Basketball Books

The author wrote this book in a way that was easy to understand. She included intense details about what was going on in the characters' personal life. From the first page, I just couldn't put it down. Those couple of pages kept me hooked. It made me want to know what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who would want to know what the "inside" life would be like whenever it is that you enter the "real world". This book shows how a female was in 3 different relationships, and in the end it effected her life dramatically. It showed great examples on what hardships you would come across when you get older, and are choosing to deal with the opposite sex(mate). On a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the highest, I would most definitely give this book 5 stars*****. You would really be astonished at what things are really happening in this book!

This book is a slam dunk, for sure. I really enjoyed Threesome, I thought this book was a great read. It, had me right from the start, definitely a page turner. A must read. A quick read. A story well weaved.

First of all I read Brenda L Thomas book "The Velvet Rope" which was a page turner for sure, but when she spoke on Sasha a brief moment in that book I knew I had to meet her. I keep telling myself thoughout this book that this character is 38 yrs old which really threw me off. She had it going on. Her relationships with these men were totally sexual.To think that she didn't have a mother, sounded more like she didn't have a father. Each man wanted her sex and she loved it. Phoenix would be any personnel assistant dream boss. What single women wouldn't fall for him. I knew her and Cole would not last after his wife's suicide. And Trent, well he had his own issues with baby-mamma drama. I personally thought she should have stayed with Phoenix and rode the wave.

Let's be honest. How many women out here have slept with someone else's man and knew this man was either married or seeing somebody? When do you say enough is enough.

Sasha is not your average woman. She doesn't mean to do it, it just happens. How you could resist a sexy multimillionar basketball player with the name of Phoenix Carter? Making more money that you have ever made. Plus his beautiful fiance and two little children don't know.

Easily, the first man you slept with had wife and committed suicide right in your bedroom. Stop. This is not the lifestyle to go.

Brenda Thomas gives us something to look at with this book. How easy it is for a man/woman to cheat on his/her significant other. You see how I said his/her. Women we cheat too. Brenda doesn't get that far into it, the book is an easy read but she gives just enough to think about if our man is cheating.

This is the first book I've read by Brenda L Thomas and I thought it was OK, but I think Eric Jerome Dickey or Zane or Terry McMillan are better writers. This isn't a deep book, but it does have a good story line that I really enjoyed. It is an easy read - two chapters near the beginning are only half a page long. She has a good writing style, but no depth and that's what I thought was lacking.
The story is about Sasha and how she finds herself in several different relationships all with different consequences. Her first partner that we read about, is married and his wife commits suicide in Sashas bedroom. She then finds herself with her boss; a up and coming basketball player with more money than he knows what to do with. Then there is Trent. While she knows he's 'with' someone else (and that someone is carrying his baby) that only makes her want him more. Something about this book draws you in, so I give it four stars for the plot, but it lacks a star because it's not a powerful and intense book like the kinds I like to read.

Could have been interesting, but this book was so foul (language) I had difficulty staying with it. It has remained, unfinished, on my bookshelf.

I knew of Jim Carroll, read some of his poetry and such. And then I saw the movie--and let me tell you, you have to see that one. So I finally got around to picking up the book. Carroll is unflinchingly honest (though I do suspect he took many liberties with the story) and the story is brutal. This book does not glamorize drug abuse, as it shouldn't. This is a book I'll be coming back to over and over.

This odd mix of biography and novel takes some terrible situations and turns them into a quest for purity. You won't be able to put it down.

fun story, sure it's dark but you know what you're getting when you pick it up. I like that this book despite being a novel shows how heroin use doesn't cause health problems other than its addiction. too bad he became a thug on it, which also doesn't need to go hand in hand with drug use despite popular misconception. loved the movie, the book is about as good. can relate to more of this book than probably anyone on amazon (nyc, prep school, former precocious poet & dope user, successful shooting guard, thriving today). not saying that to brag but to say it holds up enjoyably as hell well as an odd mix of biography and novel.

This is the best book that I have ever read. It is so well written that it takes your breathe away. In this book he transforms horrible awful situations into a quest for purity. I didn't want this book to end.

