Sports Books

C. Vann Woodward's "The Strange Career of Jim Crow" remains one of the most important books written about post-Reconstruction Southern America. In the space of very few pages, Woodward brings to us the proposal that the assumptions we have all been making about Jim Crow laws and the development of segregation were all wrong from the very beginning. We are taught the lie from grade school forward that "that's just the way it always has been in the South." Not so, according to Woodward.

We learn very quickly when reading this book that not only were there three or four decades following the Civil War wherein there was virtually no major segregation in the South - but the conditions with regards to segregation and equal rights in the South were actually better than in the North for several decades as well.

The lies of a racist South and a desperate North (desperate to make a moral issue of something that they too were guilty of in trying to keep blacks from having equal rights) somehow stuck in the Southern psyche, and all along we've been thinking that people were racist because "that's all they knew." Woodward blows this theory out of the water, and exposes the truth about the post-Reconstruction South.

Not only was segregation not popular in the South in much of the late 19th Century, but blacks voted often. There was very good participation - enough to put a lot of blacks and Republicans in public office in the South - for a time. It was not until the 1870s that a gradual change began in the South. That change brought about the Jim Crow laws - changes that were unwelcome to all of humanity. Booker T. Washington believed that the South could not advance and still leave the blacks behind: Woodward came about a few decades later and showed us all just how right Washington really was.

C. Vann Woodward's "The Strange Career of Jim Crow" was the first major effort to analyze the segregation system in the American South. Appearing in 1955, the author's treatment of this institution refuted contemporary statements made by several public figures who argued that racial separation was an ancient phenomenon that would last indefinitely. Not so, argued Woodward, as he proceeded to prove that the South experienced a time after the Civil War when the two races often intermingled without widespread hostility on the part of southern whites. Woodward's book expresses the heartfelt belief that since segregation was a recent development, the possibility existed for the South to reject its separatist doctrine and eventually embrace integrationist principles. The first chapters deal with the period during and after Reconstruction, what Woodward refers to as the First Reconstruction, when the South grudgingly accepted conditions forced upon it by the North. The author argues that blacks in southern urban areas often lived side by side with white citizens, as well as rode in the same streetcars and dined in many of the same restaurants. There were exceptions to these incidents, but overall monolithic, legalized segregation measures simply did not exist.

One of the reasons for this lack of overarching segregation policies concerned southern politics in the post-Civil War South. The author outlines three political philosophies during the 1880s and 1890s that worked to capitalize upon black support. Southern liberalism went nowhere with its arguments that all citizens must have equal rights in all social spheres. Conservative southerners took a position between liberals and radical racists, arguing that in every society there existed superior and inferior elements. Obviously, conservatives claimed, blacks occupied an inferior position to whites. This did not mean that blacks should be treated harshly or denied privileges. The conservatives were paternalists and used the goodwill they earned from blacks to capture elective offices from the Redeemers. The conservative political philosophy collapsed when widespread corruption swept its proponents from office. The Populists, the last southern political structure Woodward discusses, also attempted an alliance with blacks. The movement was short lived, and with external pressures of the 1880s and 1890s such as economic depression and northern indifference to blacks, southerners blamed blacks for their social ills. Moreover, southern politicians weary of the years of malicious infighting decided to seek a measure of unification, and they achieved this fusion by blaming black voters for economic and political discord. It is at this time, writes the author, when segregation laws blossomed across the South.

The second section of the book deals with the emergence and consequences of what Woodward calls the Second Reconstruction. Starting during the Second World War and emerging fully during the 1950s and 1960s, this era of race relations saw increasing waves of attacks directed against Jim Crow in the South. The first maneuvers came from the White House, with Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman launching several initiatives aimed at integrating defense jobs and the armed services. The second wave came with a series of Supreme Court actions seeking to integrate the school systems. With action came reaction as the segregationists finally launched an offensive against Brown vs. The Board of Education when lower court judges in the South upheld the higher court's ruling. The resulting attempts to undercut the judgment by southern state governments coupled with periodic outbreaks of violence led to even more civil rights initiatives from the federal government. Kennedy proposed and Johnson pushed through Congress measures aimed at accelerating integration and restoring the black vote in the South. The Second Reconstruction ended after the riots of the 1960s in northern cities caused civil rights organizations to shift from a role of non-violence to militant black nationalism. Woodward's book concludes on a rather pessimistic note when he observes that black-white relations seem to be reverting to a new form of racial separation.

