will be a James Blake fan, even if you have never seen a tennis match.



3. This is by far a must read for any person. Realizing the hardships and injuries for Mr. Blake to overcome is incredible. The best part about reading his book is the way you view life and to understand everything happens for the best.
   
   Towards the end of the book there is a chapter on his friends who he calls the J-BLOCK. People would kill to have something like that Today, and the best part about it is he is so great full to be where he is today.



4. This is a refreshing and inspirational story, one that leaves your mouth open as you witness and experience the challenges that Blake went through, as well as leave you with a smile and a pump of the fist as he slowly and steadily built himself back up. Most people would not overcome such devastating life experiences in such quick succession, at least not as well as he did. But this was what Blake did when, after he broke his neck, lost his father to cancer and came down with zoster, he was able to climb back in the rankings and do better than he had ever done before, winning two titles (he had only won one previous tournament in his career) and getting to the quarterfinals of the US Open, catapulting himself to a ranking of 23 from a low of 210 in 2005, then to 4th by the end of 2006 (with an additional 5 tournaments).
   
   This is an up front and honest account of Blake's personal life, bringing the reader into a world that is hard to understand. We get to see some of the inner workings of the tour, as well as some of what tennis pros go through in their day to day life, but not too much.
   
   This is, of course, not meant to be a day to day memoir of his experiences on the tennis court. Some may pick this up thinking they will get to read about tennis a lot more than is present, but this was never Blake's intention. After all, the subtitle of his book is "How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life". So instead of a book crammed full with tennis thoughts on matches and other players, we get to witness through Blake's words what he went through, starting with where he came from and going through where he eventually got to at the end of 2006. It is clear that it was his father who played such a huge role in his life and this biography is an homage to him. Additionally, Blake reiterates how much of an impact his coach had on him through his philosophic style of coaching.
   
   I think this is definitely the way to go, besides not straying from what he intended to write upon, and has helped paint a picture of himself that is sure to gain him many fans and inspire many more. His writing is easy and enjoyable and flows from beginning to end. I've always been a fan of Blake, even before I knew what had happened to him in 2004, and after reading Breaking Back I am an even bigger fan. I definitely recommend this book to any interested.
   
   4 stars.



5. Let me preface my comments by saying that Blake is one of my favorite tennis players. After having watched (and enjoyed) him in so many matches I was very interested in what he might reveal about himself in this book. While Blake certainly hasn't missed his calling by not being a professional writer, he nonetheless has crafted a readable and entertaining first effort with "Breaking Back." I was immediately engaged as I began reading this book because of Blake's relentless honesty - with regard to himself, the game, and the important people in his life. No pretense here. Blake isn't trying to impress, he's trying to convey a message about love, loss, and redemption; and in his own way he accomplishes his goal in an effective and emotionally touching way. To state the obvious, all of us either have or will face various adversities in life of one kind or another. But few of us will lose as much as James did, and even fewer will become stronger and better people for having undergone the experience. To summarize: A sudden convergence of events in Blake's life mounted a remorseless attack on everything that held meaning for him. Lesser men would have fallen, but Blake dug deep and he fought back. He overcame. And we're all better for it because he chose to share the experience with us. When I turned the last page of this book I was thankful to have spent some time with this gifted and special young man. As he relates, he has a number of close friends. I'd like to be one of them. Whatever his faults, this man has qualities that made his parents proud, as they should have been. And you'll be a better person for having invited James Blake into your life through a reading of this moving memoir.

5 comments about The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World.

1. A myriad of enthusiastic book reviews tout this book as "the best frickin' book ever" and, suffice it to say, I agree. Wholeheartedly. Thus, to avoid duplicity, I wanted to comment briefly on a less-reviewed aspect of "The Driver," one that seems to often take a back seat (pun intended) to the racing/high-speed/gumball-rallying/party-all-night theme that is the subject of innumerable other reviews: the author's attempt to answer some big questions in a car.
   
   Clearly Mr. Roy can drive. Obviously he is a brilliant strategist. It is axiomatic that he is insane. But some of my favorite scenes in the book did not take place in the lovely M5.
   
   Thus, for those who are thinking of buying this book and, also, in response to those who have taken the time to pontificate, often so carelessly, about Mr. Roy's life, and to judge, all too easily, his passion for racing and the actions he has taken in the exploration thereof, I humbly offer this.
   
