Sports Books

Any time you deal with interpersonal violence, there is a high likelihood of someone attempting to apply something beyond their own hands and feet to make the other person have a bad day. Lawrence Kane addresses that problem in this exhaustive volume.

Kane cites research showing that 70% of the male population carries a knife. In seven years there were over 1.7 million attacks in the U.S. utilizing blunt, bladed, and projectile weapons. 25% of violent crime is committed by someone bearing a weapon. You have a one-in-four chance of getting shot, beaten, or cut and stabbed every time you cross paths with a violent criminal.

Even with this in mind, most martial arts programs do not adequately take weapon defense into consideration. Obviously, this book and others like it are needed.

Kane addresses awareness, avoidance, de-escalation, legal matters, and the aftermath of violence. The meat of the matter is covered in over a hundred pages dealing with improvised weapons, firearms, knives, clubs, and all manner of weapons you are unlikely to come up against on the street; but as the author shows, stranger things have happened. It is always best to be prepared.

The book is wrapped up in the end by an incident that actually happened, as Kane analyzes what each person did right, and what they did wrong.

In 32 years I haven't read anything this comprehensive. Skip the others. Read Surviving Armed Assaults.

Surviving Armed Assaults is complete from start to finish. I can't think of anything that Mr. Kane has left out of this insightful book. This book covers the variety of weapons that one can expect to encounter on the street, how to avoid physical confrontations, the importance of awareness, and how to be prepared to meet a violent predator if one finds himself in that situation.

The technical information provided on the multitude of available weapons is very helpful and enlightening, as is the numerous photographs found throughout the book which demonstrate Mr. Kane's points and helps visual learners grasp the points which he is trying to get across. This book is well written and would be a great addition to any martial arts library.

I highly recommend this book to any martial artist, law enforcement officer, or just the average man on the street who wants to keep himself or his family safe. Predators do not think like the ordinary, every day man. This book gives the reader a good idea of what to expect should you ever be unfortunate enough to cross paths with one of these criminals. I can't recommend this book enough. Buy it and be safe!

Surviving Armed Assaults is so well written that it is excellent reading for anyone who is concerned about personal safety in today's turbulent world. Frank, no-nonsense information with much emphasis on preventing assaults in the first place makes this book exceptional. Although this book assumes the reader is already practicing one of the martial arts, it also offers an incentive to anyone who might be considering this option.

WOW! That is how I would describe the well organized, well thought out, cornucopia of information that is presented in Lawrence A. Kane's, "Surviving Armed Assault: A Martial Artist's Guide to Weapons, Street Violence, & Countervailing Force." I've had this book for awhile now and have, on several different occasions, sat down and skimmed through different sections when time permitted. Just recently however, I was able to sit down and read this book from cover to cover, and boy let me tell you that I was thoroughly impressed with what I read.

Lawrence does a terrific job of organizing the information presented in this book in a very easy to read and follow format that takes you through each step in the survival process. This is not a book on techniques; rather it is a book on the more important aspect of the principles behind surviving against an armed assault. Which, in my opinion, is far more important than the techniques themselves. That's not to imply that self-defense techniques are not important or valid, it simply means that the technique that may work for one person, may not work so well for another. However, the principle behind the use of the technique will generally work for everyone.

This book is so full of useful information that it should be required reading for not only the self-defense minded individual, but also those whose profession places them in situations where they are more apt to be confronted by an armed individual. This includes, but is no means limited to, law enforcement officers, security personnel, bouncers, paramedics, military personnel, etc.

Having worked as a law enforcement officer, bouncer, and provided security for various businesses and individuals over the years, I found quite a few things in Lawrence's book that I hadn't taken into consideration and am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it first instead of experiencing it in a bad way. As with any good book on the subject of self-defense, Lawrence promotes the use of awareness and avoidance as your primary and most important forms of defense over actual physical techniques. Smart and the hallmark of someone who knows what they are talking about.

Lawrence then delves into various scenarios throughout the book and ways of safely getting out of the situation you may find yourself in without resorting to a physical confrontation with your potential attacker. Some of which is so simple that I hadn't even considered them as options. Although after being presented with them I could see how effective they would and could be in certain situations.

