Reviews (63)

The worm
I have to say that there isn't two people in the world like Dennis Rodman! You have to read his book to understand who he is. This book isn't the best biography out there but it's Dennis Rodman... he tell you what he knows about him self not all cause he has still have many questions unsolved about him self and his sexuality for example! what i liked in this book is that, no matter what some revieuwers told here, this (...)always kepped real, ok, he got a big ego, that's the case with all the famous people, and i have to say everything he predicted in his book has happened Chicago bulls became the biggest team of nba history (72 victory), David robinson never win a championship alone(Tim Duncan was the man in the Spurs victory),Madonna is a mamma now(isn't trash nomore) and he is in the truth we he say how much David stern and the nba hate on some players, he talked about him, but there is Allen Iverson case. what i regret with this book is that sometime he doesnt say much,..., like about the women and him , the sex,..., that' s still a good book for all the people who really want to understand Dennis Rodman.

A '90s twist on the classic frog-becomes-Prince tale.
Perhaps it's simply coincidence that I've read Dennis Rodman's book at the same time I've read James Stewart's fog-lifting expose on Bill and Hillary Clinton and their business dealings. Thus, some contrasts conveniently come to mind. In "Blood Sport" readers find a politically motivated couple of idealogues constantly seeking to mask who they are by creating an image of mainstream normalcy. In "Bad As I Wanna Be" readers are able to scratch below an outrageous self-made image to find a fairly normal guy inside...and I emphasize "inside." Certainly most men will never dye their hair five different colors; nor do we desire to dress in women's clothes, cover ourselves with tatoos or appear butt naked on the cover of our biography. Yet, there are some chords which Rodman strikes in his book that echo in the hearts of most men. Themes such as rejection, seeking one's identity, looking beyond the surface and temporality of some of our institutions (like the NBA), hard work and a humble realization that good fortune is arbitrary and can turn at any time. Most people have had an opinion of Rodman which bounces from curiosity to hate, more often hate. As one who was raised in Massachusetts, and therefore a big Bird fan, I still remember the racist remarks Rodman made in his rookie year, following the Celtics' defeat of the Pistons. Yet, after reading his frank recollection of what led him to trigger that famous incident (and the fact that he does give Bird his due in the book)I forgive him. Rodman's language is certainly honest, albeit extremely crude at times. Yet, after sifting through the vulgarities, one can't help but saying: "The guy's got a point, there." Having said that, however, there are other times in the book when Rodman's assessment of himself is out of proportion. For example, his belief that people primarily watched the 1995 playoff series between San Antonio and Houston to see him and not a match-up between Hakeem and David Robinson. And certainly we all could have done without hearing about Madonna's foreplay instructions. Yet overall, Rodman comes across in the book as a likeable guy who is seeking to find reality and justice for himself (which I would imagine was one of the goals of writing such a book). After reading books about him and the First Family, I can tell you with whom I'd rather spend an afternoon...and it's not on Pennsylvania Avenue

What an ego he has.
First off, after looking at the cover of this book, you'll find out that "Bad as I wanna be" doesn't appeal to everyone. Why? Quite simply because the cover features Dennis Rodman nude on a motorcycle. I'd also like to include that, as if the cover weren't enough, the back of the book features a picture of Rodman's bare @$$ - uncensored.

After trying to get those disturbing images out of my head, I decided to take the time and read the full book. This book was published in 1997, so it doesn't include his final days (the latest it goes is his 1996 run with the Bulls), but it does greatly detail his entire life and all the troubles he's had growing up. I just have a few comments on some of the stuff he says:

- This guy is an egomaniac. There's actually a quote in here where he says something like "Jordan is number 1 in the NBA, Shaq is #2, and everyone knows I'm #3". Is he serious? He was a great player and everything, but I wouldn't even think of putting him in the top 10. He was #3 on the Bull's team (behind Jordan and Pippen of course), but he definitely wasn't #3 in the entire league.

- Dennis is extremely bitter. I thought it might be interesting to hear Dennis' thoughts on other players and coaches. Sadly, I was mistaken. Throughout the entire book, he just constantly complains about almost everyone he's come into contact to in the NBA. It gets rather boring after a while.

- The way Rodman describes the games, you'd think the team that gets the most Rebounds wins. He acts as if points don't mean anything in the NBA and the only thing that shows how well you play is the amount of rebounds you get. To me, it seemed like he was trying to cover his own @$$ here, since Rodman never was much of a scorer.

I haven't read very many NBA books, but if all of them are like this, I think I'll pass. If you're an NBA fan, I'd suggest to skip this one. If you're a Rodman fan, there's a small chance you might enjoy this.

Repetitive as I Wanna Be
I found this book disappointing. I was expecting something resembling an autobiography of Dennis' life, with plenty of tales from experience. While there were a few such stories, much of the book could be described as a rant, with Dennis harping on about the same old stuff again and again.
He hated the Spurs' coach, he's never been paid what he's worth, David Robinson is crap, he's a good rebounder, he was in two championship teams, he misses his daughter, he boinked Madonna, he's misunderstood, he had a tough upbrining.
I mean, fair enough that this may all be be true...but do we REALLY need to hear about it over and over and over?? Even in the chapter about sex, which you would expect to have something a little risque in it, Dennis manages to mention his rebounding average AGAIN.
If I took all the insights Dennis gave us and cut out all the repitition, this book would be about 20 pages long.

Dennis You Isn't Baaaaad
You just stupid. Big wedding dress wearin sissy wit all them tattos. Look like a painting. Why you go writin books? Everybody knows you messed up in tha head, so why you frontin' and gots to flaunt it? For reals, yo! Peep down on it. ... Read more

Book Description

Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini.But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail.Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:

Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire.When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains.Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson.Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon.

Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews (571)

Gallops along to a stand-in-the-saddle conclusion
I saw ads for this and thought, nah, I'm not gonna bother with this one. Hey, I don't even like horses and don't understand those who do. But then I read a piece in the New Yorker by the author - took me reading halfway into the piece to realize she was Seabiscuit's author, and I was HOOKED - not on the book and the horse so much as on this Hillenbrand's personal courage (battling a crippling case of chronic fatigue syndrome for I forget, maybe like 2 decades?) and perseverance - and the sheer beauty of her writing.
So. Okay. I read the book. And boy, am I ever glad I did, as it's stellar. Hillenbrand dives into the world of thoroughbred horse racing in this incredible story of Seabiscuit, who, I've gotta admit, I'd never heard of before. Apparently he wasn't a very promising-looking horse, and that's putting it mildly. Nor were the horse's owner, trainer, or jockey very promising. But somehow out of this sure-to-court-disaster scenario, they instead came up with a stupendous and heartwarming winner.
And Hillenbrand has written a stupendous and heartwarming book about it.
Don't miss it - even if you don't know a horse from a camel designed by a committee.

The Amazing Seabiscuit.....
A racehorse I was vaguely familiar with as I was growing up in the '50s, but never truly knew or appreciated until I read this fascinating book. A heartwarming saga about one of America's most successful racehorses and the men that helped make him famous. A horse with the physique of a cowpony, Seabiscuit continued winning races at well beyond the age where the majority of horses retire.