   To understand what makes this book so special, it is important to read and understand those passages that do not relate to the garmins, radar jammers and police outfits that otherwise make Team Polizei the wonderful and ridiculous phenomenon that it is.
   
   Indeed, when read holistically, "The Driver" is a fast-paced journey through a world of insane cars, playboys and rally-racers just as much as it is a window into the driver's personal search for that which money can not buy. Meaning. Answers. Passion. "Cadillacs."



2. On the whole, a very good book.
   
   The best parts are the recounts of the Gumball battles and the road racing. However, I think Alex felt the need to tie all the events in the book together with a single underlying storyline - one that I think is fictional. To me, it's too incredible to believe, and I don't think Alex would have believed it at the time either.
   
   This book is really a must for Gumball enthusiasts. While it is accessible to those not familiar with Gumball, I would say it's most enjoyed by those in the know. An excellent accompanyment to any DVDs you have, as it gives amazing tales of antics not seen in the documentaries - both off the road and on!
   
   Some of the stories are so enthralling I didn't want them to end, and this was one book I couldn't wait to pick up again after work.



3. This book is the best book I have ever read, A lot of information in it and still written in a way its easy and fun to read!
   Anybody who is remotely interested in reading just has to read this book!



4. As much as I disapprove of what Alex Roy does (and I truly do), I couldn't help but get a guilty, vicarious thrill reading this book. Alex Roy participates in road rallies and cross-country runs for speed, often clipping along at speeds well into triple digits (how does 175 mph strike you?) on public roads. No matter how many safety precautions you take, that's putting the lives of non-participants at risk and there are plenty of legal ways to get your car onto the track if you want to drive fast safely. Lecture over, my immature half will now commence the review.
   
   I stayed up late reading this book despite writing that is disjointed and frequently hard to follow because I just loved hearing about the antics of the guys who drive these rallies. I am always curious how these guys get away with driving the way they do, how frequently they get caught and what happens when they do. This book answers those questions.
   
   What was unexpected for me was the level of technology and preparation that Roy and a couple other drivers put into these rallies and cross-country runs. Roy's penultimate achievement is setting the record for driving fastest from New York to LA in just 31 hours and 4 minutes. He uses police scanners programmed with the frequency of each state's highway patrol, infrared cameras for night driving, gyroscope-stabilized binoculars and a spotter plane - yep, a plane.
   
   If you've harbored the same questions I have about how and why these guys rally, if you like technology and planning, if you have a kernel of resistance to authority in your personality, if you like cars a little too much, you too might find yourself staying awake too late into the night reading this book. Even if you do disapprove of what these guys do.



5. This is an ego driven look at someone full of himself. He continually talks about "racing" and refers to other drivers on the public roads as "civilians". Alex Roy is no race driver. His accomplishments are staying awake while driving thousands of miles and avoiding the police. He is not pushing the car or himself to the limit, thank god. The one time he got on track he crashed.
   
   The book is best aimed at the "Grand Theft Auto" crowd.
   And Mr. Roy, you ARE a civilian.

5 comments about The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.

1. My husband made me read this book. I wasn't looking forward to it. After about 10 pages I was hooked. I knew nothing about football going into this book and absolutely loved it. I got it for my brother for his birthday and he was obsessed. He got it for our father...he's hooked.
   Great story of overcoming odds while teaching about the sport of football.
   
   Everyone will enjoy this one!



2. On the surface, this is a book about Michael Oher, a poor teenager in Memphis, whose size and speed turn him into one of the country's top football prospects. Michael Lewis, one of the greats at mapping the intersection between sports and economics, expands the story to include much more. He demonstates why the frenzy occured over someone like Michael Oher (the Left Tackle covers the Quarterback's blind side, a huge gap after Lawrence Taylor showed exactly how fragile the multimillion dollar QB investments can be) as well as how people try to jump on the bandwagon.
   
   The book is at it's finest when it shows the conflicting loyalties of people "helping" Michael Oher improve his life. What are the true intentions of the coach who also is looking for a ticket to a college coaching career? A mentor looking to assist his alma mater? Or even the unwritten - an author looking for a topical subject.
   
   The book is a very easy read, and hard to put down. And you won't ever look at those offensive lineman the same.