This is followed with sections on using countervailing force and the ramifications of using such force such as; the physical and mental effects, moral implications and considerations, the possible legal ramifications of using force, etc. One point that Lawrence makes, and it is a very good one, is to always remember that the law enforcement officer that you may have to deal with is not your friend! Let me repeat that, the law enforcement officer that you may have to deal with is not your friend! Now Lawrence and I are both not saying that they are the enemy, it's just that you have to protect yourself at all times and the three best things to do are as follows:

1. Keep your mouth shut.
2. Contact your attorney.
3. Keep your mouth shut.

I was particularly fond of Lawrence's 9 rules to live by. Now I am not going to divulge them here, and since you will undoubtedly be purchasing this book after reading this and the other reviews, it will give you one of numerous things to look forward to when it arrives on your doorstep.

One particular section of note was the section related to the types of weapons you are most likely to encounter and how they function. This section is deserving of an entire volume on its own and perhaps Lawrence is working on that as I type this review and as you read it. Let us hope anyhow.

This book and the information contained within it should be a constant companion in your home library, and in the forefront of your mind whenever you are somewhere outside the confines and safety of your own home. On second thought, the information provided in this book should probably be in the forefront of your mind even when you are at home. As Lawrence so profoundly states in this book, you never know when are going to be attacked, by whom, or what that person or persons will attack you with.

I highly recommend this book, "Surviving Armed Assaults," as well as, "The Way of Kata," and "Martial Arts Instruction" all by Lawrence A. Kane as valuable additions to your personal martial arts library.

Shawn Kovacich, martial artist/author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

I will admit that I started reading this book a bit biased toward it being good. I have read other books by Kane that I enjoyed, I've contributed a chapter, as did Kane, to Loren Christensen's "Fighter's Fact Book 2" and Christensen wrote a Foreword for the book, and to top if off, best selling author Barry Eisler mentioned me in his praise for the book on the inside cover. So yes, I expected it to be a good book and one that I would like.

However, what I did not expect is how good it really is and how much excellent material Kane offers in this one volume. Because of the things mentioned in the first paragraph, one could easily say I am biased, and maybe I am a bit. With that said, I am writing a review and endorsing this book wholeheartedly because it is an exceptional addition to anyone's self-defense library and a book that has potential to save lives if people read it and listen to Kane's advice.

The first chapter is on awareness, a topic I also write and speak about, so I was especially interested in what Kane had to say. So what does he do? He starts the chapter off with a quote from Ani DiFranco, "Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right." This grabbed my attention because I once headed the local security for a concert of hers and had a very good talk about penjak silat with her bodyguard as we waited for her to change so we could walk her to the bus. It means nothing to anyone else, but hooked me. I continued and was fully engrossed with the statistics and examples Kane provided relating to violence. Reading those made me glad that there are those of us out here doing what we can to prevent violence and teach people to avoid or deal with it if necessary. Something Kane's "Surviving Armed Assaults" does very well. Kane did an excellent job with his chapter on awareness, and even though he teaches a modified color code a bit differently than I teach, I believe this chapter should be read by everyone in order to wake up and be more aware so they could avoid many potentially dangerous situations.

Speaking of avoidance, that was the focus of chapter two. Kane not only makes a great argument of why you should avoid violence, but provides strategies to do so. He follows this with a chapter on scenarios that extends the awareness and avoidance topics to situations such as car jackings, cash machine safety, hostage situations, sexual assault, rape, workplace violence and more. Before dealing with physical responses, Kane focuses on de-escalation strategies in chapter four. This is an often overlooked aspect of self-defense books and a welcome and needed addition here. Many self-defense books focus on striking and kicking and forget that if you can talk your way out of a situation you will be much better off than having fought your way out. Kane gives some excellent advice with his de-escalation strategies and I again wish everyone would learn these. One of the reasons a person is much better off by de-escalating a situation is because of the potential legal ramifications that may follow a physical altercation. As an attorney, I am very familiar with such things, and feel that Kane did a good job with his chapter on countervailing force that included legal considerations.

