5 comments about Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage.

1. Alex is quite honest concerning his emotion, lack of discipline and mistakes. In addition the arrogant reputation of race car drivers are dashed (in this case anyway) as his early lack of confidence comes through at times.
   
   Of course the main reason that I bought this book was to read about his recovery from his horrendous accident. It did not disappoint.
   
   In addition to admiration for his bravery the reader comes away with a deep appreciation for what a great attitude can accomplish.
   
   Steel yourself for horrendous, abysmal editing. The publisher should be flogged.



2. Absolutely fabulous.
   
   Alex Zanardi, who lost both legs in a horrific crash that nearly claimed his life, tells his story with humor and an eye for detail.
   
   You do not have to be a racing fan to enjoy this book. Alex is a great raconteur who spins a tale that keeps the reader captivated page after page. He never lets you feel sorry for him after he finds out he has lost his legs; you cheer for him as he works his way back to racing.
   
   This is a terrific "feel good" book for any reader.



3. If the purpose of a memoir is to provide readers with an unedited and disorganized stream of consciousness (that completely lacks psychological insight), then Alex Zanardi accomplishes his mission with great brio. What you will find in this (much too) thick volume are meaningless anecdotes that are followed by more meaningless anecdotes. To be exact, the book reads like a transcription of slapped together interviews. I guarantee that you will be bored to tears after just 10 pages. For a better, more interesting look at Zanardi's life and accomplishment you would be much better off checking HBO's Real Sports documentary.



4. Alex Zanardi was a truly inspirational competitor on the track and one of the best characters off it. His fightback against crushing odds and his chase to have his life back at normal are inspirational and uplifting. For those who marvelled at his CART days and wondered about the disappoint at his F1 with Williams, there is some explanation here. There is no doubt that he is an exceptional driver and even more so an exceptional human being. He is now racing in the world touring car championship for BMW.



5. If you are a race fan, you will really enjoy this one. Alex is truly a hero.

5 comments about The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America.

1. The Soul of Baseball illuminates what life can be. It would help anyone get past their bitterness and see that life is about what I can do today and not what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow.



2. Poz is one of the best writers in the business. Thanks for writing a really great book about a great baseball man. Buck's is a great American story and the way it's written makes you feel like you're on the road trip with them.



3. My son, Jeremy, always gives me good books. He doesn't just pick up the latest best-seller, but takes the time to choose something special just for me. He hit a home run with The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski. It's the story of an extended road trip Posnanski took with legendary Negro League player and manager Buck O'Neil. The lessons learned along the way are great ones for sons and fathers to share.
   
   Posnanski, an award-winning sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, chose not to write a biography of the irrepressible O'Neil, even though the story could bear to be told over and over again. Instead, he penned a moving memoir of the year he spent with the then-93-year-old O'Neil as he toured the country promoting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and the memory of those men who played the game in the days before whites and blacks could share the field. The trip takes them everywhere from Nicodemus, Kansas, to New York, New York, and O'Neil has a fascinating story to tell at every stop.
   
   He talks about Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Josh Gibson, names that will always be enshrined in baseball's collective memory. But he also tells the tales of forgotten men like Dan Bankhead, the first black pitcher in the major leagues, who would have been a great hurler if he hadn't been afraid to pitch fastballs inside against white batters.
   
   The key theme of the book is Buck O'Neil's spirit-lifting embrace of the best in every person he met. Despite years of back-breaking struggle, O'Neil never turned bitter, never condemned anyone for their prejudice, never had a bad word to say about the often ugly conditions the black ball players endured. Even when he failed to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Buck O'Neil refused to be angry about it. To make up for the egregious mistake, the Hall awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award after his death.
   
   The lessons Posnanski drew from his experiences with O'Neil are well worth telling and the book he created from them is well worth reading.
   
   Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo



4. This book got to me, in a very good way.
   
   Buck's stories are funny and poignant, and we as readers definitely learn some history if we pay attention. But even more than that we can learn from Buck O'Neil's outlook on life. He was patient, caring, outspoken in an articulate and positive way (something our politicians should learn how to do), and he had grace. More than anything else reading about Buck O'Neil was a lesson on how to live with grace.
   
   I want to tell you the last words of the book, but I won't.
   
   If you like baseball, people or life you will like this book.
   
   Highly recommended!!



5. Sometimes a great author writes a 5-star book, and sometimes he must only get out of the way and let 5-star material shine through. "The Soul of Baseball" is one of the latter. This isn't a knock on Joe Posnanski. The decision to tell the story by reporting on a year in O'Neil's life, rather than interpreting O'Neil's history, was a brilliant judgment. The reader benefits from Posnanski's willingness to set his writer's ego aside.
   
   Another good Posnanski decision was reporting O'Neil's occasional querulousness. Rather than seeing O'Neil as a mindless happy face, the reader sees O'Neil as someone who must work to maintain his positive approach. The occasional lapses serve to highlight the effort that O'Neil makes to bring the light into the lives of those around him.
   
   But ultimately, the star of the book is Buck O'Neil. Not because he was a great ballplayer or manager. But because he was a decent, good-hearted human being whose attitude toward life is worthy of emulation.
   
   I give few 5-star rankings, but this book deserves it several times over.

No comments about Rodger Ward: Superstar of American Racing's Golden Age.

3 comments about 1 2nd to Glory.

1. Wow. After 29 years it is still vivid to recall those 2 guys neck 'n neck pulling their teams down Front Street in Nome. I woke to the radio alarm clock to get ready for my shift at the airport and heard they were inside of Safety (22 miles East of Nome). I got up and out of the apartment and walked down to Front street, and low and behold, there they were, stumbling, tugging. It was a bright, clear, cold day and the dogs looked so tired! What a hullabaloo that morning!
   Mackey relives this and other moments in this book and he brings it all back. Thanks, Dick!



2. Mackey sums it all up: " People who are content to stand still irritate me. I feel the same way about people in every profession... always try to improve your work... try to be the best you can be."
   
   This is a record of accomplishments of one man who came from New Hamphshire. He was a young, successful entrepreur until an accident changed his life...bankruptcy. He was young, married and a father. He lost it all... but not for long. " I knew nothing about Alaska, but it was as far as I could drive."
   
   Alaska is a better place for men like Mackey. He has left his mark as a Iditarod Hall of Fame. The founder of Coldfoot, AK.
   and the list goes on and on.
   
   Mackey, you brag a lot... but it's not really bragging... you did it.



3. A well written and extremely entertaining autobiography of Dick Mackey who won the Iditarod Race in 1978 by a second. In some ways, the book almost read like the history of Iditarod and as the founder of Coldfoot, Mackey probably won his place in Alaska history. I regards this more like public autobiography because Mackey mostly relates to his public life. What seem to be missing are stuff about his personal life outside of few mentions of his kids and his three wives. It would be bit more interesting to know the man behind his accomplishments and the cost.

   But overall, I highly recommended this book about an extraordinary Alaskan who did extraordinary things. As a fellow Alaskan, I hope there will be more chapters to come.

5 comments about Gordie: A Hockey Legend.

1. Gordie a Hockey Legend is book is a great book for anyone who knows about hockey and what the sport is and how it has evolved for its early stages with the popular players like Gordie Howe, He really set the bar in hockey back in his days. He held the NHL scoring title with the most goals in his career with 801 goals until "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky passed him in April of 1993.Gordie is really a Hockey legend.
   
   Gordie is really a legend. He was Known for his ability to be tough anytime during a game, and get the goals, and stand up for his team at anytime needed. This Book was really good in my view. It described his great career, and his life leading up to and being in the NHL.
   
   I would recommend this book to a lot of my friends, especially to my friends that like, and or play hockey. This book really shows the meaning for, and how hockey started to become more popular especially in the United States and in Canada. I really liked this book, and it is one of my favorites, and I would recommend it to anyone. This is truly a great book.