3. If you liked Moneyball and are hoping this will be its spiritual successor, it's not. It's much more a story of one player, Michael Oher, and his travels through high school and college football (as of July 2008 he's still in college so no pro career to speak of).
   
   I used to work as a lawyer for a pro football team so I read these kinds of stories with some personal interest, but if you're looking for a pure sports book buy Moneyball. If you like Lewis' writing style and his ability to tell a story you won't be disappointed at all. It's a great story and does contain an interesting analysis of the development of college and pro football and especially the role of the left tackle in the new offence. But it's much more personal than Moneyball - much more in the style of Liar's Poker, which becomes explained in the afterword when you discover that he knows the family described in the book personally and so he had significantly more insight into their private lives than an ordinary author.



4. The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis, is primarily a biography of projected future NFL first-round draft pick Michael Oher and secondarily a history of the evolution of the left tackle position in the NFL.
   
   Lewis chronicles how Oher, who bounced around as a child and never learned to learn, was taken in by the wealthy Tuohy family, how they helped him to learn and to play football, and how he went on to start at Ole Miss. Lewis does an excellent job communicating the characters' personalities to the reader, particularly Oher's.
   
   Interspersed throughout the book are historical anecdotes about the evolution of the left tackle position. Lewis gives particular attention to Lawrence Taylor and the shift to fast, destructive pass rushers, and to Bill Walsh, who was one of the first coaches to emphasize protection of the quarterback's blind side.
   
   While Lewis tells a very interesting story, his writing style has its flaws. He jumps around quite a bit, which is almost as distracting (he just does it one too many times) as the sentence fragments he loves to sprinkle in. Lewis also uses the wrong word a few times. He mixes up "insure" and "ensure". He calls linemen "ectomorphs" (ectomorphs have slender builds). The copy editor for this book was asleep at the switch.
   
   On the whole, this is an interesting and entertaining book about a likable young man, and a good recap of a major strategic shift in the NFL.



5. Moneyball was as insightful as it was cutting edge, but Blindside goes to another level entirely.
   
   The glimpses into the mechanics of football, coaching and player selection are brilliant. The humanitarian side is another story all it's own. Lewis doesn't pull any punches as he details the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Big Mike by the Tuohys, nor does he gloss over the potential self-serving interests that could have been at the heart of the Tuohys benevolance.
   
   All of these moving parts beautifully packaged into a fantastic (and true) story.
   
   As great as his other books were, I have to give this one the nudge as his best work so far.

5 comments about The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection.

1. More of a comprehensive collection of past interviews and accomplishments, as opposed to unique insights or details many Federer fans may look for. The book is well written, but as far as sports biographies are concerned, I found James Blake's bio as well as Lance Armstrong's more interesting.



2. The jury seems already to be in; this guy plays the game of tennis better than anyone! He has all the tools, plus the ingenuity to use them creatively and instinctly. Plus, he's a good guy.
   
   Although at times this read was, as other reviewers have noted, to be just a sequence of scores of matches one after another. However, the author worked in the personal interest stuff and what was going on in the guy's life.
   
   What was there from the outset was amazing potential, but his immaturity and temper preventing him from exposing his greatness too early. This was the revelatory part for me, that Roger was not always the dominant player he is now, but struggled.
   
   I appreciate so much his temparement and his kindness. The last few chapters on such were well done and contributed much.



3. The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection is the real thing. Written by a real journalist about a real achiever. The author, Rene Stauffer, is a recognized figure in sports writing in Europe, and he is not at all embarassed to be smitten with Roger, as we all have been. But the biography is not gushy and it's not celebrity worship. Stauffer has done his own legwork and reveals the person behind the statistics and the worldwide recognition. Readers will not be surprised to learn that solid rearing by sensible parents and hard work on the court are the dominant factors in Federer's life. And of course now he must be a businessman, and we learn about that, too. This is a superior sports biography, at its core, good writing about a good person. You will read straight through and be glad you did.



4. What a waste of a tree. This book is little more than a narrative of Roger Federer's travel movements and his match scores. Most of it could have been written using the ATP fixtures and match results. The rest could have been gathered from internet news searches.
   
   Despite describing himself as "one of the world's leading tennis journalists", René Stauffer offers little personal insight into Roger Federer, man or tennis player. Nor has there been any substantial research into the views of people who know him well enough to provide such insight.
   