The remaining chapters focus on armed conflict, rules to live by, the aftermath of violence, and weapon features and functions. Some of the information in these chapters is biased toward Kane's karate training. Practitioners from other styles may not benefit from these chapters as much as the first ones, but I would encourage everyone to take even the karate parts and look how the principles behind what Kane teaches applies to their own art or self-defense system. (Kane's nine rules could apply to any art or system)

This is an excellent book filled with practical and realistic information related to weapons and violence. There is researched data and personal anecdotes that support Kane's perspectives on violence and his illustrations of real violence and what to do about it, or most importantly, how to be aware of it and avoid it altogether. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to martial artists and anyone interested in self-defense.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series

It's hard to find the "right" words to describe this book and how it made me feel. The story was absolutely gripping and I could not put it down the night I started it so I stayed up all night to finish it. I truly find Judy an amazing person and an excellent role model for how resilient we are and how we go on living our lives. She and her family will never be forgotten in the lives of those who read this book. The writing by Hester is superb, no one could have done better. This would make an excellent book for any bookclub.

A wonderful look at someone surviving and overcoming an overwhelming tragedy. Thank you Hester for telling the Sleavin story so well.

Riveting--couldn't put it down. Heartfelt and respectfully written. How can you not live each day on this planet as if it were your last after reading Judy's story?

According to Virginia Woolf, "A masterpiece is something said once and for all, stated, finished, so that it's there complete in the mind, if only at the back." Initially I was hesitant to read this book thinking I might not be able to enjoy it (based on the subject matter). However, the book proved to be nothing of the sort. Let it be known that Dr. Hester has crafted a masterpiece here, expertly weaving the details of Judy Sleavin's story into a captivating, awe-inspiring and significant read that offers as much in content as it does a message about life.

Ten Degrees of Reckoning by Hester Rumberg is a haunting yet heartwarming book that is difficult to put down while you are reading it and even more difficult to forget once you have finished the last page. The injustice of the events pervades your very being and yet Judy Sleavin's persistence in living demonstrates the power that love can have one one's life. A must read.
Sondra Pearlman

This is a really super book. More that just of story of climbing Everest. It is a story of lives and it is very very good.

A very inspiring book that validated my desire to do what I love and will keep me optimistic about finding my way for a long time!

Battles with snow and ice, battles with cancer, and a charming romance. What else is needed for a great book in the outside genre? Good Writing.

Unfortunately, this book is short on good writing. It will sell as well as a book in this genre can sell but it will not become a classic nor even provide many memories for its readers. Ghost written, the heart and soul of this book was lost in the expedition of commercialism.

Is it worth reading? You bet. If you are a man with a taste for the outdoors whose significant other would rather go shopping, you will eat your heart out for not having the wisdom of Phil Ershler in carefully using bimbos until you found the woman who would follow you to the tops of the world. If you are a woman who wants some encouragement in following your man, this is the book for you. If you are a fan of high altitude climbing, you will enjoy reading this book.

It lacks tension, that force which makes you stay up late turning pages. But the elements of outdoor adventure are there and, after all, those of us who read this genre are used to mediocre writing and passionate about the subject. So, all in all, it is a worthy read

This book was suggested to us as not only a mountaineering story but a story of life's struggles. We weren't disappointed but very humbled. This dual autobiography (each taking turns telling their story) was a fast-paced read, taking us from childhood to mountain top, leaving out nothing. A very intimately detailed sharing of two full lives. Color photographs support the many stories and stages in the Ershler's lives.

Phil and Sue Ershler's story has everything I enjoy in a book - adventure, courage, inspiration, challenges faced and challenges overcome, and the kind of love that can, literally, overcome mountains. As a small-time climber myself (Rainier's the highest I've ever summited), I could relate to the love of the mountains the Ershlers feel, and the enjoyment that comes in testing oneself emotionally and physically in a mountain ascent. But this book is about more than just mountain-climbing - it's about facing life's unexpected curveballs with a positive attitude, it's about setting goals and working for them, and it's about appreciating all the good in life and living every day to the fullest.

Karen Molenaar Terrell

Gave this book to our Son so we will see if he enjoyed it after he has time to read it. Thanks for shipping it in a timely matter.

Its Christmas 2007 and I am a big Tony Stewart fan. I received this book from family and wasnt all that thrilled since it only goes up to 2002 and to be honest I know absolutely nothing about dirt racing, sprint cars, midget cars, USAC, IRL, or Kart racing.
Well I do now.
I started glancing through the book and got hooked. Its written by Tony (with another writer Mark Bourcier ) so its in his own words. Its Tonys thoughts and memories. It gave me a huge insight into a racer I thought I already knew a lot about. I really enjoyed reading it, from his start as a child up to his NASCAR career. It has a lot of comments from a lot of people he has met in his life as a racer and a regular guy. If you are a Tony fan or a racing fan, this is really a good read. I doubt if hes this open now but he is just as honest and he hasnt changed his feelings.He discusses his honesty and troubles and fans and lots and lots of racing. I knew he was good but after reading this I came away more impressed than ever. I plan on checking through Amazon for more. more. more.