This book tells about Micjaels jordans life all the way from his college life in north Carolina to the nab playing on the Bulls. He led them to 6 nab championships. Then he went on to win the gold in the summer olympics. He is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the book For The Love Of The Game. One thing that I learned about this book is that you should never give up and always keep on trying. Even if you are not good at something at first then you should not give up and keep on trying untill you get good at the thing. And that you should not just stick with one thing but, try other things. You might be good at it. And that things just do not come to you, you have to work at it. That is what I learned about the book.

The book is full of great photos. I especially liked the one of Jordan and Dr. J! It also has great statistics from Michael Jordan's career. The layout is very different. I did not like it all that much. I was also a little disappointed that we did not really get to see more of the real Jordan. For a brief moment, we saw his humanity when he wrote about his father. Briefly, he mentioned his family. But mostly, he wrote about himself on the court. I guess I was hoping for more humility from this superstar. I believe he has it in him but the book doesn't show it. He certainly has much to brag about, but I thought he always let his bragging be seen through his play on the court.

For The Love of the Game by Michael Jordan is the best book about Michael Jordan ever. This book is so cool. The pictures are great of Michael Jordan. I have read this book four times already and I also have the paperback and the hardback. This book means so much to me because I am going through what he went through when he was in high school. He got cut from his basketball team too, and he gives me ways in the book to put that behind me and keep me going on with my life.

The book I read was for the love of the game. It's about Michael Jordan and his life. I'd give it four stars because it explores through his basketball statistics to personal information. He talks about how he was drafted and how he almost didn't chose nike. It talks about all the inside information. It is one of the best autobiography's I've ever read. If you like basketball or a sport, you will reall like it. I learned a lot of stuff I'd probabaly would have never known. Some of the things I didn't know was that he played baseball. He also was number 45 in basketball for a year. His first Air Jordan was band from the league. I would recommend this book for people who like sports and biography's.

It only took me one day to read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. When this happens, it's because the book is so good and engrossing I don't want to put it down. This book is heartbreaking and joyful and hopeful! It's the story of Junior, a Spokane Indian, that transfers from his reservation high school to an all-white high school in a nearby town. He receives grief from both sides but ends up finding the hope he has always wanted and needed. Junior goes through a lot of life-changing events during his first year at the new school. By the end of the story, he has come full circle. He's able to embrace both his past and his present while looking towards the future. It's an amazing ride! It's a bittersweet look at the life of a boy stuck between doing what he wants and doing what is expected. I highly recommend this book for all ages, young and old!

Sherman Alexie is the best as witting things that are heartbreakingly-funny-and-true, or maybe its funny because it is true. Its a wonderful young adult book that I'm sure in on its way to being banned in maybe high school libraries for being too graphic and probably too true. I think a lot of young adults will relate to the story and if they don't directly maybe they'll spend some time thinking how everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. This s a particularly good story for anyone dealing with or who has dealt with an alcoholic family or parent.

Sherman Alexie's first young adult book will seem very familiar to many young and especially older readers. Those of us who are familiar with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Stephen King's "The Body" (made into the film Stand By Me), and also Sherman Alexie's own The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, will hear voices from all of those works converge in the protagonist of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold Spirit. Arnold Spirit is a contemporary and Native American poltergeist of Holden Caulfield, and the overall tone and worldview of this book is quite different from The Catcher in the Rye.

Stylistically, the book has a hackneyed feel. It really does seem like something Salinger may have written. The main difference is that, in the end, The Catcher in the Rye is not hopeful. Salinger writes a dark comedy/satire and leaves the reader with a darker sense of humor and a sharper sense of cynicism. Alexie is far more interested in making tragedy a part of life. Another reviewer here found the amount of dead bodies surrounding one Indian boy's life to be unrealistic and unbelievable. I wish that were true. I wish Native American communities weren't decimated by alcoholism and poverty, but it's simply and completely true.

But wait, this isn't a completely sad book; it's actually filled with hope. It dares the reader to consider a boy's coming of age from a non-white perspective. It makes the reader ponder how men are built in the United States: What does it mean to become a man for a Native American boy, for a black boy, for an Asian boy, for a Latino boy? I admit that I don't know those stories, but now perhaps I am beginning to understand at least one of them - what it might be like for a Native American boy growing up in crushing poverty, tucked away on a reservation.