   Federer has stable personal life and he is not a party animal, so there is no expectation by the reader of great revelations in this area. But there are some things the reader of a tennis biography would like to know, such as:
   
   * Why did Federer use a single-handed backhand when most players of his generation use a double-handed back-hand?
   
   * How did he develop that balletic and devastating forehand?
   
   * Did he naturally have great footwork or did he (or someone else) decide to develop it?
   
   * Who taught him to serve that way?
   
   * How has he changed or developed his groundstrokes over the years?
   
   * When does he try to hit a winner?
   
   * What tactics does he use against different opponents?
   
   And so on.
   
   And what was he trying to do in those big matches? What makes Federer tick? This is the essence of biography.
   
   Obviously Federer himself will not reveal his thinking and tactics, but one would expect one of the "world's leading tennis journalists" to provide some analysis - or to get it from others.



5. This is a really great book. It'a a must for every Federer's fan !!
   It's translate in a easy english. I strongly suggest to read it.

4 comments about Winning Is Not Enough: The Autobiography (UK Edition).

1. Jackie Stewart's sense of humor and keen insights as a color commentator for Formula 1 racing have always appealed to me. But I was surprised to learn he is a fine and entertaining writer. This autobiography shares the low and high moments of a fast-paced life, from his roots in Scotland, the early days as a mechanic in a Dumbuck garage to his triumphs against immense odds to become a Formula 1 champion. I was touched by his giving back so much - improving racing safety, helping others afflicted with dyslexia and organizing events to assist noteworthy causes. His adventures on and off the track will surprise you. The book has the warm feel of an armchair adventure told by an open fire - you will be pleased to enjoy his world, and very cranky that your visit is over when you turn the last page.



2. One of the best and most enjoyable books I have read in years. Anybody remotely interested in racing or cars should read this.



3. This is simply a great book. I am familiar with Stewart's excellence as a speaker so it should come as no surprise that he tells great stories in print too. What comes through beyond the details of his life is his committment to integrity and thoughtfulness above all else in human nature. Jackie is as concerned about a gameskeeper in rural Scotland as the Royal person or CEO in his next meeting.
   
   The book is full of wonderful anecdotes about his career but what is truly remarkable are the powerful recollections he brings to each tale. It's not enough for Jackie to remember the date he drove X or met with Y, he also recalls the weather, what everyone was wearing and what they had for dinner. These memories create a lush background for the storyteller to act upon.
   
   If there is a downside to the book it is Stewart's need to name everyone associated with even trivial events in his life. I think this is just Jacklie's way of being inclusive and thanking all, and is at best a small defect in what is otherwise a warm and readable story about an extraordinary life. Highly recommended.



4. I found this in my local book store and was surprised that it has not been released by Amazon yet. Being a formula one fan may make me a bit biased but i can say with sincere honesty that this is the best autobiography i have ever read. For a person to be ridiculed at school for suffering from dyslexia and then going on to become a true ambassador for the sport of f1 and others, Jackie Stewart is a truly remarkable man and i cannot rate this book more highly. A must for anybody's library.

5 comments about Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer.

1. This story is not only impressive in the athletic achievement; it is noteworthy that she refuses to abandon her goals even when faced with the impenetrable wall of the Kremlin's closed border mindset.
   
   Well worth reading.



2. Based on the other reviews, I was quite excited about reading this book as I generally enjoy books about athletic exploits by unusual athletes. However, Lynne Cox never quite explained why she was doing what she did. By the time she was swimming to Antarctica, I was left asking why??
   
   Unlike, say, Lance Armstrong's book, Lynne lacked a central goal, and so the book was really a series of short stories about the various swims she tackled. As one other reviewer pointed out, it became somewhat repetitive. The early stories about swimming in California and the English Channel were to me more interesting simply because it was the first time I heard the tale.
   
   The book isn't bad, but it's also not great.



3. For the first 150+ pages I was intrigued with Ms.Cox's swims.....her amazing endurance and determination. But then...page after page after page....more or less the same....far more than I ever needed or wanted to know about long distance swimming particularly in icy cold waters. When.....at the last chapter...she actually did swim in Antartica waters, although I was sitting in my warm office, I shivered.