I loved this book. It was very entertaining. It really held my attention. As a matter of fact it only took me a week to read it all. That is pretty good for me and always a sign of a good book. I highly recommend it. It had some pretty funny stuff in it.

this book is a great tool for those wanting to know just how someone as talented as Tony Stewart got where he is. Its a book on racing and stays out of being too personal.

Well, I would think it would be a great book, however, I have been waiting for more than two (2) months for Amazon to sent it to me. I hope those of you who order it have months to wait for it to be shipped to you. Good luck and happy racing!

Donohue's very enjoyable autobiography goes into considerable detail about his racing career while understandably ignoring his personal life. His descriptions of the early days, when engine dynos were uncommon, and suspension setup was by guess and by God, are eye-opening.

It would have been nice to have some more technical details, but as he points out, they are a part of his team's "Unfair Advantage".

If you are a fan of Mark Donohue, or a racing fan from the era of the CanAm series, I believe you will enjoy this biography. It has enlightened me to the complications and hardships in preparing and maintaining a proper race care. There is much insight into the business side off the sport as well, and demonstrates Roger Penske's determination and acuity in running a top flight team.

I saw this book last weekend at a Vintage Race being held ther by HSR-West and figured it would be a great collectos item. But it is a lot more than that; it is a real insight to the trials and tribulations of racing and race car development. Donohue comes out as a very humble driver and he is not afraid to admit his mistakes and that of the team. This is a book that you don;t to put down but you also don;t want to be finished with it. I did see Mark Donohue at one of the Riverside Trans-Ams in 1968. I was always wondering what really happened at the end of the 69 season to make Penske swith to that AMC junk and now I know.. Do not miss this book.

This book is easily one of the best narratives about racing I've ever come across. It is a personal and honest account of the late Mark Donahue's racing career from his impromptu start to the zenith of his career in Formula 1, Indy Racing, and Can Am to his retirement.

Anyone who races or aspires to race will delight in his firsthand recollections of his racing exploits and his perspective on one of the great programs in motorsport history (the Can Am Porsche 917).

Highly recommended.

There are very few motorsports books extant that can be called true classics or world-changers. This is one of them, and it's one of the best on top of that. Mark Donahue was an extrordinary individual, not only a blindingly fast driver, but also a talented, disciplined, and most importantly, curious engineer.

To have the virtues of both top-level driver and top-level engineer embodied in the same person is a very rare combination. To have been present - indeed, to be one of the driving forces behind - a revolution within a sport and an industry is even rarer. To have this person write about his experiences while busy changing the world is precious beyond price.

To put it simply, you cannot be a student of the profession of motor racing without reading this book.

I offer this as evidence: while I am by no means an autograph hound, I do, from time to time, have occasion to encounter people within the motorsports family whom I admire enough to want to collect an autograph from. I use my copy of The Unfair Advantage as my autograph storage device. Putting this book in front of people like Jackie Stewart, Carroll Shelby, and Carroll Smith results in a shock of recognition, followed by praise for the author. What greater endorsement could you want?

THIS IS ABOUT THE NIGHT WILT CHAMBERLAIN SCORED 100 POINTS IN AN NBA GAME. I FOUND MOST OF THIS BOOK TO BE GOOD BUT AT TIMES IT HAD ALOT OF THINGS THAT WERE JUST PLAIN BORING. THE AUTHOR TRIES VERY HARD TO GIVE US THE NOSTALGIA AND ATMOSPHERE OF 1962, BUT I FOUND THE DETAIL TO THE GAME TO BE LACKING. I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT MUCH ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOTTLIEB AND ZINKOFF. SEEMS IT WAS USED TO FILL SOME PAGES. WHEN THE BOOK STICKS TO GAME ACTION AND DETAILS THE BOOK EXCELS. BUT THE ONLY REAL DETAIL OCCURS IN THE 4TH QUARTER. I ALSO LIKED THE INTERVIEWS WITH VARIOUS PLAYERS AND COACHES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS GAME. ALSO LIKED THE STORY OF THE STOLEN BASKETBALL AND THE LATER YEARS OF WILT'S LIFE. OVERALL THIS IS A GOOD READ AND I RECOMMEND FOR ALL NOSTALGIC BASKETBALL FANS. ALSO A BOX SCORE OF THE GAME WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE TOUCH.