Often, this kind of writing is called "multicultural," but I find that moniker to be somewhat dismissive and arrogant. This is an American story, written for and about the current generation of iPod-wielding American teenagers. I understand that the thematic similarity to past writers might irk some readers, but The Catcher in the Rye is due to be updated. Bars are becoming smokeless, teenagers rarely wear hats and ties on weekdays, and when is the last time you saw a real, live working pay phone? The props and settings of The Catcher in the Rye are outdated and almost alien.

Alexie updates the props of the coming-of-age story, so that his readers don't become uncomfortable and disoriented. But Alexie also changes the focus of the coming-of-age story. Boys don't have to grow up to be their fathers. Freudian pressures don't affect everyone necessarily. Sometimes, a boy will strike out on his own, and even though it's dangerous and bad things will happen to him, there will also be funny and joyful things.

The ordeal of contemporary teen life fits well with Alexie's voice and writing style. The writing has edge and whimsy, playfulness and moments of sustained clarity. While I still think The Catcher in the Rye is readable today, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a good alternative to a recurring narrative.

This book is well written, with interesting believable characters. If a child wonders what it would be like to be "different" in a community, this book would give him a good introduction. The protagonist in this book is confronting insecurities in himself and in his Navtive American community. For young people who wonder what it is like to live with differences, this book would be a good introduction. The author has a good grasp of what it is like to be different. I would recommend this book.

I was looking for a good book for my almost 13 yr old who is an avid reader and reads on an extremely high level. Unfortunately, most of the books on his reading level are not on his maturity level. In reading the reviews of this book, I thought I had found a good one for him. Not so much. The book includes much rougher language than expected. There are also some very crude joking situations. In flipping through the book, there was something inappropriate on almost every page I came to. I wished I had read more excerpts before ordering.

This series made me fall in love with fantasy. It offered me a few hours away from life. A relaxing read with plenty of entertainment - excellent choice if you're not in the mood to dig through complex wording and lengthy plot development. Well written without unnecessary complications.

I can't believe there's no continuation. The Chester novel that's received the highest rating... what a shame.

a book comes along that really inspires you... to vomit. Of the many books of sci-fi schlock I've poured through in my lifetime, this one is one of the worst. The characters are rarely interesting and the plot seems thin and in the end of this book, rushed. It seems by the 170th page of boring melodrama the author was in such a hurry to cut it short to fufill "trilogy" requirements she railroaded the characters into confusing and counter-intuitive behavior. I re-read the last part of the book to make sure I wasn't missing anything, and I wasn't. I haven't bothered to read the next two books in the saga. Usually, a first installment of a saga is supposed to grip you, not repulse you. And this did such a wonderful job of repulsing me I refused to even continue with the series. Instead, I reread "Dune" and found my faith in sci-fi writing restored.

Originally, I read part 2 of this series first. When I first read this book I had to re-read part 2 again. I say in it self that each book can stand alone, that's what part two did for me. This is the humble but aristocratic orgins of who we call the golden one. Ampris born a slave, stolen from her mother & brought up in the ways of the privilige Viis. The King of the Viis or the Kaa, his daughter wanted Ampris as her pet. As Ampris grows up she come across with conflicts with her own identity and her place in society. As the book continues she feels she is just more than a pet & more of a slave. Later, she crosses path with another character of the book Elrabin is also shown as a seperate story. Eventually, when they end up meeting in the end which somehow, in part two, thier friendship is very crucial & neccessary to the series.

I've read the other reviews of how people got confuse with the Lucasfilm logo thinking its a Star Wars book. I always saw the logo and never got any confusion thinking it has something to do with Star Wars. Lucasfilms has done alot more than just Star Wars and this series prove it can go outside the Star Wars Universe. This series is very entertaining and originally in my book. I find it rare that some books like all the books in this series get any type of attention which I believe it should. This is an excellent read. Also, it's excellent find if anyone come across with any of the books in this awesome triology. Deborah Chester is an awesome writer and I'm looking foward to read more books by her.