It is difficult to find problems with "The Strange Career of Jim Crow." The book was the first work to sum up the civil rights movement in the United States. Moreover, the author wrote a book broad enough to give historians plenty of material for further research, something scholars always appreciate. Even the form of the book, with its lack of footnotes and energetic style, is more of a plus than a minus. By writing a friendly, accessible treatment of the issue, Woodward managed to reach beyond the walls of academia and find a wide public audience. It is not difficult to imagine that many of the young people registering black voters or going on freedom rides could cite this book as a major influence in their decision to make a stand against segregation. As the afterword shows, even Martin Luther King, Jr read and quoted Woodward on occasion. Finally, the fact that this book has never gone out of print underscores its seminal influence on the country at large.

No book is immune to criticism, however. Woodward often fails to incorporate into his narrative what actions blacks took in response to segregation. This critique is not always valid: the author does cite a black newspaperman who toured the South in the late 1800s, along with several members of the Black Panther Party. But in several places the book needs some description of black agency, especially the chapter concerning southern politics. Woodward presents the black population in the 1880s and 1890s as a passive force palmed off from one white political faction to another. Are we to assume that black voters simply bowed their heads and acted the role of dupes to savvy white politicians? Perhaps many did due to a lack of education and a lingering submissiveness from the days of slavery, but there were people who attempted to participate in the system in order to earn their rights.

The most fascinating thing about this book is not just the particular events in history, or the misconceptions and myths that Woodward discusses, but rather how truly complex the issue of race is in America. Since emancipation, there has always been a struggle between and among whites and blacks to figure out how to understand each other and themselves, and how to occupy the same place. This history is indeed strange, and to have an idea of why race is still such an issue today, it helps to know how racism, segregation, and civil rights changed over time.

Woodward's book cautions us against taking simplified views that the South was always racist, and the North was not, and he begins by describing various accounts of life in the South right after the Civil War. According to Woodward, the venomous prejudice that sustained the Jim Crow laws decades later wasn't foreseeable at that time. Much of his explanation of the racist sentiment that so desired segregation is framed in the context of politics, and he tries to analyze many of the events he discusses in terms of political and economic pressures, as well as in terms of reactions to preceding actions.

If the Civil War is to be seen as a war for racial equality (and there are many other ways of seeing it), then it can easily be argued that it continues to this day. It is often most comforting to think of the wiping out of Native Americans, and then the enslavement of Africans as hideous scars that America carries in the past, while believing that America today is a different, tolerant place. But Jim Crow laws were a product of the twentieth century, and the racial tensions still exist in a very real way. Woodward's book, first published in 1955, and last revised in 1974, is still immensely relevant today, and reading it can only enhance your sense of American history.

I have the 1957 edition of the book, and so can't comment on the new chapter.
This is a fascinating book which should be read by anyone interested in racial issues, US history, or US politics.
The major surprise to me is Woodward's description, complete with many contemporary quotes, of a time in the late 1800's post-Reconstruction South where African Americans were treated largely equally with regard to public accomodations and voting. Segregation, then, was considered to be a "lower-class white attitude."
It wasn't until approximately 1900 that a very segregationist attitude came about in the South, largely as the result of the interplay of Republican, Democratic, and Progressive politics.
This is course gives the lie to assertion through much of the 1900's that de jure racial segregation was a time-honored part of Southern life, and there was no possible alternative.
Woodward then goes on to describe the depths to which Jim Crow legislation sank, describing the effect of African American migration within the country, World War II, how our segregationist policies hurt the US image abroad, and on to the beginnings of the civil rights movement, ending shortly after _Brown v. Board of Education_, well before the major civil rights events and legislation.
Fairly quick read, and a great book!

C. Vann Woodward's The Strange Career of Jim Crow is not only a fine introduction to its topic -- the segregationist period in the South -- but one of the most significant and influential books of its time.