Laura Hillenbrand has a winning book here. She embraces the reader and takes him on a wild journey inside the world of horseracing. She focuses not only on the horse, but the unlikely mix of individuals responsible for his success. The owner (Charles Howard), the trainer (Tom Smith) and the jockeys (Red Pollard & George Woolf) all fatefully come together in the mid-1930s to purchase and turn around the fortunes of an erratic horse given up on by knowledgeable others.

If this wasn't enough of a storyline ...it gets even better !!! The plot slowly develops around the ultimate match up of Seabiscuit, the pride of the West Coast, and War Admiral, the Triple Crown winner from the east. This all important stakes race will once and for all determine "Horse of the Year" honors for the eventual winner.

This book is not merely your ordinary powder puff story....thanks to the author's obvious knowledge, and extensive research, she delves into the nuts and bolts of horseracing including several chapters devoted to the wretched life of a jockey .....and all the hardships endured in order to manage body weight and stay healthy long enough to eke out a meager existence. For the most part...this is a light and fast pace read...very entertaining...very informative.....and truly unforgettable.

J.B. Kruz
KruzKontrol

Good Book
I WASN'T interested in horses before, or horse racing, but I still really enjoyed this book. A real page turner, excellently written.

Wonderful
I don't know anything about horseracing. I saw the movie, and then this book fell into my hands, and I began it wondering if it would live up to the hype. Of course, it did, and then some. Laura Hillenbrand is a wonderful writer, full of anecdotes and information about the '30s, the depression, and the world of horseracing in those days. The author spends a great deal of time (a quarter or a third of the book) setting the stage, but she does such a wonderful job that you don't mind. When she gets to the spot where things begin to take off, the book is frankly wonderful.

I won't tell you anything more about the book, other than to mention that Seabiscuit was the typical underdog (underhorse?) that Americans love to see win, and he didn't dissappoint. I enjoyed this book immensely, and would recommend it to anyone.

Oh seabiscut
I love this book so much that I want to tell the whole world. Seabiscut I love you !!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A nice companion to his other work
"On the Big Blackfoot" is a series of readings and narratives by Norman Maclean and his son, John, plus an interview with Norman Maclean that I found to be the most interesting part of the recording. The focus of the discussions is quite naturally "A River Runs Through It," but they do go a bit beyond it. If you are a fan of any of Maclean's work, then hearing his voice is a treat. ... Read more

Book Description

In the hard-knuckled thirties, Joe DiMaggio was the immigrant boy who made it big. He was the dominant star in the New York Yankees dynasty. As World War II loomed, Joltin' Joe launched a fifty-six game hitting streak -- and the nation literally sang his name. In the age of postwar ease and plenty, he became Broadway Joe, the icon of elegance and class -- marrying Marilyn Monroe, the most beautiful girl in America.

In 1962, when he lost that girl for good, Joe was everyman embarking on a decade of national bereavement. Joe DiMaggio was a mirror of our best self, but he was also the loneliest hero we ever had. A nation of fans would give him anything, but what he wanted most was to hide the life he chose.

In this groundbreaking biography, Richard Ben Cramer presents a stunning, often shocking portrait of the hero nobody knew. It is a story that sweeps through the twentieth century, bringing to light America's national game, movie stars, mobsters, as well as the birth -- and the price -- of modern national celebrity.

This is the story Joe DiMaggio never wanted to tell. It is the story of his grace and greed, his dignity, pride and his hidden shame. ... Read more

Reviews (104)

Fact v. Fiction
While The Hero's Life is an excellent book about one of the three best baseball players who have ever lived, you have to wonder how much is true. Mr Cramer does list many sources and is wonderful at telling the story of Joe DiMaggio's life. DiMaggio kept the people whom he did not want in his life out and probably for good reason. The question does linger however that since he is basing most of the book on second hand information how much is true. An excellent book that was hard to put down I have recomended it many people. Having never seen Joe DiMaggio play and him seemingly in secrecy for most of his life I found him to be an "interesting" person. He was, is and should always be an American Icon; bringing a country that was embattled in war together for a brief point in history. If you dont know anything about Joe DiMaggio but would like to, this book is a must.

This View of Joe Will Jolt You
This is a totally absorbing book. Not all writers can get away with an informal, vernacular style, but Cramer pulls it off--reading the book is like listening to an occasionally breathless but always fascinating raconteur hold forth. It's as if the author were talking to the reader personally, narrating the story.

The choice of words in the title is telling: not "a" hero's life, which would imply that DiMaggio was a genuine hero, but "the" hero's life, implying that the subject's actual life was greatly at variance with his heroic image, as it certainly was. Some DiMaggio fans are offended that Cramer didn't write a worshipful puff-piece; instead he revealed what a cold, mean-spirited, greedy guy DiMaggio really was. But the author also helps the reader understand how DiMaggio got that way, and it's this quality that makes the book so extraordinary.

Two criticisms of aspects of the book that make it less than a five-star production: The author's repeated use of the term "Dago" when referring to DiMaggio could perhaps be explained by the fact that many people of the time really did refer to DiMaggio with that ethnic slur, but it's still offensive and unnecessary. People in the past may indeed have referred to DiMaggio that way, but that doesn't mean Cramer should compound the error by throwing the term around so frequently himself! If he were writing about Hank Greenberg, I'll bet he wouldn't refer to him throughout his text as "The Hebe" or "The Kike." Nor, if he were writing about Jackie Robinson, would he dream of referring to his subject as "The Nig," or by whatever other racist slurs were hurled at Robinson.

The other criticism is that I was constantly wondering how the author could possibly have known some of the things he includes. Maybe this is just awe at Cramer's reportorial skills, but since he includes no source notes, we have to take him at his word. He may well have had many talky informants, especially after DiMaggio's death, but I don't think anybody could have followed Joe into the bedroom with Marilyn Monroe, the way Cramer pretends to do!

Good addition to DiMaggio Literature
Being a San Franciscan, I really appreciated the author's research and description of life in this City during the first 3-4 decades of the 20th century, including the baseball scene and the legend of Lefty O'Doul (whose bar is still open just off Union Square). There is also much to be learned for the younger readers about baseball in the 30s and 40s. Not all was a grand as today's romanticists like to portray it. How things should be is somewhere between the over-paid mediocre talent of today and the grossly underpaid---and unfree---players of those days. I can't imagine what someone of Dimaggio's caliber would be getting paid today.

The book also shined when describing not only Joe's relationship with Marilyn Monroe (brutal by today's standards) and what Hollywood and stardom was like.

Dimaggio's dysfunctional personality and apparent avarice are well-presented, as is the power he had to make men give up all dignity and self-respect simply to be his friend. While we can't simply assume everything said here about DiMaggio's attorney and "close personal friend", Morris Engelberg, is 100% accurate, it isn't hard to believe either. We had a very real taste of this man's character here in San Francisco with how he handled the whole affair of our city wanting to name the playground in North Beach for DiMaggio.

The only gap in the book for me was the leap it made from Marilyn Monroe's death all the way to the 1989 SF earthquake. I thought Cramer went pretty far in depicting the Kennedy/Sinatra involvement with Monroe and why Joe so despised them after her death. But he stopped there quite abruptly. There probably was more that could have been written to show Joe's scorn for them (like the snub of Bobby Kennedy at Yankee Stadium during an Old Timers Game introductions...Joe refused to shake his hand). Baseball-wise, I think more could have also been written about Joe's feelings for---or against---Mickey Mantle and how he felt about THAT center fielder's so completely winning the hearts of Yankee fans. If the author's intended audience was people like me and older, who are familiar with Joe's life and career, then I'm off-base. If he was hoping to have the 20-30 crowd know more about this myth, I think he could have written a little more.