This book could turn some off by the chincy cover and meoldramatic clichéd back. However, the book is nothing of the sorts. It's a great read, and you'll be able to gobble it up quickly.

Regardles of the LucasFilm's brand, it has nothing to do with Star Wars, and the only resemblence is that it's Science Fantasy. The characters are incredibly well-drawn, and if you react to the book the same way I will, you'll want to keep reading.

The plot moves quickly, and is really two plots, because it follows the lives of two characters who don't meet until the end of the book. One, Elrabin, is a poor, homeless street thief who runs away from home at the age of seven, and Ampris, a member of a race deemed subhuman by the Viis Empire (the badasses of the book) who is bought out of poverty and into royalty to be the pet of the Emperor's daughter. So, a nice ying and yang scenario is set up.

This book is really a medophor I think for the stupidity of biggotry and class distinction in society, but it's still a fun, light read. Buy this book knowing that it's not an importan piece of Science Fiction literature, but knowing you'll have a good time.

I am an avid fan of fantasy and sci-fi, and when I noticed this book on the shelf at the local book store, I was interested enough to buy it. The first book in the trilogy, "The Golden One", doesn't really let one know how bad the writing is going to get. I give it one star simply because it isn't particularly well-written, and the storyline is transparently bland. It is obviously intended to hook the customer into buying the whole trilogy, which only goes downhill from the beginning. The really sad thing is that there was a lot of potential to make this interesting, but the characters, instead of developing, become more and more one-dimensional as the story progresses. The conversations and thought-processes of the characters could have been written by a fourth-grade B student. By the end of the third book, I was so disgusted and impatient to simply be done with it, that I had to force myself to read it through to the end instead of tossing it into a garbage can. I won't give away any parts of the story, just in case someonee is foolish enough to buy this stinker, but be forewarned: the author becomes so pedantic towards the end that there can be absolutely no doubt, at all, not even the tiniest, smallest, most miniscule bit of doubt, that the lead character, Ampris, is a "tragically noble heroine who just wants to believe the best in others no matter how many times they disappoint her". Or that everyone else in the books, with the exception of her best friend, is a despicable, self-centered, back-stabbing excuse for a (sorry, can't use the word "human", so insert your own noun, here).

This series, in conclusion, is an utterly pathetic attempt at writing, that starts out mediocre and eventually becomes simply abominable. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT!

I first bought this book at a book fair when i was in the sixth grade. I am now 21 and still read this book at least once a year. Though I have matured and moved onto to other more advanced readings, I still find David Klass' Danger Zone as my favorite book. As well as having great details enabling you to really envision the basketball games, he gives a great view of life and the great differences in cultures and races both near and far. I greatly recommend this book to any reader no matter what the age. FIVE STARS

Danger Zone, by David Klass, is a story about seventeen year old, basketball star, Jimmy Doyle, who lives in Minnesota. He saves the day by making his spectacular and wild three point shots. One day two coaches from the USA Olympic basketball team invites Jimmy to play for the team in Italy. At first he turned down the offer, but later he accepted it.

When they got to Italy, fans started being racist and hating the "Dream Team USA" because of the color of their skin. The trouble then started when a German who claimed to be a "Nazi", posted a death threat on the local Roman newspaper. Now the team must watch their every step and move or else they will get killed.

Told from Jimmy Doyle's point of view, this story will be an action packed and fast paced adventure for readers of all ages.

A white basketball player Jimmy Doyle from Granham , Minnesota is the best player in the area. He is so good that he gets invited to play on the American Dream Team that gets to play in Europe against other countries. Once he is on the team he soon realizes that the team is mostly black and some of his black teammates don't like that Jimmy is on the team. But the biggest problem for the team is the racism and prejudice that they face from the people in Europe. The people are saying hateful things to the black players and the players face bigotry throughout the whole time. And Jimmy who thought that the Dream Team would be all about playing basketball but soon realizes that it is actually about the hatred of his black teammates. So now Jimmy and his teammates have to find a way to get through this together.
I really liked this book a lot. It talks about a lot of important issues that people go through and people like me and you need to read about. I haven't really seen a lot of books that talk about these kinds of things and I like the fact that this book took it there. The only thing that I didn't like about this book is that in some of the prejudice parts they went a little overboard in some parts. But actually it might of not of been overboard to some people but it really depends on how you look at it. To find out if this book was overboard of just right you need to read this book.