Originally published in 1955 (by Oxford University Press), Professor Woodward's tome kicked off the Civil Rights era with a bang, debunking the ludicrous myth (and mantra among segregationists) that separation of the races had always existed in Southern life, and generally dissecting an ugly monstrosity which had come to be accepted simply as "the way things are." Ten years later, in a second revision which came just as the legal battle against segregation was almost won, Woodward added a wealth of information which helped finish the job of winning the people's hearts and minds: in the words of Robert Penn Warren, Woodward's work was "a witty, learned, and unsettling book. The depth of the unsettling becomes more obvious day by day; which is a way of saying that it is a book of permanent significance." And ten years later still, in this -- the third and final revision -- Woodward capped off the era with an examination of the more violent, less integrationist movements which arose after Watts, with leaders like Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver and Bobby Seale.

Woodward is an equal-opportunity myth-exploder. On the one hand, he demonstrates at great length that segregation was not a mere expression of racism, but in fact a complex and corrupt outworking of many political and economic interests in the impoverished, post-Reconstruction South. On the other hand, he also shows conclusively that segregation took time to develop: it was not, as its supporters claimed, the way things had always been, or even the way things had come to be immediately following the war, but had actually arisen thirty and even forty years later, with the removal of Northern troops, the disintegration of Republican influence, a national "taking up of the white man's burden" with regard to "colored" peoples abroad, and increasing economic distress which allowed successive Populists and Democrats to consolidate power by limiting white exposure to the threat of competing (and competitive) blacks. These things, combined with a series of Supreme Court rulings sanctioning segregation, produced a wicked stew which more modern readers found extremely unpalatable upon Woodward's closer examination.

Beyond these things, Woodward's treatment of the Jim Crow era itself, as well its demise, were and are excellent, and were especially provocative at the time of their writing. Based on a series of lectures delivered at the University of Virginia in 1954, the book is not annotated, and even in a third edition remains quite brief; yet it is thorough and engaging, and suffers only a bit for these points. In all, it remains not only an excellent history -- produced by one of America's finest scholars -- but also a key source document of its era, and is a very good read as well. It continues to be vital to a proper understanding of the South, as well as the whole misbegotten concept of "separate but equal."

The 1972 United States Olympic Hockey Team skated to an improbable silver medal in Sapporo, Japan. Besides the accolades from friends and family members - and a telegram from President Richard Nixon - the team returned to chase dreams on and off the ice, with their story soon forgotten.

But that moment in time was a triumph of hard work and planning, a real symbol of the American Dream: a head coach making revolutionary changes in practice and game strategy; players from the battlefield of Viet Nam and the workday world, to those chasing dreams on rinks large & small throughout North America, along with a glimpse into the future through pair of teenagers - one, a phenomenal athlete from the East Coast, the other, with the blood of hockey royalty flowing through his veins.

Authors Tom and Jerry Caraccioli balance their research and interviews with game summaries to bring this special era to life, as the political Cold War was a backdrop, with friendships forged through that ice.

A touching final chapter chronicles a very special moment for head coach Murray Williamson; a January 2002 note which brought a fitting coda to the tireless work that his players never forgot.

And with this book, the team that set the stage for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" receives a long overdue spotlight, all for themselves.

The premise of the book is that not many people are aware of our country's on-ice success in the 1972 Olympics. Let's see, I grew up in Edina, Minnesota which means:
* I graduated from HS one year after Dean Williamson, son of Murray
* I have caddied for Walter Bush, a long-time USA Hockey official
* A friend played on a Bantam team coached by Craig Sarner, an effective forward on this silver medal squad
* I've heard many tales about Bruce McIntosh starring for my HS and later the University of Minnesota

AND....

I'D NEVER HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE. Granted I hadn't yet turned 4 when they played in Sapporo, but it isn't like this was a mystery. I read about the 1960 Olympics when I was about 10 and obviously remember where I was in 1980 (Fergus Falls, playing in a Pee Wee tournament). Why no talk about 1972?

Not only do the Caraccioli brothers do a good job of relaying the story, they also do a good job of addressing that very question.

Worth a read. You'll breeze through it quickly as it is pretty direct on covering the story without straying from topic. Even though you now how it ends - they win the silver - it is hard to put down.

People who have an interest in the US amateur ice hockey program will want to read this book in order to fill gaps in what has become the accepted story of the team before victory in the Lake Placid games(1980). The authors, with the unlikely names of Tom and Jerry, do a good job prsenting their case that the tools used to win an Olympic gold metal were forged by an earlier team and passed on to those who followed. Anyone interested in the deveopment of North American hockey will learn from this tale.