Joe DiMaggio was not a good man necessarily, many people knew that before even reading this book. In today's world he would have been mauled by the press and fans and would likely not be perceived as such a heroic figure as he now is. Look at Barry Bonds, perhaps a better player overall (hard to say for those of us who never saw Joe actually play...hard to argue against 9 world championships in 13 years...versus Barry's ZERO), yet his personality is probably not too different from Joe's in his search for privacy and aloofness from his teammates. However, he is vilified by most and has precious few friends. In another day, he would have been up in the pantheon with the Babe and Joltin' Joe.

Why the personal assault?
This book was a gift from my daughter; as such, I read it even though I knew that it was a hatchet job, for whatever reason, against a great player. At the end of the book I came away with the same conclusion I had when I started, and that is that Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest hitters of all time (had an immaculate swing) and one of the greatest all around players of all time. As a baseball lover that is all I need to know. In short, he was idolized for his playing ability and for his quite demeanor on the field, while keeping his peccadilloes from public view - why is that so bad? What grudge the author has against Joe DiMaggio I don't know, but I see no need to attack a person based on the shortcomings of that person's personality.

Bitter, angry, jealous - and that's just the author
This is a bitter, self-indulgent attempt by the author to attack DiMaggio. Period. He was a bad guy... so what? He liked money? Last time I checked, the author wasn't giving his book away. The main problem isn't with the book or DiMaggio, but with the people who make guys like DiMaggio the heroes they can never be. The bar is set way too high for these individuals. No one can reach it. Our solution: write about it. Consider this: I seriously doubt anyone will write a book about the author, because while he may have received accolades for his work as a reporter, all he has really done in his life is write about what other people have done in their lives. Seems like an empty accomplishment to me, and might be the reason for the high level of bitterness and, perhaps, jealousy that came through in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

After an injury-plagued stint in the minor leagues in his twenties, Jim Morris hung up his cleats and his dreams to start a new life as a father, high school physics teacher, and baseball coach. Jim's athletes knew that his dream was still alive - he threw the ball so hard they could barely hit it - and made a bet with him: if they won the league championship, he would have to try out for a major league ball club. They did - and he did, and during that tryout threw the ball faster than he ever had, faster than anyone there, nearly faster than anyone playing in the Bigs. He was immediately drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and three months later made his major league debut, striking out All-Star Royce Clayton. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Wonderful story, disappointing book
This is one book I couldn't wait to read. The Jim Morris story to me, a 45-year-old still continuing my lifetime passion by playing hardball in men's adult leagues, was one of the most improbable and inspiring sports stories, EVER. For a 38-year-old guy to go from coaching his high school baseball team, to showing up at a major league tryout camp and start throwing 98-mph fastballs, then get signed, THEN reach the majors all in the same season, well, if it hadn't actually happened I never would have believed it. I followed his story closely as it was happening, and actually met him while he was playing in the Arizona Fall League in October 1999. I was there playing in the Men's Adult Baseball League World Series and managed to catch a game (Morris didn't get in, but he did sign a foul ball my buddy had caught). That said, "The Oldest Rookie" just didn't deliver. I thought starting off with Morris' childhood in chronological order was a big mistake. If I had co-authored the book, it would have begun with his feelings of first appearing in a major league game, of stepping onto the stadium turf, of what it was like to be staring down a big league hitter he had been watching on TV just months before. After all, why else would anyone be reading it? Once the book did get into that magical 1999 season, it picked up. But it took way too long to get there, I thought, and seemed to lessen the impact of what he had accomplished. Also, I was disappointed in the lack of photographs, which amounted to one tiny, non-uniform mug shot of Morris on the inside book jacket. I can't understand why photos weren't included. So The Oldest Rookie was an opportunity wasted, overall. Maybe a movie will be made someday and Jim Morris will get his just due. But until then, The Oldest Rookie will have to fill the void, and it just doesn't.

Excellent autobiography
This is the autobiography of Jim Morris, the oldest player to enter major league baseball since 1970. The book transcends sports though baseball fans will enjoy this well written autobiography. However, Mr. Morris' extraordinary story is more about fulfilling dreams that might sound like Don Quixote still going for the gold. He also pays homage to his family for their sacrifices and to his West Texas team that encouraged and assisted an injury-plagued high school coach and turns him into a major league pitcher at thirty-five. Great inspirational story worth reading because Mr. Morris along with Joel Engel tells an amazing true story with grace and honor. Perhaps my spouse's dream of swinging the bat one time is not as farfetched as it sounds.

Harriet Klausner

America's Pastime
"Everything gets hard before it gets easy." A well known cliché Jim Morris knows all too well. The Rookie, a true story written by Jim Morris, travels the journey of Jim's dream and how he accomplished it. Morris learned to walk at seven months old, passing up five months or normal development, he had natural talent, and was arguably the best baseball player on any team he played on, whether little league or softball. Morris was even a star football kicker, launching the ball over eighty yards with one swift boot. He knew his baseball skills would take him far, maybe even the major leagues, but there was one little problem that hovered over his stardom; his arm. He had Tommy John Surgery on his throwing arm, setting him back a year, then he had more trouble which was a three inch bone spur in his shoulder, the surgery was said to put the cap on his career. Yet Jim Morris wasn't ready to end his career just then.

Every novel has its good points and its poor points, that is what makes it popular. It is hard to find a negative point when the novel is based on a subject that one may feel so passionate about, yet some of the facts presented here in the book make one wonder how they were retrieved. When Jim Morris walked for the first time, he claimed that his parents didn't even see him because they were driving across the country and neither of his parents were paying attention. More than likely this information was conjured up, which in turn makes the story more interesting, but should be omitted. Even though it may have been false information, the majority of non-fiction books tend to have some created information in them. A technique many writers include in their "bag of tricks."

Jim Morris dedicated his life to baseball. He played the game basically his whole life, and loved every minute of it. The emotions Morris encounters are of the harshest; from learning he will never play baseball again, to marital problems at home. He shares these sensitive feelings with the reader, letting the reader inside his mind and head, thus making the story feel more personal. When an author expresses personal experiences wit the reader, sometimes the reader can relate with the emotions and problems, and when a reader has gone through them as well, the book gets that much better. Jim Morris is a passionate man who has a love for America's past time, and never will let that love go. Jim Morris loves baseball.