2. Gordie Howe: A hockey legend tells about his whole life. From when he was little kid, to when he made it in the NHL. It tells about how he first came upon hockey as a little kid. It tells about his carrer and the NHL. I thought that this book was ok. Not horrible but not excellent. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about gordie howe, or wants to read about him.



3. This book tells about Gordie Howe, one of the best hockey players ever, and his career in the NHL.In the beginning, it tells about his first couple of seasons, and then tells more about his great career and facts about him toward the end. I learned a lot about him from this book, for example, I learned that he has played for two teams, the Hartford Whalers and the Detroit Red Wings, and that he was considered one of the greatest players of his time.



4. As a lifetime fan of the Detroit Red Wings, I was overjoyed when I found that there is a recent biography of Howe that is much more up to date than many written in the 60's and 70's. This book gives the reader an inside look at what it was like to get into the NHL in the 50's, and what it took to stay there and become a star. Mackskimming is very candid when talking about the front office's team management "politics" The reader also gets an up-close look at other great stars of the era such as Red Kelly, Ted Linsay, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, and coach Jack Adams. A must read for any TRUE hockey fan.



5. The book starts out covering Howe in excellent detail. Several pages cover his first seasons. Then as if the author lost interest, the decades go flying by. My reasons for reading the book was to find out, why Howe was considered great, how Howe compared to Richard, how the game changed over the years and what it was about Howe that enabled him to play for so long. The book only addressed how Howe established his early greatness.

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.

5 comments about Richie Ashburn Remembered.

1. Very first class informative history of Richie Ashburn. Was a fan growing up and found this book very helpful to answer questions and complete information that I often wondered about.



2. I grew up as a fan of Richie on the field and through his announcing games for the Phillies I was able to keep following him over the years until the day he died. This is a wonderful book and a fine tribute to him as a player and a man. To me he was one of a kind and this book does him justice. I thought I'd seen every photo of him but there were several surprises in the book. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who's interested in Richie-lots of great memories.



3. I was a bit taken back on the format once this came. Its very short, only about 100 pages of real material, and has very large font. Otherwise, it was a good book about Whitey.



4. I just finished reading this lovely tribute to Richie Ashburn. I can remember him so well. My Pop used to listen to the Phillies on the radio before there was tv. So I grew up with the Phillies and he was one of the best and most endearing characters ever. Fran did a great job of capturing his great character and personality. He was truly one of a kind. Good job Fran!



5. I was recently the greatful recipient of the above mentioned book. This is the 3rd book I have read by author Fran Zimniuch. His (past) books answer many of the questions you ponder. Like what ever happened to ???? Fran gives it all to you. This latest book is a wonderful tribute to Richie Ashburn and you can tell that the author truely loves the sport of baseball. It is more than a story to him. Way to go Fran and keep them coming......Now what ever happened to Bobby Rydell, Don Cannon and the rest of the oldies...

5 comments about By George: The Autobiography of George Foreman.

1. I thought this was going to be a very hokey book. I expected a lot of George was mean and angry his whole life then he meets Jesus then everything is shiny and happy, jokes about George eating too much, George has a dream to heavyweight champion again, George makes the dream come true, and more George and Jesus stuff but this book was surprisingly candid and interesting.
   
   He talks about his anti-social childhood in the crime infested 5th ward in Houston. Going into the job corps where he started boxing and his meteoric rise to the top of the amateur boxing world where he ended up winning an olympic gold medal after having only been boxing for a VERY short time. His "first" pro career including his fights with Frazier, Norton, Ali and others, his nervous breakdown/religious experience after the Jimmy Young fight and his retirement, his ten year layoff, and the comeback which culminated in him recapturing the heavyweight championship of the world.
   