4. This is one of the best books I've read. It's an incredible story of a girl who was inspired to do something painful and difficult -- both to test herself and for the thrill and love of the cold water. It's very well written and hard to put down. I have recommended this book to friends and family members who swim, as well as other people who enjoy reading about accomplished women. I found myself cheering her on in each swim and feeling what she felt. After reading this I can never complain again about getting tired from swimming a few laps! Go Lynne!



5. Lynne Cox is a somewhat gifted writer ; an astonishingly gifted swimmer. Put them together and you get this very solid book. Lynne lovingly and with stunning clinical accuracy reports on her experiences of achieving the impossible. She shows us just how human a superhuman person can be, if that makes sense. (hey, did I say *I* was a writer??)
   
   I felt that by reading this book, I had a bit more understanding of what it might feel like to have a gift. Lynne shares that with us, along with her honest frustration at the beginning of her 'career' when she was not super fast or super buff. Talk about finding one's niche!
   
   It was interesting to read in the USMS journal this month, that more studies are being done to learn about certain people who can tolerate cold; Lynne's experiences pioneered these studies.
   
   I would refrain from judging her for what she did or did not contribute to world peace. She certainly harmed nobody, and as mentioned above, kickstarted some studies which may benefit us all in the future. Yes, I too would have enjoyed some photos and some more personal information about Lynne Cox. (Reading her next book, Grayson, did nothing to satisfy this curiosity.)
   
   I'm not sure you have to be a swimmer per se to enjoy this book, but it is hard to imagine a non athlete devouring it with quite as much gusto....That said I do not know a single Masters swimmer who hasn't read it. I do know that the next time Lynne Cox comes to speak in my area, I will drop everything to be there and listen.

5 comments about A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting.

1. Maybe my favorite book of the last 2 years. The only book I've given out as a gift more than once - to my martial arts teacher, and to a co-worker who appreciates MMA.
   
   Highlights for me: Sam writes well. He's simply a clear, thoughtful writer who reminds me of Hemingway. Clear, simple - but with real insight and smarts, and toughness. The story is fascinating. Makes me want to retrace his steps though the modern gravity wells of fighting - Bangkok, Brasil, Northern California, NYC, the US midwest.
   
   Read it if you enjoy the strategy dimension of MMA, and wonder what motivates these guys to test themselves in combat.



2. A Fighter's Heart by Sam Sheridan decodes the mystery of the pugilistic, roughhousing or mixing it up instinct, one I never really "got." There has been plenty said and written about the urge or instinct, but "Heart" provides a context, a ringside view in setting after setting, one fight then another, on one continent and then another, in the experiences the author (also a fighter) has in Eastern and Western styles, from the ancient, classic and traditional to the newer, Mixed Martial Arts fighting forms. If you never really understood why a person would as an amateur, a pro or for play start, join or continue a fight, then you'll be intrigued by this page turner. The reasons for the fight are more than "just meet me outside," more than we ever might have figured. On the home front, Sheridan gives us a look at the making of 2004 Olympic Gold medalist for the U.S., Andre Ward and his trainer, Virgil Hunter.



3. From the Mauy Thai training camps in Thailand, to the Jiujitsu dojos of Brazil, to Boxing and MMA gyms across the USA, Sam Sheridan goes on a mission of self discovery and lives the fighters life of training and competing in various martial arts. He makes you feel like you are right there with him in the ring, or on the mat training; but more importantly you get an insiders account of the misunderstood sub-culture of pro fighting, and a look into the heart and minds of the people that do it. A must read for any aspiring martial artist or anyone who has ever stepped into a ring, onto a mat, or has entertained the idea of doing it. If you are a fan or practitioner of MMA, boxing, or any competitive martial art this book is a must read.



4. I try really hard to motivate myself in finishing this book - I am about 3/4 into it after one month. For some reason I feel that Sam's aspirations are never quite achieved: a) to be a fighter, not just train to become one and b) write a book that is coherent. Interesting cover. I would not buy this book.



5. Sam's account of his experience's are written so well in this book i kind of felt i was there with him at times.
   I have learnt so much from reading this book gaining a deeper appreaciation of all the fighting styles including tai chi. very inspired...

5 comments about Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph.