The Oldest Rookie
The Oldest Rookie

Joel Engel and Jim Morris really did a wonderful job when they wrote the book The Oldest Rookie. The story was so good in fact that it inspired a movie called The Rookie. Although I thoroughly enjoyed both of them I would have to say that the book was better. There are a number of superior qualities about the book. You know it must be really good to because I almost always like the movie more then the book. The Oldest Rookie is easily one of the 5 best books I've read.
In the book, you really get inside Jim Morris's head. You can see how he goes from a kid who did nothing except play baseball, to a minor leaguer who had to retire because of arm troubles, to a patient high school teacher, to a major leaguer. In the movie you see him as a kid playing baseball, however in the book he talks about how when he was younger the only toys he would play with were balls and how he was only in kindergarten when the fifth graders let them play in his baseball games because he was so good. Morris explains how the only think he cared about was baseball and he knew he wanted to be a pro ball player all his life. In the movie you are left to either assume that or to not know it at all. One of the most effective parts of the book was when Morris is describing when he went to play in his first major league game. He talks about how the hard journey had been worth it and you can almost feel his happiness as a smile spreads across your face and you turn the page. In the movie there was no way they could capture this moment perfectly. They just had him stand outside of the stadium for a few moments. In the book, you really get to see how Morris's brain works. He explains how he was a perfectionist and that it really hurt his life. They don't even touch this subject in the movie, even though it had drastic effects on his life. Feeling what Jimmy Morris feels really enhances the story.
The characters in the book are also superior to the characters in the movie. They include pretty much every person who ever had an effect on Jimmy's life, while in the movie they pretty much just focus on him. The other characters really add a lot to the story. For example they didn't even mention that Jimmy had a grandfather, while in the book Jimmy says that his Grandpa was perhaps the biggest influence in his life. It was his grandpa who taught him to work hard and to not feel bad for himself when things didn't go his way. Also, they completely changed his parents. In the movie they make them seem like a normal couple, while in the book Morris explains how they didn't even like each other. They only married each other because Jimmy's mom got pregnant and they eventually got divorced. The movie really messed up on the characters.
The biggest part where the book has the advantage over the movie is in the story. There were gapping holes in the movie. In the movie they started at page 1 and went to about page 12 and then they went to about page 200, and the book was less then 300 pages long. They skipped the meat of the story, which is when he is in the minors for the first time. If you watched the movie you'd have no idea he had ever really played in the minors before. They left out how he had started playing pro after his first year of junior college and then went on to the grueling minor league system where he would ride in small buses for countless hours and then stay in cheap motels. Then when he finally did pitch he did horrible and right when he started doing good his arm started to hurt. In the movie they mentioned he had received arm surgery but they did not explain how important to him it had been. In the movie they made it seem as if he had gotten arm surgery and then retired when he had really came only to need arm surgery again the next season. He even got one more after that one before he retired. Then his family went through harsh financial times before the movie finally picked up the story again. The movie plot is very flawed.
The movie tried to do what they do to most inspiring stories, and that is make it feel more like a fairy tail then something that could really happen. They failed to show a lot of the hard work he put in to get where he did. You should really pick up the book The Oldest Rookie , it's a great story and it a speed read!

The Dreams of a Young Boy
The Rookie is an excellent book about a middle-aged man and the love of his life. Now this love is two things and they are the woman that he has always wanted and the world's greatest pastime, Baseball. Now Jim Morris is a middle-aged teacher who use to be a pitcher of a major league baseball team and he hurt himself severely and was not able to pitch another game. So he retired from the game that he always loved to play and watch and married the love of his life. He is now enjoying his life because he is coaching a young high-school team and is married to the woman that he has always loved and cared for all his life. Jim Morris's baseball team that he is coaching doesn't really know the truth about him being a major league pitcher. However after they see him pitch a couple of pitches ranging in the mid nineties they know that with that speed he had to have been a major league pitcher. So the team and the coach put on a little side bet. The team tells the coach if they win the championships than the coach (Jim Morris) has to go and try out for a major league team again and age forty. Jim Morris is a great coach and he then is asked to do this to really show his team what he still has left inside of him. This book is a very exciting and interesting book that has many different dilemmas and altercations in it. Personally when I was reading this book I just couldn't put it down. Every page that I flipped and began reading just made me eager to keep on reading because it was very enjoyable. I have never red a book that has given me this type of feeling. I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a great book. It doesn't matter if you love or hate baseball this book is perfect for everyone. I can't believe that this book did not win a award or something that is achieved only through a great story. This book has all the qualities of a best seller. It is exciting, interesting, and you could say even touching in a way. Throughout my whole review and summary, in conclusion I highly recommend this book to everyone and I hope anyone who is looking for an excellent book to read to really try and read, The Rookie by Joel Engel and Jim Morris. I did and I am glad that I read this book and wouldn't have been happier if I red anything else for this project. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Mantle Family Reveals Its Problems To Help Others
If you are looking for a book on the baseball exploits of Mickey Mantle try another book. Mickey, his wife, and sons reveal the difficulties they endured as they each battled alcohol addiction which led to numerous other problems in their lives. It may seem like a depressing book, but the story is told in a way that other families might avoid the pitfalls the Mantle family suffered. They are to be commended for their candidness.

A true touching portrait of one of america's greatest heroes
After reading this book on Mickey Mantle, it showed all of us what a true hero he really was. Yes there were the incidents of alcohol and unfaithfulness with his wife, but the ability to see his wrongs and his struggle to correct those earlier problems would make anyone root for this midwest small town icon. ... Read more

Book Description

4 cassettes / 4 hours
Read by LeVar Burton

AudioBook contains the historic recording of Jackie Robinson's Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech.


The extraordinary life of Jackie Robinson is illuminated as never before in this full-scale biography by Arnold Rampersad, who was chosen by Jack's widow, Rachel, to tell her husband's story, and was given unprecedented access to his private papers. We are brought closer than we have ever been to the great ballplayer, a man of courage and quality who became a pivotal figure in the areas of race and civil rights.

Born in the rural South, the son of a sharecropper, Robinson was reared in southern California. We see him blossom there as a student-athlete as he struggled against poverty and racism to uphold the beliefs instilled in him by his mother--faith in family, education, America, and God.

We follow Robinson through World War II, when, in the first wave of racial integration in the armed forces, he was commissioned as an officer, then court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a bus. After he plays in the Negro National League, we watch the opening of an all-American drama as, late in 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized Jack as the right player to break baseball's color barrier--and the game was forever changed.

Jack's never-before-published letters open up his relationship with his family, especially his wife, Rachel, whom he married just as his perilous venture of integrating baseball began. Her memories are a major resource of the narrative as we learn about the severe harassment Robinson endured from teammates and opponents alike; about death threats and exclusion; about joy and remarkable success. We watch his courageous response to abuse, first as a stoic endurer, then as a fighter who epitomized courage and defiance.

We see his growing friendship with white players like Pee Wee Reese and the black teammates who followed in his footsteps, and his embrace by Brooklyn's fans. We follow his blazing career: 1947, Rookie of the Year; 1949, Most Valuable Player; six pennants in ten seasons, and 1962, induction into the Hall of Fame.

But sports were merely one aspect of his life. We see his business ventures, his leading role in the community, his early support of Martin Luther King Jr., his commitment to the civil rights movement at a crucial stage in its evolution; his controversial associations with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Humphrey, Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and Malcolm X.

Rampersad's magnificent biography leaves us with an indelible image of a principled man who was passionate in his loyalties and opinions: a baseball player who could focus a crowd's attention as no one before or since; an activist at the crossroads of his people's struggle; a dedicated family man whose last years were plagued by illness and tragedy, and who died prematurely at fifty-two. He was a pathfinder, an American hero, and he now has the biography he deserves.
... Read more

Reviews (11)

This book cooks!
I wasn't a huge baseball fan when I started this book, but I'd heard of Jackie Robinson. I used to think I knew who he was. Well, you don't anything until you read this book! The comforting text inches over every exciting aspect of Jackie Robinson's life. It was written using information that Jackie Robinson's wife provided for the first time. The topics range from rising above racism to sharing personal family experiences. If you love baseball, this book is absolutely for you. However, if you're not really into sports (like me), then you'll still adore this true-life story that seems almost unreal.