This is a fascinating read about one of the most charismatic personalities to play basketball on the professional level, Wilt Chamberlain. Although the book focuses on the night the record was made when Wilt scored 100 points the book reads like a sophisticated movie complete with flashbacks into Wilt's past. This allows the reader to see Wilt in very real terms in spite of the superhuman feats he performed, culminating with the 100 point game. There are many anecdotes that bring the story to life for a compelling portrait of the man and his times. This is a thoroughly good book that can be enjoyed by a variety of levels of reading ability. With slightly over 200 pages of interesting material this is a good book for the student of the game of basketball who may be attending high school. This book would be good for writting a book report on a sports biography.

As you have probably read by now: In a basketball game back in March of 1962, Wilt Chamberlain, scored one hundred points for Philadelphia in a game against the New York Knickerbockers, an amazing achieve-ment in any era. Back in 1962, the National Basketball Association was undeveloped and the players traveled on buses and trains. Along came Wilt Chamberlain a strong and coordinated seven-footer and changed the dynamics of the NBA. The author conducting more than 250 interviews to recreate in detail this amazing performance that had not been televised at the time.

In the early 1960s - light years before the era of 24 hour cable sports coverage - most pro basketball games might as well have been played on the Moon due to the lack of national media interest and with "home" games being played at neutral sites for bigger gates.

That was the case for the 1962 Philadelphia Warriors, a franchise on the brink of being sold, though it featured a hometown legend, Wilt Chamberlin, and had a history of legendary high-school and college teams.

On March 2 in Hershey, Pa., Wilt accomplished the impossible; scoring 100 points versus the New York Knickerbockers. The arena - with a capacity of 8,000 - was about half-full, the game was not televised and there were no New York sportswriters in attendance. Author Gary M. Pomerantz breaths life into the grainy photos from the event through interviews of referees, players, fans, reporters and team officials.

Though the book breaks the game down into four quarters, it is not simply a history of that night. The early 1960s was a bridge for many black athletes to articulate about the rampant racism in society and sports. Pomerantz aptly writes about Wilt the individual - who was very vocal about the racial quotas on NBA clubs - and businessman as much as Wilt the athlete.

And Pomerantz outlines the biggest controvery from the game; who got possession of the basketball.

It is a record that may never be broken, but there was more to that evening than the game on the court. Wilt, 1962, again shows how sports mirrors society and even the greatest feats on a field of play cannot escape the reflection in black & white.

One of the more interesting points of this book is that the day of 100 points kind of became forgotten. The authir attributes one of the reasons to Wilt himself who stopped talking about the game.

The authors opens up this book with Wilt's death in bed and the circumstances around it. he then takes us thru each quarter of the game with story of witls life between each quarter.

One of the most interestingparts of this book is the detail the author descibes how one young kid stole the game ball and years later put it on EBAY for sale. Great research for that part.

"You Can Quote Me On That" is more than just a wonderful compilation of great, funny and both brilliant and absurd tennis quotes. It is a history lesson of the changing social, moral and political mores of the times as seen through the eyes of those who knew tennis the best and the least...As well as containing some fine bits of univeral and timeless wisdon, it really provides a glimpse into human nature - it truly is amazing how off base and mean spirited some of the most revered tennis pros have been in the course of tennis history.....And the book is also funny....A great read for all and must read for tennis fans....

This book is like freshly squeezed orange juice. It's fresh, pure and delicious, and you didn't have to pore over long interviews or entire books to get to the juicy parts. Right to the point on topic after topic -- from the profound to the profane. It's an easy ready with quotes of the most famous, and sometimes, least likely people in and around tennis. There are probably quotes from some of the people you've most loved and some who you've least liked. AND lots of surprises as to who said what!

While the book tackles serious and age old topics, it also tackles views on some of tennis' greatest controversies. You'll get a feel for some of the most popular and infamous characters in the tennis world. And you'll get the sweet and wise observations of true authorities. And tennis, like sport generally, is a part of, and a reflection of, life. Many of the quotes reflect personal philosophies and insights of those we normally know only in a sporting context.