This is a must-read for sports fans. The brothers/authors have written a thoroughly entertaining account of a wonderful moment in U.S. international sports history. Readers will remember this book forever. Bravo!

Hockey fans will find riveting Tom Caraccioli & Jerry Caraccioli's STRIKING SILVER: THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN HOCKEY TEAM. While many think of American hockey as starting in the 1980s; in a reality in 1972 the achievements of a young team which represented the U.S. in Asia in the Olympics went largely unrecognized during the tumult of Vietnam politics. It's time their story was told, and STRIKING SILVER achieves this, revealing the team, its major players, and the events that made them outstanding, though under-reported. Quotes from players and observers and source materials recreate the times in an involving survey.

You will refer to this book over and over on any extended cruise on Lake Superior. Well organized with clear and straightforward information on many locations.

March 22, 2001 Obviously this is not a review. I've been searching everywhere for this book without sucess. Please if you have an extra copy you would be willing to part with send me an e-mail MJBahr007@aol.com Thank you! P.S. I'm planning on bringing my 26' sailboat with a crew of 3 or 4 to the Apostle Islands the first week in August 2001. If anyone else that reads this is going to be up there during this period of time please feel free to send me an e-mail and maybe we can raft up some evening and swap dinner and tales! It does not matter if you are a power or sailboater all are welcome!

Now in a completely updated and expanded third edition, Bonnie Dahl's Superior Way continues to be the premier cruising guide to Lake Superior for recreational sailors and their onboard guests. A definitive and detailed guide to cruising Lake Superior, this superbly presented guide offers more than 350 new GPS Waypoints, information on improved harbor passages,. as well as new marinas and anchorages. Enhanced with more than 300 diagrams, charts and tables, this "user friendly" volume is spiral bound allowing it to be laid out flat next to the helm. If you are planning a cruise anywhere on Lake Michigan, whether as an afternoon's outing or for an extended vacation, begin your preparations and planned itinerary with acquiring your own copy of Bonnie Dahl's Superior Way!

Cruising Surperior has always been a goal for my husband and myself. Three years ago I bought 5 copies of the book for ourselves and friends. We studied and planned and charted Superior the first year. The book gave us a very detailed description of approaches, anchorages, bottom holding, alternative anchorages depending on wind. We found our first summer 1999 sailing Superior a very rewarding experience and in a large way "Superior Way" gave us the confidence to approach seemingly unapproachable anchorages. In many instances we seemed familiar with the areas, having read, studied Bonnie's book. We circumnavigated Superior that year and vowed to return in 2000. We did and again Bonnie Dahl's book was invaluable. We are going again in 2001. Lake Superior is a formidable lake by many accounts but having good Navigation skills and equipment, charts and Bonnie's book; Your experience will be the highlight of your cruising experience for years to come. Motor or Sail - - BUY THE BOOK!!

I write articles for boating magazines and frequently rely upon other sources of information just to be able to go out and research new material. This book is the only absolutely essential resource for those who go out on Lake Superior.

Excellent book! It contains nutrition label and shopping information, menus and detailed menu planning. The recipes are quick and easy to make, and the meals nutritious and balanced. It has made my shopping excursions a breeze, by taking the guesswork of what I should buy to eat and live a healthy lifestyle! I highly recommend it!

My husband and I travel a lot in a RV. This is an easy diet to follow as there is little clean up and not a lot of ingredients to buy. The diet is well rounded and satisfying. My husband was happy on it. (That's worth the price of the book) Also, Good Housekeeping has a great web site for support and ideas. It even has a version of this diet called "Convenience Food Diet". All frozen and prepared food lists. I don't want to think about cooking and menus when I diet. This diet is a no brainer!