1. Travis Roy is an inspirational man, he tells everyone about the emotional state that he was through during the whole entire situation. He created a foundation that didn't just help him but helped others with the same situation. Before reading this I didn't know the process of paralysis victims, but after I was fully aware of what paralysis victims went through emotionally and physically.
   
   It is a great story for people that don't even really like hockey because any person could get paralyzed any given day. So after reading this story it made me aware of how a single mans pain can express the words of thousands.
   
   The reason why I recommend this book is because it is the story of a man that enjoyed everyday life before being paralyzed, then after 11 seconds of hockey his life completely changed, but he fought through the pain and lived everyday to the fullest and always kept his mind looking positively. He wants to walk again and keeps thinking that he can, one thing that could possibly just keep him going everyday.
   
   So this is a must read for everyone, I strongly recommend it because it makes people explicitly aware of what paralyzed people go through. After reading the book it will make you look at people in wheelchairs differently. If you do choose to read this book, enjoy it and keep in mind that Travis Roy is much luckier than many.



2. I read this book in two days! Travis Roy is an incredible person who has lived through a tragic experience. I applaud him for setting up a foundation to help other people with spinal cord injuries. As a teacher, I would love to have him speak at my school!



3. Initially I was drawn to this book because it involved my passion, hockey. But Travis' story moved me deeply. Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. I was really interested in the affect his accident would have on his relationship with his girlfriend and I was rooting for them to stay together. I'll be honest I'm pretty bummed things didn't work out between them. But this was a great story of a very inspirational person. It truly made me want to make a contribution to his foundation which I plan on doing. I would recommend this book to anyone not just fans of hockey. Good Luck in the future Trav!



4. In Eleven Seconds, a story about a young man at the age of twenty-one living life and one event happens to change it all. Playing in his first collegiate game of hockey, Travis Roy crashed the corner after a dump in, tripped, fell, and broke his fourth vertebrae and becomes paralyzed from his neck down. This single event changes the way he and his family act towards each other. The story goes through his amazing recovery and the heart and determination he had. The author portrays Travis Roy as a hero to those that are in deep pain or trouble. He accomplishes this by showing the good and bad times in his recovery stages. After a few months at the hospital, Travis Roy wants to get back into the world and show that this freak accident will not keep him down. He returns to college and tries to become a normal student, but this is impossible because he has become a well-known person due to the accident. The grit and determination of Mr. Roy and his family members through the hard times to get to a level of peace and acceptance of what has happend is amazing. This story makes you, the reader, feel that you just need to make the best of the hand that is dealt and that if anything goes wrong you just have to deal with it and make the best of the situation. Eleven Seconds is a great book and should be read by all.



5. On Oct. 20, 1995, two of my friends and I gleefully took our seats in Walter Brown arena. We'd saved up the money to purchase season tickets (huge money for undergraduates), and couldn't wait to see the triple crown banner be raised. The beginning of the night was all of the heartpounding celebration it could be.
   
   And then only a short time later, that all changed--That night of joy became one of profound sadness as we watched a (then) unknown freshman player fall to the ice, motionless. It was the first and only time I've personally witnessed someone injured so severely.
   
   Since that night, I've kept up from time to time to see what Travis is doing, how he's doing, and am constantly amazed at how he's fighting. He is an inspiration, and his book should be on anyone's reading list.

5 comments about Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big.

1. I read this book when it first came out and I am glad I did not review it then. Like many others I was skeptical about what Canseco was saying. I just couldn't believe that all the famous athletes that he named took steriods or HGH. The idea that he personal injected many of them seemed ludicrous. The media put it down as a bunch of lies to sell books. Canseco also had his ups and downs and did not have a great reputation in baseball. After the hearings things looked even worse. But what came out in the long run was that everything he said became highly plausible or confirmed by drug testing or further investigation. This book is now a landmark book in the history of major league baseball. The only thing I disagree with Canseco on in this book is the idea that taking steroids was good for the game of baseball even though it led to more home runs and excitement for the fans. At least in his new book based on the accumulated medical evidence he has changed his tune. No one can deny that this was one of the major books to blow the lid on the use of steriods in baseball.
   
   I believe that Canseco wrote this book for the noteriety and the money and that his selective choice of names to name was deliberate to sensationalize the book and sell copies. He now freely admits to naming people to make the book marketable in his new book vindicated. Also I think the book was intended to provide a rationalization for his own use of steroid and for turning so many others onto it. But hte Mitchell report and other investigations has confirmed that those named were really users!