It's hard to imagine how someone culled the best of the best without spending a lifetime to put it in one book. It has fairly been called the Barlett's Quotations of Tennis - except it's probably a more fun read.

This is one great book! Paul Fein's You Can Quote Me On That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers is one of the most unique tennis books ever published. Why? It's virtually the tennis Smithsonian of insights into the minds of players, coaches, officials, the media, administrators, the intelligencia and others from the world of tennis.

Want to know what your favorite tennis star is thinking about on and off the court? It's here. Want to know what the media think about the players? Check it out. Want to know what the tennis world is talking about? Read on.

I was really excited to get my copy because as Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association (IMGCA), I am always searching for new quotes on sports psychology that I can put in our members articles, training programs and our IMGCA Certification programs.

This book is loaded with 1700 quotes ranging over 35 chapters from tennis stars, legends, champions, celebrities, also-rans and the rest of the world's tennis denizens.

Try finding all these quotes yourself, from the hundreds of sources that Paul used in constructing this masterpiece. You would have to work for years to capture all the wonderful tennis quotes in this compendium. Come to think of it, that's probably exactly what Paul did in writing this book!

You Can Quote Me On That is the perfect gift for the tennis lovers in your life.

Paul Fein's "You Can Quote Me On That" isn't a classic page-turner, full of mystery, plot and intrigue. It's just what it sounds like--a collection of quotes about tennis.

Although it consists of 35 chapters, a necessity for organizing the vast material, I still found it difficult to stop when reaching a chapter's conclusion.

Under the chapter entitled "The Feminine Mystique" for example, Fein ends with a quote from Anna Kournikova saying:

"You cannot just be a great tennis player, or just be a beautiful person anymore to succeed in the game. You have to have it all, the talent, the looks, the brains and the drive."

The next chapter, "Paeans To the Champions", starts with this praise for Pete Sampras from Jim Courier:

"He can hit shots the rest of us can't hit and don't even think of hitting."

And then continues as Becker, Agassi, McEnroe and Emerson assess Pete's standing in the tennis pantheon.

What makes the book more than a sum of its considerable parts is the sense of history that pervades it. Nineteen twenties star Bill Tilden, who wrote several books on tennis, is quoted regularly, and we hear from Jack Kramer on early professional men's tennis, Bille Jean King on the struggles of the women's tour, Arthur Ashe on the class and race barriers, Martina Navratilova on sexual orientation. Not to mention Gussie Moran's panties and Suzanne Lenglen's rock star status in the 20s.

It?s a whirlwind tour of tennis history in doses as small or large as you like and it's also a reminder that the more tennis changes, the more it stays the same.

I'll close with two of my favorite quotes:

"Under these absurd and antiquated amateur rules, only a wealthy person can compete, and the fact of the matter is that only wealthy people do compete. Is that fair? Does it advance the sport? Does it makes tennis more popular? or does it tend to suppress and hinder an enormous amount of tennis talent lying dormant in the bodies of young men and women whose names are not in the social register."

and

"Certainly there does not appear to be anything much wrong with the game of tennis itself, although proposals for changing it always are with us. There has been little change since the rules were settled upon and possibly improvement can be had by changing some rules, but a game so stylized as tennis should be treated with great restraint. One of the things wrong may be that so many people keep trying to alter it to suit other people who do not really play it."

The first quote is from Suzanne Lenglen, circa 1920s; the second from Al Laney in 1968.

You Can Quote me on That by Paul Fein is loaded with entertaining quotes from all the great tennis players, many of their coaches, their families, and even other celebrities. From the Foreword by Billie Jean King in which she states " No one and nothing is spared", to the 35 chapters dealing with various topics such as #6.-The Fame Game, and #15. - You've Come A Long Way, Baby!, I was hooked. The quotes are quick and easy to read, with remarkable documentation of who said what to whom and when. I especially liked the nasty comments between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl--i.e. "I've got more talent in my pinkie than Lendl has in his whole body."--John McEnroe.(so politically incorrect these days!). Arthur Ashe's 1970 quote that "Women's tennis won't draw flies.", couldn't have been more wrong, surprisingly coming from one of the greatest endorsers of the game. But my favorite quote, coming from Martina Hingis is "I like everything about tennis; the games, the courts, the competition, and doing everything you can to win. It's such a beautiful sport." Anyone who enjoys playing tennis, watching tennis, or hearing about the good and bad boys and girls of tennis will truly enjoy this book.