I have never written a review about anything, but I love this diet so much that I wanted to share it with others. I trully love this diet and I have REALLY tried them all. I have never lasted more than a week on a diet until now. I don't feel food deprived, hungry, moody, my energy is slowly returning and I'm still in the early stages of the diet (first two weeks), and I have already lost a few pounds too. The book is well written, easy to understand, and most importantly easy to follow. The author makes it all so simple. You are provided a shopping list broken down into catagories which makes your store visit quick. The diet is presented a week at a glance, with menus and recipes - it is so organized!!! This diet is superb for those like myself who are super busy, don't like to really cook, and like to grab things to eat quickly. The recipes are so simple to make and quick - less than 20 minutes! If you make a recipe for dinner, you eat it the next day for lunch so there is little waste and there is plenty to share with others even after you take your portions. Since the author teaches you the basics to eating healthy, and shopping healthy, it is a life style change that is longterm. I trully am very pleased with this book and so glad that I purchased it. Good luck!

This book shows you how to live and diet with ordinary food. Common sense and smart shopping can really be fun and easy if you follow the guidelines in this book.

This is a wonderful tool for making your supermarket a positive place to shop, find healthy choices and to learn new ways to negotiate those tempting food areas. I love the helpful hints for incorporating more healthy choices into your day...adding more fiber, natural sugars in fruits, even some healthy makeovers for those old favorites like smoothies and burritos. My favorites! It's hard to give up some of the fattening foods when you start a new diet, but in this book you will find alternatives to giving up those comfort foods and you'll see some wonderful replacements with delicious flavors and textures you didn't dream of before.
You should definately try it! She has found the secret to shopping for food and staying fit forever!

I heard this guy on a local radio station in Atlanta (96Rock) and so I ordered a copy. It was so hysterical I almost messed myself.

This book is hilarious. I heard Jefarrius promote it on 96Rock, a radio station in Atlanta, and ducked out of work to buy a copy. It was totally worth it!

I have often noticed the names of some of the Superstar athletes in all the sports and wondered about the origin, what the parents were thinking when they gave the child that particular name, and if the athlete changed his own name to one of those mentioned in this great book, why did he do so? Now I have the reason.....the parents, any parents, want the best for their child, and the athlete sees it as a no-brainer issue: To succeed on the playing field, you need a Superstar Name! I highly reccommend this book not only to expectant parents, but for anyone sitting around the television watching sports! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. The book is well written and well documented by the writer!

This book was so funny. So much more than just a book of names. Great for sports fans and expectant families too. I am giving this as a stocking stuffer for all of my friends.

I gave the book to a pregnant couple and they loved it. It is so funny how many crazy names are out there. Enjoy!

I don't often read through surfing related books, although I buy them if written by guys like this whom I watched as a kid from a great distance. They typically sit on my coffee table and serve as boredom busters during commercial breaks. But this book was different, fun, and easy to read. Some good life lesson insights from a guy who admits he is nobody's guru. He admits most of his mistakes and passes on some sage advice for young Groms who are just trying to figure it all out. My favorite rant he gave was in the chapter "I will paddle back out". Very good and inspiring. Good job Shaun.

I love this book, I havnt been able to put it down, It brings me back to the days when I surfed, and is filled with the way surfers use to be.

I certainly enjoyed the philosophy and thought provoking points Shaun made throughout his book, Surfer's Code. I only wish all surfers were able read it, especially the young ones that just don't know anything of the history of surfing, its etiquette, and the principles of right of way on the wave. Having surfed since 1956 @ the age of 14, I have litterly grown in the sport and am still very actively surfing today, and I was still able to enjoy and learn from the many of the excellent points Shaun made.

"This zone where waves give up their energy and where systematic water motions give way to violent turbulence is the surf. It is the most exciting part of the ocean." ~ Williard Bascom, Waves and Beaches

Surfer's Code is a beautifully designed book with a sturdy cover and high-quality pages with stunning photographs of surfing. World-Champion Surfer Shaun Tomson presents his wisdom from the surfing community and translates what he has learned into lessons you can apply to life on land.

The book begins with stories of his father and the beginning of his surfing career. Shaun Tomson reveals the challenges and rewards of surfing all while he focuses on the wisdom gained from his experience: "I learned to trust in all the steps that have gotten me where I am. The result is that I feel better about myself, and I have a lot of fun pushing myself into more challenging situations." He also explains his ideas about why:

I Will Catch a Wave Every Day
I Will Watch Out for Other Surfers
There Will Always Be Another Wave
All Surfers are Joined by One Ocean

If you love surfing than this is an essential read showing the behind-the-scenes reality of a famous surfer. The creative writing, quotes, exciting experiences and lessons learned make this a fascinating mosaic of experience. Throughout his life, Shaun Tomson has faced many challenges and he shares his thoughts on life on land and in the ocean and creates lessons you can take with you while facing your own challenges in life.