   George is a bit of a shady individual and from a few first hand accounts I have heard he is just as mean as he ever was. That smile instantly disappears from his face and the nice guy act flies out the window the second those HBO or "grilling machine" infomercial cameras turn off. George really sold himself off as I used to be mean but I found Jesus and now I'm Mr. Niceguy to the public and got rich as a result so what really surprised me is how candid he was about problems he has had over the years with women, his kids and his own flaws in his personal life.



2. This is the fifth autobiography I've read of a great heavyweight boxer. By George takes us into the mind of the former Heavyweight Champion of the World who destroyed "Smokin' Joe Frazier" in the 70s and was thought at one point in time to be unstoppable.
   
   Foreman takes us on the journey from his childhood in poverty, being one of 9 children (the only from a different father) to his troubled adolescence to his miraculous thrust into greatness as an unexpected heavyweight champion of the world to his fall from boxing, to his born again discovery of God, to his amazing run at becoming the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in history.
   
   We get amazing insight on the women of his life and how they affected him. We get an amazing recollection of his memory of circumstances prior to important fights such as how he was not allowed to leave Venezuela without paying taxes to the government after defeating Ken Norton.
   
   Throughout the book, you will get a feel of the soft side of this man once perceived by the public as an angry bully. Behind that tough tiger is a very sensitive lion with a thorn in his side.
   
   I was impressed by his stories of Sonny Liston and his impression of various boxer's during his time. I found the complex relationship he had with his biological father to be powerful. Although sensationalistic at times, even his various prophecy like passages that he contributes to his realization of his belief in God, to be deep.
   
   All in all, reading his story was one that should have a profound affect on providing people information about someone who grew up with nothing in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of the US and came out of the other side, a great man who has suceeded.
   
   I still am amazed at how far he went given his limited boxing skills. After reading this book, I am convinced that had been better trained, he would have been the greatest boxer of all time.



3. I'm basically a one-dimensional boxing fan whose least favorite division is heavyweight;I couldn't have cared less what the Louisville Loudmouth did inside the ring and I didn't pay any attention to his trash talk outside of it("I ain't got
   nuthin' against them Viet Cong...").All boxers lose-and for a better take on the
   'Rumble in The Jungle'(than the fight itself) between Loudmouth and George Foreman,check the award-winning documentary,'When We Were Kings'
   or Foreman's excellent-and honest-autobiography,'By George' about the thug from Houston who engineered,possibly the comeback
   of the twentieth century.And "comebacks" are at the heart of what boxing is about.After losing to the recently deceased Jimmy Young in 1977(my favorite heavyweight of that era-who was robbed in his fight with Ali),Foreman underwent a religious transformation,took off 10 years and in 1994,at 45,became the oldest man to ever win the heavyweight title,by stopping Michael Moorer-no bum-in the tenth round.Actually, the public should've expected this from Foreman,who made his first public impact by waving the American flag after winning the heavyweight title in the '68 games-unfortunately probably best remembered for the black power salutes of John Carlos and Tommie Smith.But maybe the most important reason to buy this autobiography is because of its Introduction:"...I never make references to a human being's color.As I did with bad language,I've eliminated from my vocabulary words that distinguish between people.They're irrelevent to me,and their use only divides us from each other.I know from my own life that the issue of prejudice is much broader than the frame into which people usually try to squeeze it.What separates us is not color but behavior.I once came across some words by Victor Frankl,a man who'd survived terrible atrocities in a Nazi concentration camp at the hands of men,who after all,were the same color as he:"There are only two races of people in the world,the decent and the indecent."So when reading this book,if you find yourself guessing or wondering about one person or another's color,please ask yourself why you need to know."Amen.



4. Love biographies of real people in the world today that are honest and this one really is - George takes us into his whacky and fun world and where he's been and why ... you may not agree with him but you gotta love him. We'd all benefit by being more like George



5. Whether it's for his knockouts in the ring, or his grills that knockout the fat, just about everyone in the civilized world knows the name George Foreman. While most sports fans know that Foreman wasn't always the oversized teddy bear that he is now, the stories relayed in the first half of his autobiography, BY GEORGE, will amaze you.
   