I don't think I can add to what has been said about Alibi on Ice, other than I was captivated. I haven't enjoyed reading a story like this for a long while. The tension made me shiver as if I was actually on the mountain. Just a very well put together story that kept me asking for more.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

I grabbed this book while on vacation out in the Northwest. I had spent some time on Mt. Ranier hiking, and thoroughly enjoyed following Mr. Small's murderer up and down the treacherous trails of that mountain.
It's a good suspense thriller, that transports you to Mt. Ranier, it's ice caves and glaciers. Its characters are well done, and its ending a surprise.
A very satisfying read.

One of the threads I like to talk about to readers is not to pay too much
attention to labels. I mention that labels are a marketing advice and most
books cannot be so definitively described and if the reader reads only the
books that are labeled the type of book they usually enjoy, they will miss
some great stories. I, of course, have my own favorite "types" of stories
(I'm an avowed anglophile--you know what I usually read) and the "thriller"
genre has not been high on my TBR list.

Mea culpa. I recently picked up Ben F. Small's suspense thriller ALIBI ON
ICE and was immediately caught up by the depth of characterization, the fun
of learning about something new to my experience (in this case, mountain
climbing!) and the mesmerizing settings that I assumed (never
assume...) would be absent in an action-oriented book. All of which shows
how narrow-minded I've been all these zillion years!

This was a most entertaining and enjoyable read. The most fascinating
quality of ALIBI ON ICE to me is that the reader knows right off who the bad
guy is, and, believe me, this guy is BAD. Rarely do I yelp out loud from
surprise, but I did while reading the first chapter! The excitement comes
from determining how this truly unpleasant character will be caught and
caught he gets in an amazing climax. I also love stories that take me new
places and I'm relatively confidant that if marooned on an icy mountain, I
have learned enough to get myself safely home, if only in my own mind and if
only on my backside.

So don't waste time the way I did, try something new!

Kit Sloane

The Margot O'Banion & Max Skull Mystery Series

Ben Small is a lawyer, and ALIBI ON ICE is about lawyers, corrupt and murdered lawyers. But the action in this taut police procedural doesn't take place in a courtroom. It occurs on Washington's towering Mount Ranier. And a particular strength of the story is Small's use (in the tradition of Dame Agatha) of the setting not just as backdrop but as a character itself, forcing the human actors to confront the mountain's crevasses, snowfields, glaciers and avalanches as sharply as they confront one another.

The antagonist, Emery Boyd, is a studly but sociopathic climber who uses the mountain to kill and hide the evidence as indifferently as he uses women for sexual gratification and to get information about the police probe into the disappearance of his law firm partner, Herman Klein. Boyd's alibi seems iron-clad, or rather ice-clad: he was seen on the mountain at the time of the murders.

Amy Galler, a female homicide detective from Seattle, goes to the mountain under cover, determined to continue the investigation and confront Boyd. But an unexpected meeting with another climber -- ironically, Boyd's best mountaineering buddy -- leads her into romance, vulnerability and danger.

Small slowly spins up the tension into a craggy climax, moving the characters around like chessmen with ice axes. And the climbing details make it clear that Small has spent more than a few hours on the mountain himself. The ending is terrific: satisfying but completely unexpected. I never saw it coming.

This is an excellent first novel, and I look forward to Small's next one.

If you like action thrillers, this should be a pleaser. Snowy, treacherous Mount Rainier is a major character in ALIBI ON ICE, Ben Small's debut novel. You'll find colorful landscapes as you trudge up the mountain with veteran climbers, learning firsthand what it's like to be there. Emery Boyd, the villain, whom you meet on page one, is as despicable as they come. After murdering a federal judge to keep him from revealing a blackmail plot, Boyd finds it necessary (and enjoyable) to keep eliminating those who get too close to the truth.

The story is filled with interesting, believable characters. They include Detective Amy Galler, who suspects Boyd is a murderer, and Emery's long-time mountain climbing partner, John Whitney. The plot hangs around the disappearance of a partner in Boyd's Seattle law firm, Herman Klein, who was hired to settle the dead judge's estate. Boyd has what looks like a foolproof alibi, being lost in a snowstorm on Mount Rainier at the time of Klein's apparent murder. But Amy Galler follows her suspicions, attempting to enlist Whitney in an effort to break his friend's alibi. Things go from bad to worse, and it appears Boyd has engineered another triumph.