"I was flying along in almost complete darkness with the wave breaking around me in slow motion. Suddenly the board dropped back down onto the surface of the water, and I came flying out of the barrel into daylight." ~ pg. 154

~The Rebecca Review

This was one of those books that are impossible to put down until you have reached the unexpected emotional end. I found Shaun's elite level surf descriptions immensely enjoyable. I don't surf, but my beloved husband lives the surfer's code, (both in and out of the water), and now I share an inner understanding.

You don't need to be a surfer to enjoy "Surfer's Code". Shaun's 12 lessons don't only apply in the ocean, they can and should be used in all our lives. The world would be a much nicer place! Thanks Shaun. x Cinnamon Stephens

I ordered this quite a long time, and don't understand what took me so long in reviewing it.

As others have said, this book is amazing. The photographs are simply timeless and beautiful. I can't quite describe the vibe that it captures or conveys, but I found myself somewhat saddened by the book. The pictures kind of struck a whole "Dead Poet's Socitey," "Carpe Diem" mood with me. At the same time, they conveyed the beauty of a time in California (or for that matter, the U.S.) that is forever lost and will never be recaptured. A time of innocence and naivete, before everything became so tainted, jaded, and overcrowded.

I don't know, maybe that's just a crock. At any rate, as a surfer of 20 years, this book really touched me. I think it will touch any fellow surfer, or for that matter, ocean lover.

Definitely pick this one up before it goes out of print (as these things so swiftly seem to do).

The faces and images have me so stoked! I have new found repect for the pre-war surfers, they paved the way, building on Duke's foundation.It also gives such a good historical perspective on the pre-war So. Cal. surf scene. It's bittersweet to see that so many of these lives and times were to be selflessly lost in the impending war. It also shows what a utopic place it must have been before the yuppies & developers destroyed so many fabulous spots. Something that magic can never last, it seems.A must for any surfer or red blooded Californian. A delight!

The faces and images have me so stoked! I have new found repect for the pre-war surfers, they paved the way, building on Duke's foundation.It also gives such a good historical perspective on the pre-war So. Cal. surf scene. It's bittersweet to see that so many of these lives and times were to be selflessly lost in the impending war. It also shows what a utopic place it must have been before the yuppies & developers destroyed so many fabulous spots. Something that magic can never last, it seems.A must for any surfer or red blooded Californian. A delight!

I've had this book for a while, and I'm ordering more for Christmas gifts.

I recently got the wonderful "Riding the Rails," about teens during the depression who hopped freights to go Huck Finning. My father did this and wound up hanging out at "The Big Rock," which wasn't in San Onofre, but in Malibu. But conditions were similar: then, you really could camp out on the beach.

Like an idiot, I let my Dad pass on before asking him the details of those years. Now, the best I can do are secondary sources. But these help me reconstruct a picture of that world of his that ended with World War II.

Around the world, there is a stereotype of Southern California, which is immediately dashed upon visiting Hollywood Boulevard. However, the stereotype isn't so much lie as anachronism.

There really was a world that matched the current anachronism that is still the image of Southern California. Get this book, and you'll understand what I mean.

In the movie, Atlantic City, Burt Lancaster's character says with nostalgia, "You shoulda seen the ocean then." It was an ironically funny line. But in this lovely collection of photographs we do see the ocean back then, in a time when one could camp on the beach in privacy, feasting on abundant lobster & abalone. The 100 pound boards have a beauty of woodcraft no longer known in the sport, & the surfers ride them like boats, upright & confidently. They look so much like us. The women are pretty. The waves are works of art. Those distant surfers weren't environmentalists, but they, more than anyone, were witnesses to what is now lost. Don James was a genius even when he taking snapshots.

I am beginning a Qigong practice. After researching many books on the art, I decided on this one. I feel very lucky to have found it. It is a clear and helpful guide to the practice. Yang Yang is a scholar and martial arts master. You will benefit from both his skills. He very clearly directs you in a practice, while explaining the intention behind each direction. In a complete practice, you seek to acquire the internal and external aspects of Taijiquan. If either component is missing in your practice, "gong", the fruit of practice, is limited. Specifically, Dr. Yang Yang's complete curriculum includes, "Three essential pillars": Qigong, Taiji Form, and Push-hands. My advice is to search out a copy of this book and buy it. I think you will appreciate it as much as I do.