   Throughout the book, Foreman not only outlines the rise of his boxing career from the Olympics to the professional ranks and the heavyweight championship (twice), but he also delves into his personal life in a detailed manner that provides the reader with an in-depth look into the George Foreman that many never knew existed.
   
   The somewhat underlying story in this book is his relationship with God. In the first half of the book, Foreman tells of how, when he was young, he thought that religion was for the weak and it wasn't something he needed in his life. More amazing is that Foreman, now a Baptist minister, nearly became a Muslim before his legendary fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974. Following his bout with Jimmy Young in 1977, his final fight before his 10 year layoff, Foreman had a 'religious experience' in his locker room, found the Lord, and started to become the George Foreman that the world knows and loves today. In the second half of the book, the reader truly begins to see Foreman's love for God, and how God influences every aspect of his life.
   
   While many know the ups and downs of his boxing career, it's very interesting to relive those moments through the eyes of the man who was there. His mentality change between his first and second boxing careers is astonishing. As a Christian, this book has added meaning for me due to the issues mentioned above. Simply put, this is a book that is an inspiration to one and all.

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

5 comments about The Queen of Whale Cay: The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water.

1. Joe Carstairs comes off as a fascinating study of what it was like to be a moneyed lesbian somewhat outside the usual literary lesbians of the early 20th century. There aren't many stories about these women, and we can certainly use more.
   
   Alas, Carstair's definitive biography is yet to be written. Summerscale uses Freudian analysis-- badly-- and literary allusions-- somewhat better-- to illustrate who and what Carstairs was about. Summerhill basically creates a book that is about 50 years behind the time it was written. It would help if Summerscale had any actual clue about lesbian culture and cultural theory, but it seems she'd rather turn Carstairs into a freak instead of exploring her as an outsider.
   
   The most egregious example of this is early on in the book, in which she talks about how Carstairs "rejects her feminity to reinvent herself." You can't reject what you don't have in the first place. Grounding the biography firmly in the mistaken beleif that a female body will naturally be feminine creates a caricature of Carstairs rather than the fully human characterization she deserves.
   
   This is worth reading, but it's worth reading with a very critical eye on Summerscale's clunky writing and outdated analysis.



2. Kate Summerscale stumbled onto a treasure trove when she was asked in the 12990s to write the obituary for a British daily for M. B. "Joe" Carstairs, an eccentric Standard Oil heiress who had set speedboating records in the 1920s and who literally ruled her own Bahamian island for several decades, not only paying all the inhabitants directly out of her pocket but also establishing their rules and punishments. Carstairs also was one of the great lesbian lovers of the twentieth century, having affairs with dozens of beautiful actresses including Greta Garbo and Tallulah Bankhead--and to top off everything, was obsessed with a small leather manikin she named "Lord Tod Watley" and took with her everywhere, proclaiming him the great love of her life. The material is so terrific that this slim little biography can't help but be a fun read, but the book is held back tremendously by Summerscale's amateurish writing style, which consists of endless flatly declarative sentences and which rarely uses transitions between new ideas. Clearly Summerscale is quite erudite (her allusions to Woolf and Djuna Barnes are not only illuminating but actually quite clever), but the prose was a real drawback to what would have been otherwise a terrific tale.



3. On paper, this book sounds fabulous. A rich, beautiful lesbian lives a scandalous life filled with excitement, traveling around the world, meeting lots of famous people, and making love to dozens of willing female partners. Imagine a Howard Stern sex epic with a sumptuous budget and a Merchant Ivoery feel!
   
   Kay Summerscale does a very professional job as a biographer. Unfortunately, the story is not that exciting. Yes, Joe Carstairs was a rich lesbian, and a rebel, but she was not in any sense a "fun" person. She was apparently some kind of borderline schizophrenic. All she could do to act "manly" was to throw screaming tantrums, smoke, spit and swear. Not an attractive personality. The whole thing with carrying the little doll around for 60 years comes across as sick, not funny or charming.
   