Brings the Legend who was Jackie Robinson to life.
In his excellent biography of Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson, author Arnold Rampersad has painted with a crisp and lively narrative an objective, balanced , and candid portrait of a legend. Here is seen the complex, driven man that was Jackie Robinson, "warts" and all. He was the proud and fiercely determined African American athlete, extraordinarily gifted in at least four sports; a sometimes overly sensitive man who despised racism always fought against it, even in the pre-Civil Rights era of the 1930s and 1940s, and even at the risk of conviction by military court-martial. He used an unconquerable will and ambition to became a football, baseball, basketball and track star at Pasadena Junior College; one of the greatest football running backs in UCLA history, and ultimately, under the guidance of legendary Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey, the first African American professional baseball player of the modern era. Rampersad traces Robinson's struggle against racism during his early Dodger years; it is a poignant and compelling story.

The book also shows the more human side of Robinson: a quiet and sensitive man, and a political activist whose fight for racial equality was consistent throughout his life; a wonderfully loving husband but sometimes distant father; and a businessman of tremendous integrity. At Rampersad's hands, Jackie Robinson is a genuinely heroic and admirable person. This is a book which allows the reader to really get to know its subject. It is one of the finest biographies I've read in many years. Highly recommended!

Terrific Read
This biography does an outstanding job of giving an overview of Robinson's life and times, from his early, awnry but talented years in Pasadena, through UCLA, then the military, and then the Brooklyn Dodgers and beyond. It paints a picture of a strong willed gentleman with enormous pride, dedicated to his family, and dedicated to the idea of racial integration and equality. The influences of his mother on his early, somewhat (understandably) confrontational character, that allowed him to ultimately be the individual who paired with Branch Rickey to integrate "America's Pastime" are clearly laid out.

Some reviewers have faulted the author for not being more interpretive of Robinson's politics - specifically, that he was a Nixon supporter in 1960 and a Rockefeller supporter in 1968 (while also being a strong supporter of Civil Rights, active in almost every civil rights organization) and Humphrey supporter as well. I think the book lays out all the facts for the reader to see for themselves. Robinson's coming of age - in an era when a Dixiecrat from a Jim Crow state (LBJ) led the passage of the Civil Rights Act - was a time of a shifting political landscape that didn't settle out until near his death (he also broke badly with Nixon later in Nixon's career). The Republican party's mantra of self-reliance, and Robinson's determination to succeed in business in the same way he did in sports, made his attraction to the party not a big leap; the alienation of this country's African American establishment from big business was not a pre-ordained fact in the time Robinson lived.

Finally, Robinson's own family struggles were also a reflection of the confusing and troubling times in which he lived.

Robinson died too young for us all. This is a great book and I would highly recommend it..

an engrossing, human story
i'm not particularly interested in baseball, but i am particularly interested in American history from the human perspective. i could have read a much more dry account of the turmoils that dominated American race relations throughout the middle of the 20th century, but instead i've read this fascinating account of those terrible, backward days from the perspective of a true pioneer, Mr. Jackie Robinson.

of course he is looked back on now as a symbol, a mythological figure. i always knew peripherally of Jackie as the same thing most people do: the first black man to play major league baseball, a step forward & up in the painful struggle of the times. but this book presents him as a human being, a fallible man who lived most of his life not on the baseball field, but in a relentless pursuit of his ideals and desire for a better life for himself and everyone around him.

the reviewer before me questions the biographer's lack of judgement of Robinson. i am curious as to why he feels Rampersad should insert his own analysis; the biography presents analyses of Robinson by many of Robinson's contemporaries, and then presents the recorded facts available to clarify incidents & statements. yes, this is an intensely personal biography, perhaps too personal in places. it is very much centered on Jackie's private correspondences. it is absolutely told from Robinson's persepctive, as best can be reconstructed from his widow Rachel & the papers he left behind, but it feels very honest, not at all like an airbrushed bit of hero-polishing. it is in places very blunt about Jackie's shortcomings as observed by his peers & contemporaries.

before i stretch this out any longer, i'll just say that this is the most engrossing biography i can ever recall having read. it's an account of a fascinating life in an amazingly recent time, in an America that seems so long ago but is still discouragingly recent. readers will learn not just about Jackie Robinson, but about two American eras as well.

Pulls its punch
Professor's Rampersad's biography of Jackie Robinson is a book that's needed now. It's incredibly informative about the man behind the legend. (I think Roger Angell's blurb sums it up: "[the] book arrives just in time to save the man from his own legend.") However, Rampersad doesn't focus much on Robinson's baseball life, and he seems to be holding back judgment on Robinson despite the opportunities to do so.

Before digging in the dirt, I want to say that this book is crisply written and chock full o' facts about Robinson's life. Rampersad obviously had the full support of Robinson's widow, Rachel, and her views are constantly felt throughout the book. It's almost told from her point of view, in fact, and thus feels like a intimate, loving homage to the man.

But there are some issues and character flaws in Robinson that Rampersad shows or hints at, but never fully explores. For example, we never truly felt the force of the hatred leveled against Robinson during his efforts to integrate baseball. There are a few quick references to name-calling, a couple of pitches thrown his way, but what made Robinson so bitter, what filled him with the hatred that so obviously ate at him later in his career? It's implied, rather than shown, as if it were too terrible even to discuss. On the whole, the chapters on Robinson's baseball career are woefully thin. It's clear that Rampersad is not much of a baseball fan - including a few factual errors about the sport's rules and game play - and it's a shame, because baseball is as much about its stories as it is about its action.

And then there's Robinson's role as Civil Rights' leader, which Rampersad describes, but withholds all judgment on. Why exactly did Robinson favor the Republican Party, even long after it was obvious that the GOP proved to be the party of segregation and white privilege? Also Rampersad only hints at the acrimony and in-fighting between Robinson and such organizations as the NAACP and SLCC.

Presented with the facts supplied by Rampersad, it seemed that Robinson was a vain, proud, and sensitive man, who was extremely susceptible to flattery, especially from powerful whites. It also seems that his success in baseball convinced him that he would be successful in other areas, especially politics. But it seemed that he was over his head in that area, always a tool of the professionals, Nixon and Rockerfeller.

Notice I say "seem" a lot! That's because Rampersad never states any of this outright, he only hints at it - enough to acknowledge these characteristics, but fails to explore them. Rampersad never digs into Robinson's psychology, never explains or contemplates motivation, cause, or effect of any of Robinson's endeavors. It's so easy on Robinson that I suspect Rampersad wrote this book for Robinson's widow - or maybe her approval of the book was necessary as part of some deal for use of her letters. Or perhaps Rampersad was too aware of Robinson's near-saint-like stature in our nation's culture to find any fault with the man. In any case, he definitely pulls all punches, and the book, though informative, feels incomplete.

Yes, Robinson was a hero. Yes, he was courageous. But he was also a man, full of frailties and inconsistencies, just like the rest of us. To withhold judgement does him as much diservice as it does us... ... Read more

Reviews (11)

What a pitcher! What a book!
One of the best baseball books I have ever read- easily on my top ten list and maybe even in my top five. I was not aware that the book was written by Johnson's great grandson until I began reading; this certainly gave the material a lot of credibility.
Walter Johnson was, without question, the greatest pitcher in baseball history. Along with Al Stump's work on Ty Cobb, Robert Creamer's work on Casey Stengel, and the recently published Cy Young biography (author's name escapes me), this book establishes a lasting legacy of Johnson on and off the field.