Best book on Taiji for beginners or more advanced that I have read. It is very clearly written. Scientific literature review is very helpful.

I am a Yang-style tai chi student but found this book to be perfect for everyone. Yang Yang perfectly captures the essence of our art and presents it in a readable and enjoyable style. I read it slowly to savor every concept and every turn of phrase. This book is highly recommended to those just beginning tai chi or those who have been doing it for many years. If you have never experienced what tai chi can do for you, this book will send you looking for the nearest sifu.

Yang Yang's book, Taijiquan, is very deep and goes beyond what most people will ever know or need to know about Taijiquan and science. As a M.S. student in Exercise Science, as well as a practitioner of Hunyuan Taijiquan, I was very impressed at the depth that Yang goes into in describing the neural mechanisms at work in Taiji. He also points out various topics that western science can delve into that has yet to be investigated.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Taijiquan as well as to students of Exercise Science in order to better understand why Taijiquan is as helpful as it is in delaying aging processes.

Whether beginner or expert, Master Yang Yang's book will provide a foundation on not only what Taijiquan is and is not, but how to work your way into an understanding of it.

The book begins with some self-history of Master Yang Yang, then dives into what exactly Taijiquan is, and what it means to practice a martial art, with emphasis on both words. There follows an excellent chapter on how to pick an instructor, which is often neglected in the face of advertising and convenience.

The meat of the book goes through the three pillars of Taji practice: meditation (feeling and building your Qi), forms (using and extending your Qi) and push hands (feeling Qi from the outside). In each section, he provides the why's (why is meditation crucial), the how's (how to get started, the basics) and motivation (if you need any). The chapters also discuss how these three pillars are linked to one another.

The final chapter, "Why Practice Taijiquan?" pulls it all together, describing what you will, might and will not get out of efficient practice.

There also follows a quite well done appendix on the history of Tajiquan and the Chen school.

This is not a technical "how-to-do-the-forms-and-moves" book. For that, I recommend Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming's series of books and DVDs (or, if you are lucky enough, take one of his seminars).

You will not learn Taijiquan from this book. But you will get a excellent background and a sense of what it is, how you should approach it and practice it, and what it can become inside you. Master Yang Yang writes not only with thought and intellect, but you can feel the passion that he has for his art. Martial artists say that the art lives through them, and that comes through in this book.

I agree with the majority of reviewers here, but I think you have to be an intelligent reader to appreciate it. For example, on page 20, in golf the author discourages distracting activities while opponents are playing, but you could disturb opponents, especially musically competent ones, while you yourself are playing, "by constantly whistling a phrase with one note - always the same note - wrong." In the footnote he actually writes the musical notation of a suggested phrase, the horn motiv from Wagner's Ring, with the second note changed from an A to a D# with a glissando (sliding up to the high note). I laughed out load before I even tried to play the phrase on the guitar. I realize that some won't see the humor here, but what incredible depth in the descriptions of these tactics!

I first bought this book, thinking it would be along the lines of Sun Tzu meets Frazier...I wasn't disappointed, but the '50s writing style is not fluid to read

This tome offers a complete introduction to the theory and practice of gamesmanship. Though some of the ploys are outdated, if properly executed, these gambits will most certainly put the gamesman in the one-up position. The coverage of countergamesmanship, while sparse, is essential reading for gamesman at any level.

This book instantly turned me into a Potter fiend, and I subsequently tracked down first editions of all four -manship books. This is dry, deadpan British humour at its absolute finest - I've never seen an American writer come close, except for Mark Twain.

I came across this at some rummage sale, and once I started reading it I was instantly hooked on Potter's dustbowl-dry wit and bought all his other books. Each is outstanding, but this is still the best. For the uninitiated, this has nothing to do with playing games; it has everything to do with attitude, games people play with and against one another in life, and poking fun at our egos and self importance...and the egos and self-importance of others. There's no explaining Potter's humor - you either love it, or you don't get it at all. I love it. Even the 'diagrams' are absolute screams. Only Wodehouse was as funny or funnier than Potter.