Do you know what it is like to be in the zone? Jimmy Doyle is a small-town hero in Granham, Minnesota, but he wonders if he can play at the top. When he is invited to play in an international tournament in Italy, he must choose to stay at home and help in the family store, or to go and play in the chance of a lifetime. Jimmy feels that he must stay at home and help his family, but he ends up going anyway with his family's support. He flies out to Los Angeles and meets the other nine teammates for the first time. Some arguments between Jimmy and his teammates occur before they fly out to Italy. The team dominates the competition until a death threat from psychotic terrorists force the team into hiding. David Klass's novel Danger Zone, published in 1996, tries to tell the reader about bad race relations and judging without basis can be a bad thing for all people.
In Danger Zone, there is a great deal of assumption others done by the American team. Augustus LeMay, a monstrous all around basketball star, believes that Jimmy only got onto the team because he is a white boy. Augustus says "I just don't have patience for having to put a rich, white boy, who couldn't last five minutes in our city, on our team." Also, Jimmy assumes that L.A. is a nice place because of the places that he was taken to, not being shown the slums and the poor portions of L.A. Augustus shows Jimmy the slums that he comes from to show how hard that he had it. Then, the team flies to Rome and they also assume that Rome is a nice place. Then they receive a death threat and realize that Rome isn't as nice a place outside of what they had seen. Later in the book Augustus realizes that Jimmy is an okay guy and starts to be less hostile towards him but the two still don't get along well.
Another theme in Danger Zone is how race can get in the way of a team. Augustus and Jimmy don't get along at first. This is because Jimmy is white. Augustus thinks that Jimmy can never be as good as his cousin, Devonne Saunders, because he's white. Then, Ray, the team joker, gives Jimmy the nickname snowman. Jimmy assumes means that he is cold like a snowman because he's from Minnesota, but the other teammates realize that it is because he is white. Augustus and the team finally realize that Jimmy is an okay guy and a good player.
Danger Zone does a superb job at telling the reader about race relations and judging done by most people. The author hid this message, and yet he still did extremely well in getting his points across. He accomplished his ideas and still made such a good story that makes the reader want more and more. I personally was devastated when I lost my copy of the book. I had to read it so much that I borrowed the book from my Classmates and teachers. Most people can read this book and get something out of it, I know that I did. Overall I would have to give this book a 9 out of 10.

Jimmy is a star in his hometown, but can he play with All Stars in the U.S? Jimmy is from Minnesota where he is the star in small town Granham. He can play Basketball, but can he compete with international teams as he joins the U.S. Teen Dream Team? They first travel to Los Angeles to practice with the team before the tournament. The top ten teen players in the country make the team and Jimmy is one of the two white players. Does his color make him look bad in the first practices? "Danger Zone" published in 1996 by David Klass shows Augustus' (black player on Jimmy's team) life in L.A. is very different from Jimmy's small town life. After Jimmy puts that and other conflicts behind him the U.S. Teen Dream Team flies to Italy for the tournament. There are more conflicts and a death threat is sent to them. Racism and loyalty take over the tournament.

Racism collides with teammates and others, as they meet for the first time in L.A. and Italy. In the first practices, Jimmy cannot make a shot to save his life. Augustus thinks his cousin should have made the team instead of some no name. His thoughts turn into fists as he says to Jimmy, "You only made the team, because you're some rich white boy." Then it becomes Jimmy vs. Augustus in a fist fight. As the U.S. team flies to Italy some of the fans don't like Jimmy's teammates or the color of their skin. The dark skinned people in Italy are treated differently, as Augustus sees black people poor and living on the streets and he discusses this issue in a press conference. Fans from other teams think he and his black teammates should not be in this tournament.