2. This was really fun to read. It's been passed along about 4 times...great beach reading



3. A very bitter man indeed. I guess these books are what you do when you have been disgraced to no end. Your career written off, you're a joke to everyone, your ex is in a men's mag telling how you're basically a eunuch due to your juicing... What's left to do? Throw unsubstantiated accusations at everyone and try to take as many with you as possible. This guy was on ESPN the other day promoting the new book and accusing A-Rod while exonerating Clemens in the same breath. Need I say more? Buy it if you need something to level off that uneven table in the dining room...



4. If youre looking for book about someone complaining about being accused of taking steroids in a book where he admits to taking steroids and implements others with no proof, this is the book for you. Not once does he submit proof of any of his claims.. Multiple times he complains that he was accuse of steroids even though he says the results were obvious. Also he is so cocky. He repeatedly calls himself the best player ever. NOT EVEN CLOSE. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK OR HIS NEW ONE!!



5. Boy am I glad I checked this out of the library, instead of purchasing it! It shows the steroids not only super-inflated Canseco's body, but his ego as well. I wouldn't know, so I wonder if he was always this cocky and arrogant? Aren't there any humble jocks out there?

5 comments about Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball.

1. Tells the truth (as far as I can tell)...
   Pats himself on the back constantly...
   Absolves himself of all personal responsibility for taking steroids...
   Absolves himself of all personal responsibility for injecting steroids in other players...
   Collects big $ for writing a tell-all book...
   
   Baseball, like all other pro sports, is saturated with cheaters. And nobody (who's cheating or benefits by the cheating) likes a rat. That's why most players, agents, team management, & media claimed Canseco lied in his book "Juiced" (which I never read). "Vindicated" is merely his *I told you so* follow-up.
   
   



2. Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball It's so interesting when you've read not one, but two books filled with the type of self-serving truth Jose Canseco has so freely given us...all after the fact, of course! These two offerings might have taken on an entirely different tone had Canseco not allowed his huge ego interfere in very paragraph. Senor Canseco acts as though he is the second coming of an Omnipotent god rather then a simple baseball player who blew it for himself and many others by "Juicing" it up. He has excused himself everything while blaming everyone else on and off the field for his miseries and stunted career. My only hope is that the "Steroid Era" is marked in every book on baseball stats that is of importance. Their stats should not stand along those that were earned by hard work, sheer talent, practice and guts. None of the players he mentions, including himself, deserve a place in the Hall of Fame. Grow up Jose and lose the ego that got you where you are today. I used to be a fan...now I can only tell you how much you disgust me.



3. The only thing I found really interesting was the amount of censoring out of Roger Clemens' name the big media allegedly did at the time of Canseco's first book. Jose wonders in "Vindicated" if that wasn't deliberate, a GOP plot. Well, given Clemens' testimony before the House this spring, and the partisan division over whether Clemens or McNamee was lying, Jose may be on to something. Or he may not. He gives no reason WHY a conspiracy like this would develop. (Please, no third book about that.)
   
   The only other thing that was in any way news to me was his alleged degree of steroid relationship with Magglio Ordonez.
   
   That said, the before-and-after pics of various actual or alleged juicers, paired with the before-and-after stats.
   
   It's a borderline 2/3 star, leaning toward 3.
   
   Just don't write a third volumne, Jose. We'll know that that one is all about the money.



4. Vindicated? This book drips with Revenge and self justification as the unholy goals of this scumbag drug pusher. Once Jose Canseco was duly blackballed, he is marketing this filth as his way of dragging everyone else down to his Clintonian level. I confess it's always interesting to learn scandalous details, true or not. It's a page turner, but it leaves one with the impression that most of our baseball "heros" are horribly humanly flawed. Drug pushers like Jose should serve time in prison for his crimes. There should also be established a "Jose Conseco Hall of Shame", with his face on the door mats, toilet seats and urinals. That lie about trying to clean up baseball is just another guilt dodge. Still it was captivating reading to see how many lives he has ruined.
   -- Donald C.



5. its a crack book you will finish fast and feel kinda different. i picked up this book to see what he had to say about the red sox. he dident say much but it was still a good read. i hate a-rod too jose. he dident do my wife tho