W.P. Kinsella is an excellent writer of short fiction. Many will know him as author of Shoeless Joe which became the movie Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition).

Kinsella also has written a number of short stories, relying on baseball as the theme, but with themes that are universal. This isn't the "get the big hit to win the game" story, but rather baseball as a metaphor.

With any collection, the question of best and worst short stories come up. Particulary strong is the opener "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" which deals with a prophecy that the next pennant that the Cubs win will be the last pennant that any team ever wins -- a prediction that still hasn't been tested since this piece was penned in 1984.

The collection also closes strong with "The Thrill of the Grass" dealing with the baseball strike and a populist secret revolt against artificial turf -- a methphorical return to purity.

Excellent work. Kinsella is truly a master writer.

W.P. Kinsella writes fiction that is a reflection of his true love of baseball. His devotion to his topic is evident to his readers in each of his works of fiction that often seem too realistic to be fiction. Particularly in this collection of stories, the line between fact and fiction is blurry.

"The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is the highlight of the set as other reviewers have noted. As one might guess based on the title, the plot involves the Cubs winning the pennant. Though some countries, playoff alignments, and even teams from the story no longer exist, the end of the world would seem to be the logical conclusion to a Cubs pennant victory. The swerve at the end of the story may or may not surprise some readers.

Other highlights in the set include "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record", "The Battery", and "The Thrill of the Grass". In a plot that preceded anything written by Mitch Albom, "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record" explores the feelings after the death of Yankee catcher Thurmon Munson. Would a hardcore (non-Yankee) baseball fan give his life to save Munson's? "The Battery" takes readers to Santo Domingo where a wizard created in the vein of author Terry Pratchett sees the birth of baseball playing twins. While at least one twin excells in baseball, the wizard is the star of this story. "The Thrill of the Grass" is set during the 1981 players' strike, though the same scenario woud apply to 1994. The narrator breaks into an empty stadium as the story begins. Though he dislikes the lack of activity, he is most appalled by the artificial turf.

Though not all of the stories were gems, baseball fans are certain to enjoy this collection just as much as Kinsella's other works.

My brother told me about W.P. Kinsella in 1984 and I've been a huge fan ever since. I've read everything I can find by him, starting with "Shoeless Joe" and this might be my favorite book of his. He has written at least three collections of baseball short stories and this is easily the best.

Most of the stories are not so much about baseball, it's more a case of using baseball as a background and common thread to tie the stories all together.

These are the kind of stories you can read over and over again. One of my favorites was the story about the fans who decided to turn the latest player's strike into a chance to replace astroturf with real grass. With the stadium shut down for the strike, they came in and returned the field to a natural state. I've always thought that when the players strike they should strike to get rid of astroturf; a cause many fans could get behind.

I don't know of any baseball fan who would not enjoy these stories.

A collection of baseball stories - or rather, stories involving baseball and baseball players in some way. Kinsella is at hist best when he stays close to earth - hopeful bush leaguers, women trouble - but tends to go way over the top when he tries to involve more "magic" (in his own words) to the game and the story. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy suffered from this problem, and so do a few of the stories in this collection. But when his "stories aren't about events, they're about the people they happen to", he has a wonderful touch. Some of my favourites in this collection are "Drive me to the moon", about a Rookie leaguer and his affair in a one-horse town in Canada, "Barefoot and pregnant in Des Moines", about a big league star and his marriage. Some of these stories are true gems and fully warrant the five-star rating; others are filler, but then even the most classic games have their straightforward 6-3 groundouts.

W. P. Kinsella writes with poignance and wit, capturing both the humor and the occasional tragedy of the game. This collection displays some of his best work.

My alltime favorite among this collection is "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon." In the wake of the Cubs' collapse this fall, a work like this has real prescience and is somehow reassuring that there was a higher purpose behind it all.

Still, there are other strong stories in the mix. In one, the narrator is offered the chance to trade places with the recently-killed Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. Another, more whimsical story takes you inside the clubhouse of the 1951 Giants, as a surprisingly literate team debates whether The Greaty Gatsby is an allegory.

For me, "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is reason enough to buy this book. In the wake of the 2003 NLCS, I feel a dire need to read it . . . repeatedly.