The Big Book on The Big Train
Written from the heart, and it shows. Truly a magnificent piece of work from Henry Thomas. I loved this book from beginning to end. Follow Walter Johnson from beginning to end through the eyes of someone that actually cares about Walter Johnson, his grandson. I cannot say enough great things about this book. Such a teriffic treat about a wonderful character in the history of baseball.

A BIG BOOK ABOUT THE BIG TRAIN
THIS BOOK IS ONE VERY DETAILED AND FACT FILLED BOOK. I DON'T LIKE LONG AND DETAILED BOOKS BUT THIS IS AN EXCEPTION. THE AUTHOR DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING OF HIS STORIED CAREEER. JOHNSON WAS ONE OF THE NICEST AND RESPECTED MEN THE GAME HAS EVER SEEN. HE TRULY HAD ONE OF THE GREATEST ARMS EVER. I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN FOR IT TRULY IS A MUST READ. THE STORIES ABOUT HIM PITCHING TO SUCH GREATS AS BABE RUTH AND TY COBB AS FASCINATING. FOR HISTORIANS AND ALL NOSTALGIA FANS OF THE GRAND OLD GAME.

Who's the best? Walter
Simply stated, this is the most detailed as well as accurate baseball bio, at least of a player from pre-WWII years, we have. Yet Thomas keeps the story moving, and we get the full picture of the man and his family life as well. Jack Kavanaugh's "Ol' Pete" (Grover Alexander), and Reed Browning's "Cy Young" make excellent relievers, but here's your starting pitcher, and Big Train didn't need bailing out very often.

too much game description
I stopped after the first 300 pages or so, because the detailed game descriptions were just getting to be too much. I felt like I never got to know anything about Johnson the man, or his life, or the times that he lived in. If you like reading those expanded box scores that they usually have in USA Today during the World Series, and which tell every play in the game, then this is the book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

There were mythic sports figures before him--Jack Johnson, Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Joe DiMaggio--but when Cassius Clay burst onto the sports scene from his native Louisville in the 1950s, he broke the mold. He changed the world of sports and went on to change the world itself. As Muhammad Ali, he would become the most recognized face on the planet. Ali was a transcendent athlete and entertainer, a heavyweight Fred Astaire, a rapper before rap was born. He was a mirror of his era, a dynamic figure in the racial and cultural battles of his time. This unforgettable story of his rise and self-creation, told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, places Ali in a heritage of great American originals.

Cassius Clay grew up in the Jim Crow South and came of athletic age when boxers were at the mercy of the mob. From the start, Clay rebelled against everything and everyone who would keep him and his people down. He refused the old stereotypes and refused the glad hand of the mob. And, to the confusion and fury of white sportswriters, who were far more comfortable with the self-effacing Joe Louis, Clay came forward as a rebel, insistent on his political views, on his new religion, and, eventually, on a new name. His rebellion nearly cost him the chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.

King of the World features some of the pivotal figures of the 1960s--Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, John F. Kennedy--and its pivotal events: the civil rights movement, political assassinations, the war in Vietnam. Muhammad Ali is a great hero and a beloved figure in American life. King of the World takes us back to the days when his life was a series of battles, inside the ring and out. A master storyteller at the height of his powers, David Remnick has written a book worthy of America's most dynamic modern hero. ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Ali as agent of social change?
I found David Remnick's story of the rise of Ali quite compelling, and that's coming from someone who doesn't even like boxing. The brash young confident kid is portrayed in great detail but the portraits of the other major figures: Liston and Patterson are just as engrossing. Remnick writes well, mixes the story with telling anecdotes and chronicles Ali's rise in the context of the social changes of the time.

The book is accurately called 'the rise'; you don't get a lot of the mature Ali and his fights after his comeback. My main question about the book, and it's one the book doesn't answer; exactly HOW did this sometimes loathed figure; an outsider in a religious and racial sense from the authorities, become such a modern day hero? Exactly how did that happen? There's a book there waiting to be written.

In the meantime enjoy this one.

Good book, even if you don't like to read
This book I would recommend to all the people who either like boxing or Muhammed Ali. I would also recommend this to people who don't like to read because you would enjoy it and keep reading until its done. This book is about Ali at his best. From his childhood days to his greatest boxing match ever. This a nonfiction book that tells about Ali's career and the other boxers of his time, which include Floyd Patterson and Sonny Linston. Their fights took place in the 1960's. The best fight ever in this book was held in Miami Beach against Sonny Liston. This fight was exciting because Ali was the underdog of the fight and won it when Sonny Liston just gave up. The worst thing about this book is that it didn't fully describe all the other fights in his career.

The Titans Reigned Supreme
The Titans Reigned Supreme

Fantastic book - more than just the Ali Story -

This is one of the best-written and thought out books of the happenings amongst a small circle of the greatest heavy weights.

You get a rare insight into the lives and minds of Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay - and the awakening/becoming of Muhammad Ali

I went into this book wanting to feed my hunger for knowledge of Muhammad Ali and came out of with a craving for more Sonny Liston - I now want to know all I can about him.

Only a brief period in time is covered - but it's an in-depth look at that time and the people and the places that made up boxing and some of the world outside boxing.

This is a great book for anyone interested in these titans - for anyone interested in Patterson, Liston and Ali - for anyone interested in the history of legends.

One of the best books I've experienced - I truly felt like I was there at times - in that era - that energy of the people and the times

This is one of those books where you wish there was a part 2

muhammed ali discussed
the author is a very good writer and his style here makes this book a good read. impressive. the location of the photographs are well placed--not all in the center as in most books--but advantageously placed at the beginning of some chapters. a good read.

Liston, Patterson.
Covers three fights: Liston, Liston, Patterson. Much discussion of those opponents. More sport and less deadening Black Muslim/Malcolm X would have been better. Mentions Patterson's "vacances au soliel." Who the hell do you think is reading this book? ... Read more

Book Description

Erik Weihenmayer is a world-class athlete: an acrobatic skydiver, long-distance biker, and marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, ice climber, and rock climber. He was the first blind man to climb Alaska's Mt. McKinley. Then he became the first blind person to scale the infamous 3,000-foot rock face of Yosemite's El Capitan and Argentina's Acongagua, the highest peak outside of Asia. He married his longtime sweetheart at 13,000 feet on the Shira Plateau on his way to Kilimanjaro's summit, and recently Erik climbed Polar circus, the 30,000-foot vertical ice wall in Alberta, Canada. In May 2001 he reached the top of Mt. Everest. He is on course to reach all Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the seven continents, with only two left to conquer, and he plans to do so by the end of 2002. He lives in Colorado with his wife and young daughter. This is his story. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Just Terrific
This is just a terrific book, filled with humor, wisdom, pathos and adventure. The author poignantly describes his childhood descent into blindness, his efforts to ignore it, his initial rebelliousness, and his gradual coming to terms with his handicap. Before long, the reader, like Erik, no longer sees blindness as a handicap, but as one of many hurdles life tosses in our way. It is certainly less of a burden to him than was the sudden, tragic death of his mother, which he movingly addresses and comes to terms with. He finds purpose to his life, he finds love, and he finds friendship and adventure on the mountains that he climbs. Buy this book and give it to any friend who has an inclination toward self-pity, and it may change their life. Read it and be inspired by the resiliency and strength of the human spirit.