There's also a well-drawn, sleazy newspaper reporter who succeeds in generally gumming up the works. You'll have to read the book to get the rest of the story. And the ending has a neat twist. According to his website, Ben Small has another thriller in the works. If it's as good as this one, you won't want to miss it, either.

An all encompassing book about the NFL, from its origins to present day - actually more attention is given to the early days of the league than the present, which is good becoz we all know what's going on in the NFL now - too many books don't provide enough detail about a sport's early days and devote too much print to the now. It has detailed chapters on people like Pete Rozelle and Bert Bell, and their influences, and this book also doesn't trudge through on a year by year basis - it gives an overall view of the NFL.

If you follow the NFL, whether you're a die-hard or the casual fan, then Michael MacCambridge's book is a must read. The details of how the league became the force in sports and entertainment it is today is astounding. The anecdotes of the characters who helped shape the league are a joy to read. This one took awhile, as there is so much information to glean from it, from Bert Bell to Pete Tagliabue, Tex Schramm to Lamar Hunt, Dan Reeves to Jerry Jones, you will not be dissapointed.

America's Game is a cleverly weaved story that any football fan or sports historian should enjoy. Written by sports guru Michael MacCambridge, it brings you through several decades of football, from it's unrecognized start to it's modern day spectacle. The book itself is written beautifully- MacCambrige makes the strong, important parts stand out while still making sure the little details are noticed. America's Game: The Epic Story of how Football Captured a Nation is football history at it's finest.

I could not put this book down! It gives one an amazingly detailed perspective of the history of pro football in America. This book has given me a far greater appreciation for football than I could have ever dreamed of. It is so interesting to read about how the smallest of details changed the course of this sport forever. So many things that the modern fan takes for granted like the salary cap, seeing games on TV or even the logos on the helmets are all explained in this book and their stories of how each and many other details came about are truly captivating. This is THE BOOK for football fans.

I like football, but I was always a little hazy on it's early history. The who, what, when and how of the teams and the game's important people. This book nailed that perfectly!! It's a well written, easy read that lays out the important parts of the NFL's history. A complete touchdown.

Where the book misses the extra point is when the author tries to explain why football is America's most popular game. When doing this it seems as if he is directing the book towards fans of other sports, (especially baseball)as if to say "football is the best, so there!" Basically I think the problem is football is the most popular sport for so many reasons the author is trying to explain something that cannot easily be explained. It's like trying to explain to someone why their favorite color is blue.

But overall this is a great book. If you are looking to find out more about the history of the NFL, this is the book for you.

As someone who followed Barbaro even before his Kentucky Derby win, I craved information about him, especially after he passed away. Of all of the books written about this remarkable racehorse, none does him justice as this one does. The pictures are brilliant and glossy and the writing is comprehensive and well done. I still can not look at this book and not get emotional at seeing all the beautiful photos of Barbaro. It is well worth the price to own this book.

Sean Clancy did a marvelous job with this book. I laughed, I cried (a lot). If anyone followed what happened to Barbaro this book is a must. Thank you Mr. Clancy for writing such a glowing story about this beautiful animal.

This is a very well written book of the Barbaro story told with insight and compassion, without being maudlin. Of course when he wrote the book he thought Barbaro would live, as most of us who were rooting for him, did. So the tone is positive and the pictures are worth the price of the book. A great horse and a great story - worth every penny!

What a gift this is. Wonderful pictures and step by step story of this incredible horse. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

This book was beautifully written and I enjoyed every page. Barbaro touched the lives of so many of us and I still feel the sorrow of his tragic injury and ultimate death. What a courageous animal! I also want to give praise to Edgar Prado who wept for Barbaro and probably still does.

This strong, tough as nails jockey has a heart and lots of soul and I admire him tremendously. Barbaro meant much more than a paycheck to Mr. Prado. I am a fan and admirer of this man who felt so much for Barbaro mand who grieved with the rest of the world at his loss.

No praise and no words could pay proper tribute to Dr. Dean Richardson and all the staff who fought so hard to keep Barbaro alive and whose main objective was that he live a life free from pain. What a valient struggle!

It's wonderful knowing there are still professionals who truly care, and human beings who aren't afraid of having a heart and aren't afraid of allowing the world to see it.