   Read the book for the sumptuous settings and try to imagine someone glamorous, like Gloria Holden (from the lesbian classic DRACULA'S DAUGHTER)having the same adventures, but in a fun way.



4. I saw this slim volume in the store and was fascinated by the picture on the cover - a woman dressed as a man with a little battered doll on her shoulder - "what in the world is this?" So, I started to read. What a surprise. This is the story of Marion "Joe" Carstairs, a Standard Oil heiress, a champion speed boat driver, friend to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, an unrepentant lesbian, owner of the Caribbean isalnd Whale Cay, and the constant companion of Lord Todd Wadley (yes, a funny little doll). This is one of the most immediately engaging books I've ever read. What a character she was, and what a life she led. "The Queen of Whale Cay" is an absolute charmer from start to finish. Looking for a little slice of forgotten history to while a way some time? This is the book for you.



5. Nonconformist is an understatement. Eccentric isn't outre enough. Over-the-top words do not adequately describe Marion "Joe" Carstairs. She was a breakneck ambulance driver in World War I France, a world record-holding speedboat racer, the supreme ruler of her own Bahamian island, and pal to notables such as the Duchess of Windsor, Tallulah Bankhead, and Marlene Dietrich.

   Assigned to write an obituary of "Joe" Carstairs for the London Daily Telegraph, Kate Summerscale soon became fascinated by the woman who held sway in the 1920's as heiress to the Standard Oil fortune. This singular individual wore men's clothing meticulously tailored for her on Saville Row, favored female lovers, was tenaciously devoted to a small leather doll whom she christened Lord Tod Wadley, and managed to thumb her nose at almost every convention.

   As Ms. Summerscale unearthed more and more amazing information about her extraordinary subject, she determined to carry her findings far beyond a terse death notice. The result is The Queen Of Whale Cay, a buoyant, highly readable biography that became a London Times bestseller and nominee for the Whitbread Biography of the Year Prize.

   Estranged from her parents and disliked by a step-father, young "Joe" was sent to boarding school in America. Of this time her diary only records, "Left family aged 11." At the age of 16 she drove ambulances in France, where "Paris was heavily shelled....whole sides of houses fell down and people lay bleeding in the streets."

   Returning to London after the war, "replenished, brimming with vigour and ambition," "Joe" and some friends opened a chauffeuring service, and took on "any driving work, far and near."

   Galvanized by machines and speed, in 1925 Joe used her wealth "to commission the best motorboat money could buy." She was a daredevil on water, competing in races in Britain, Cannes and Detroit, where she vied with the famous Gar Wood.

   Yet, racing was not enough. She sought even greater challenges by leaving England in 1934 to rule and reside on Whale Cay, the Bahamian island she purchased for $40,000. Upon arriving she found the only inhabitants were a black couple who tended the lighthouse. "Joe asked them whether they lit the beacon every night, and they replied, to her amusement, "Only when the weather's good."

   She worked alongside laborers to lay a road from one end of the island to another. A store was built, and a large hole dug then filled with blocks of ice for refrigeration. Her home, the Great House, was constructed with the help of 300 men. It was a "sturdy Spanish villa, white, with red tiles..." From there she had dominion over a colony of 500 Bahamians, and entertained friends from throughout the world.

   During the 1960's, as Bahamians became increasingly independent, the atmosphere on Whale Cay changed, and "Joe" retreated to Miami. In 1975 she sold the island for approximately 1 million dollars. Three years later, deciding she'd had enough of women, she invited a handsome older man to move in with her. Hugh Harrison "stayed with her as a friend and paid companion until she died." In 1993 "Joe" and Wadley were cremated together.

   Generous, outrageous, at times a bold prankster, "Joe" Carstairs defies description. Her life defies fiction. The Queen of Whale Cay is intriguing reading, a candid portrait of a nonpareil, an incorrigible, unconquerable 20th century woman.

   - Gail Cooke