Touch the Top of the World
This is a fabulous book. One minute you are laughing out loud and the next, tears are pouring down your face. The tears are not of sadness but of joy for all the wonderful experiences Erik has had; his relationships with friends and family, his adventures among the cracks and crevices. With great wit, Erik expresses his triumphs along with his challenges. My son has been blind for two years. He lost his sight to genetics, but we had no cue that the family had the gene until his sight started going three weeks before his nineteenth birthday, it only took those three weeks. He just turned 21 on August 2. Unlike Erik, Larry does have the talent of music and travels with his band, Jepetto, around the East Coast. He even has gone back to taking Classical piano lessons. Like Erik he found no encouragement in what his abilities would do for him. TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD really helps you understand the the feeling of blindness, not of the limitations the world puts on you, but of the heights to which you can arise. Please read it, you will not be sorry you did, only sorry if you hadn't read it. I am donating a copy to each of my son's schools.

A Triumphant Life
This is an ease read but surprisingly soul-awakening book for me. There are statements on life lessons strung together like jewels hidden everywhere in this book, from the start to finish, mostly on self-assumed constraints that are common to everyone, sighted or not. I found vicariously the family love, friendship, and community support invigorating. I sensed the humor, strength, commitment, and perseverance Erik W carries with him daily, not just to the mountain top, which makes this book an absolute page-turner. Thanks Erik W for writing this book and share intimately with the readers the details of your journeys and the poeple in your life, we all have a lot to learn and draw from your experiences touched by the top of the world.

This man is an ass
I've heard this idiot speak about his experiences, and right away, I'd perceived he was an arrogant jerk who was writing a book for recognition, not to neccesarily inspire other climbers. I was at a conference where his book was touted all over the place, and that's when I knew it wasn't worth buying. Please, people, look beyond the fact that he's blind and that he climbed some of the most difficult mountains in the world, and have a look at his personal life. As one other reviewer said, this guy is a jerk, through and through. I'm not even going to read the book, that's how sure I am that it isn't worth my time.

The Character named chris at the beginning makes the book
It was a flavorful read. I believe the character chris seems to tie everything together. He is a dashing young buck so to speak. I could read about him for hours. I kept wanting to know what Chris was doing when the minor character Erik was climbing Mt. Everest. My only suggestion for improvement would be to have more of Chris in the book. Otherwise it was a dandy of a book. ... Read more

Book Description

A Season on the Brink—a book about Bob Knight—is the bestselling sports book of all time. Here is the only book that can surpass it—a book about Bob Knight by Bob Knight.

In college basketball, the name Bob Knight is synonymous with greatness and winning. Just take a glance at the Knight file. The numbers and achievements that prove what he has done, not only for Indiana University, but for the game itself, are there in black and white. In this riveting memoir, Coach Knight talks about his extraordinary basketball career, addressing both the public triumphs and the highly publicized controversies, often providing his side of the story for the first time.

His story begins with the most public and painful event in his life: his front-page dismissal as Indiana University’s basketball coach after 29 years in that position. But the story of Bob Knight is so much more than that. Above all, it is a story about one man’s tremendous success. How did he become the head coach at Army at the age of 24? How did he build a dynasty at Indiana? What principles has he lived by—and coached by—that kept the best players coming to Indiana to play for him?

Knight:My Story reveals a very personal and until now unseen part of Bob Knight’s life. His legions of fans will all line up to learn more about him.

Bob Knight has shown time and again that he is the most well-known coach in college basketball:

• He has won over 700 games (618 with Indiana University)
• He has been National Coach of the Year four times
• He coached ten Big Ten MVPs
• He is the only coach who can boast an NCAA Championship, NIT Title, the Pan American Gold, and the Olympic gold medal
• He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991
• He graduated 98% of his players
• He maintains a remarkable .737 winning record
... Read more

Reviews (45)

Selective and Subjective
What we have here is Knight's version of a "story" which began in 1940 when he was born in Orrville, Ohio. He played for Ohio State (starting only two games in three years but was the "sixth man" on an NCAA championship team in 1960), began his coaching career as an assistant at Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio), was head coach at the U.S. Military Academy, and then at Indiana University where three of his teams won an N.C.A.A. championship. Today, he coaches at Texas Tech University. As with all other memoirs, Knight's is both selective and subjective: selective in terms of what Knight remembers (or at least what he is willing to share with his reader) and subjective in terms of how he interprets that "what." Having coached varsity basketball in New England for 13 years at two different boarding schools, I was soon convinced that basketball is probably the most difficult game to officiate. Almost all of the calls are subjective. Officials do not call what happened; rather, they call what they think they saw happen. I suspect that Knight encountered a similar situation when writing this book with Bob Hammel. His account may not be in all respects exactly what has happened in his life thus far but I am convinced that what he offers in this book is what Knight sincerely believes happened. More revealing, to me at least, is his explanations of why he was involved in so many different controversies along the way.

According to Knight, he has almost always been a victim of circumstances such as when he was accused of assaulting a police officer in Puerto Rico and arrested (1979), of choking an Indiana player (Neil Reed) in 1997, grabbing the arm of an Indiana student (Kent Harvey) in 2000, and then verbally abusing the university's female legal counsel. Also in his opinion, he was victimized by the "stupidities" of Indiana University officials (notably President Myles Brand) and fired without just cause. Knight discusses these and other circumstances in this memoir. He is (with few exceptions) highly critical of journalists, especially sports writers, for unfairly exaggerating various incidents and thereby misrepresenting (if not totally misunderstanding) his intentions. For example, with regard to the incident in which he hurled a folding chair across a basketball court, he has explained with evident pride in his chair-throwing skill, that no one was in any danger. His nickname "The General" reminds me of George S. Patton who, until the day he died, felt victimized by the coverage of his soldier-slapping incident. (In fact, Patton slapped several whom he accused of cowardice and insubordination.) Among the recurrent themes throughout this book is Knight's strong sense of righteous indignation but keep in mind that all this is his version of what happened. Also why.

So what do I make of this book? As a former basketball coach, I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed accounts of various seasons and of especially important games. Also, in fairness to Knight, I am grateful (I really am) to share his perspectives on what has obviously been, until now, a highly complicated and controversial career. Knight helps me to understand why so many people love him, respect him, and support him. Perhaps without realizing it, he also helps me to understand why so many other people view him with contempt and even hostility. At least in one respect, Knight reminds me of Billy Martin and Woody Hayes who, when working with certain kinds of athletes (talented, obedient, thick-skinned, deferential, preferably reverential), consistently produced winning teams. Also like Knight, their behavior on and off the field of competition was highly controversial and both of them frequently expressed the same righteous indignation which Knight does in this book.

Even his severest critics concede that Knight is a great basketball coach. No one denies that he loves the game and coaches it with both passion and precision. These same critics also concede that there have been many instances in which Knight has demonstrated extraordinary kindness, compassion, and generosity with his players, albeit after they no longer played for him. And finally, his critics (albeit grudgingly) concede that he is highly intelligent, has a sharp wit, is wholeheartedly loyal and devoted to family members and friends, and (when so inclined) can really turn on the charm. However, they hasten to add that....

In the final analysis, Knight's "story" has many different versions. This is his.

Great Coach -- Not So Great Book
Let's get my bias out of the way first: I like Coach Knight. While he has lost his temper at times, he is an honest person and a fine teacher of college men. The vast majority of players who have played for him claim that they are better people because of him and I believe them.

That being said, I can't get quite excited about this book as I can regarding Texas Tech's chances in the upcoming basketball season. While this book is full of many interesting anecdotes and stories, it lacks organization. This is especially true as you near the end of the book. Instead of following an outline or logical flow, the book jumps from issue to issue and story without logical transitions.

Overall, I would recommend it to people who are big Bobby Knight fans except that I would be surprised if there is anything in the book that would be all the surprising to a big fan. What I enjoyed was when he would share his opinions of other sports stars and coaches and even his opinions of political leaders. For example we learn of his friendship with Ted Williams and hunting trips with President Bush and Stormin' Norman but that comes mixed between some other topics that aren't as compelling.

There have been other books written about Knight such as Feinstein's that might not be as flattering but might be more compelling to read. I would recommend reading this book and one of the others and comparing them. It would make for an interesting contrast.

In short, I'll be rooting for the Coach again this season, but it won't be beacuse of anything that I read about it in this book.

One for the ages
What a book. It is filled with info I never really knew. Never an Indiana basketball fam, I was always a Bobby Kight fan. I finished the book in one reading. I could not put it down. His love for fishing and hunting is explained in his book.

A Hoosier Must
I moved to Indiana near the end of Bob Knight's reign as the Head Coach at Indiana University. I was fascinated by the intensity and loyalty that the IU fans showed toward their coach and team. I personally have always appreciated Bob Knight as a coach, though I may not have always agreed with his antics. I do believe that college athletes need a coach who will teach discipline. His autobiography gives you an inside look at his life and perhaps a better understanding of how the coach really is. He definitely tells it as it is and does not pull any punches in this book. One of the strong points of this book is the emphasis the coach puts on in his coaching philosophies and his past accomplishments. You begin to understand, through the detailed recollections of important games, why the coach is revered by so many. He seems to take you there and let you know what was going through his mind and how he handled the situations. Also, the coach briefly addresses many of the "situations" he has been in over the years. Although they are his side of the story, you get the story as Coach Knight saw it, not how the media reported it. I thought it was particularly interesting when he discussed his firing from IU. He firmly believes that the school was out to get him, and for a brief moment, you may begin to believe him. I know that the media sure gave it a lot of attention here in Indiana, of course their spin on the situation was different then his. A common theme in this book is Coach Knight`s disdain for the media.
Overall, I think that the book is something that any "import" Hoosier should read. You begin to understand the idiosyncrasies that are Coach Knight. It also will help you understand why you see so many Texas Tech Red Raiders bumper stickers in Central Indiana.

Straight from the general's mouth....
If you're a Knight fan, you will love this book. If you're not, you're likely to hate it. Coach Knight recounts many of the incidents that have made him one of the polarizing figures in sports. Find out what really happened in his final seasons at IU. Laugh heartily at his tales of run-ins with non-fans from New Orleans to Puerto Rico. Observe his relationships with colleagues (Parcells, Larusa, Woody Hayes), players (Jordan, Thomas, Alford, Cheney), and friends (Ted Williams, Dick Vitale). Best of all, appreciate how he uses basketball as a vehicle for teaching character.

My only disappointment was his neglect of the reported friction between him and some of his former players (who I also admire) like Alford and Krzyzewski. I wish he would have explained or dismissed the media's fixation on these supposed grievances. Instead, he ignores it.

If you are disgusted by the deluge of recent negative stories from the sports page, then read this and be confident that at least one man requires his players study, behave, and play hard. ... Read more

Book Description

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by Edward Herrmann

In Playing for Keeps, David Halberstam takes the first full measure of Michael Jordan's epic career, one of the great American stories of our time. A narrative of astonishing power and human drama, brimming with revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights, the book chronicles the forces in Jordan's life that have shaped him into history's greatest basketball player, and the larger forces that have converged to make him the most famous living human being in the world.
        
From The Breaks of the Game to Summer of '49, David Halberstam has brought the perspective of a great historian, the inside knowledge of a dogged sportswriter, and the love of a fan to bear on some of the most mythic players and teams in the annals of American sport. With Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls he has given himself his greatest challenge, and produced his greatest triumph. The book is rich with Halberstam's professional signature: incisive, carefully woven human portraits of the major figures. We see the various players and teams the Bulls must overcome on their long, hard journey to six world championships, including Larry Bird and the Celtics, Isiah Thomas and the Pistons, and Magic Johnson and the Lakers. We get a rare insider's view of the dynamics between Jordan, the star, and the others who played critical roles in the championship seasons, including the shrewd, thoughtful Phil Jackson, the enigmatic Scottie Pippen, and the curiously shy Dennis Rodman. In addition, we see the bitter divisions between players and management on the Bulls, and the NBA's interior pressures and conflicts as basketball grows during Jordan's reign into a phenomenally successful big-time celebrity sport. This book is, as well, about fame in America, the forces that create it and its consequences. Among other things, we see how David Falk and Nike launched the campaign that sold Jordan to the world, abetted by a small Oregon ad agency, Wieden and Kennedy, and a struggling young Brooklyn filmmaker named Spike Lee.
        
The product of tireless on-the-ground reporting suffused with the wisdom and imagination of one of our greatest writers, Playing for Keeps is an AudioBook that, in defining Michael Jordan, also helps to define America in the Jordan Era.
... Read more

Reviews (60)

One of the best Sports books in recent years by a master!
When David Halberstam undertakes any subject, you can be absolutely sure that it will be exhaustively researched. Having read several other books by Mr. Halberstam I can tell you that once again that he maintains his excellent standards. He is more than fair to all parties concerned. Mr. Halberstam takes us to the board rooms, playgrounds, press rooms, restaurants hallways, corridors and offices where things were set in motion.

This book covers so much more than Michael Jordan and the Bulls. He brings to light so many different people and faithfully traces the current sports scene and it's precipators to the source. He does all this in a fascinating manner.

This was compelling reading. He covers angles missed entirely in other sports books. You are introduced to the major and the bit players, who are no less compelling.

If you enjoyed "The Fifties" and "Breaks of the Game" and are a sports fan. If you want to really know things got to where they are now. This is the book to read.

Mr. Halberstam is one of the literary treasures of our time.

A great book for Jordan fans and detractors
Mr. Halberstam's book on Michael Jordan is absolutely fascinating. While I have always admired Jordan's game, I never knew what sort of person he was until reading Playing for Keeps.

Halberstam's book is quite flattering, and he often describes Jordan as a great person. At the same time, Halberstam includes many unflattering details about Jordan's personality. This technique allows the reader to decide for himself or herself what sort of person Jordan is.

After reading the Playing for Keeps, I appreciate Jordan's game more than before (he beat Utah, my favorite team, almost singlehandedly), but have a more reserved opinion of Jordan as a person. At any rate, the book is incredibly interesting and a wonderful read.

Playing for Keeps Michael Jordan and the Wolrd He Made
This book is the best Jordan book I ever read. Lots of great details about JOrdan was included. This is also my first time reading David Halberstam's book. After I read "Playing for Keeps Michael Jordan and the Wolrd He Made" I think I will read more books by David Hablerstam. This book not only showed about Michael Jordan's life but also mention about how NBA change over time in the 80's and the 90's. This book