Are you loyal to your team and teammates though the whole tournament? Some players on Jimmy's team are loyal to their team in hard times, but one is loyal to them all the time. Augustus is that one. He toughened up and put the death threat behind him when others worried about what was going to happen during the tournament. Augustus was accustomed to being treated differently because of his childhood in L.A. and kept the team alive in the tournament. He is concerned about his teammates and when Jimmy is having a rough time sleeping, Augustus tells him "You're not helping us win and you look like death warmed over." Augustus is thinking about the team as a whole and for Jimmy's welfare.

"Danger Zone" by David Klass is successful at showing anyone can overcome different types of obstacles when they have a goal. This book shows not to judge a book by its cover and "Danger Zone" shows racism plays a part even in a basketball game. This book has thrilling hoop action and is excellent to read. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it's story on how a teen copes with racism in a team environment. You won't want to put this book down; you'll just keep turning the pages. I give this book nine out of ten stars.

Don't get me wrong, I really like this Myron Bolitar series. I especially like the interaction between Myron and his friend and associate, Win. I also like more action and this story kind of dragged in the beginning. Yes, this is a good mystery, but slow developing. I gave it three stars because it really picked up after the half way point and has an ending that you will never guess.

In One False Move Myron Bolitar is again doing more detecting that agenting when he is asked by Norm Zuckerman to play bodyguard to women's basketball sensation Brenda Slaughter (with the hopes of retaining her as a client for MB SportReps). Turns out Myron knew her father Horace, who has been missing for a week, from his days as a teenager playing basketball in some of New Jersey's rougher neighborhoods. Brenda isn't really interested in a Whitney Houston/Kevin Costner (ala 'The Bodyguard') situation, but she does agree to allow Myron to watch her back.

Jessica and Myron are living together but she has run off to L.A. under the premise of work, but Myron worries she is letting her fear of commitment get between them once again. Without Jessica around Myron is free to spend his time looking out for Brenda and she asks him to also look for her mother, who walked out on Brenda and her dad 20 years before.

Myron works with Win and Esperanza to try and track down Horace and learn the answer to the question of just what happened to Brenda's mom all those years ago. Could their disappearances be related? When Horace turns up dead, the clock is ticking even more loudly for the friends to get to the bottom of things before someone else gets hurt.

Harlan Coben leaves you in suspense until the very end. His combination of humor, action and suspense is as good or better than any mystery or fiction writer. His books are hard to put down. One False Move was no exception. His cast of characters work wonderfully together. This is simply a great read. Five Stars.

Loren Keim
Author "Selling Commercial Real Estate" and "Sell Your Home in Any Market"

ONE FALSE MOVE is the fifth novel in Harlan Coben's "Myron Bolitar" series about a sports agent who solves crimes related to his clients. I think it's the best in the series so far.

I read a ton of thrillers, and Coben is one of the most consistently entertaining writers in the genre. He's a first-class plotter, and his characters are both funny and endearing. While Coben is best known for his more recent standalone thrillers, his Bolitar novels are also well worth seeking out.

ONE FALSE MOVE, in particular, showcases Coben's many strengths: it is very tightly written, moves like lightning, and is both funny and suspenseful. There are also several moments, involving Bolitar's personal life, that are quite emotionally touching. Overall, this is a first class effort by a great storyteller.

Although you can read the Bolitar novels in any order, I recommend reading them in sequence (starting with DEAL BREAKER) to maximize your enjoyment.

One False Move, by the brilliant Harlan Coben, is the 5th book in the Myron Bolitar series. Featuring many recurring characters, especially Win and Esperanza, the story here revolves around the country's best female basketball player, and the mystery surrounding her mother and father. One of the amazing things about Mr. Coben is his ability to include many laugh out loud funny moments, even when a sense of melancholy permeates the story. This novel is no different. A brilliant book by an incredible author. In the mystery/thriller genre - and the serial mystery genre - Coben has few peers. Coben has written (as of this writing) eight Myron Bolitar novels and numerous stand alones. His characters are fully realized and you can't help but care about them. The Bolitar series in order,thus far:

Deal Breaker (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
Drop Shot (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
Fade Away (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
BACKSPIN (MYRON BOLITAR, NO 4)
ONE FALSE MOVE
The Final Detail
Darkest Fear (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)

Enjoy!!!

This book is one of my favorites. It seems to have been written with a big heart, in-depth knowledge of NBA basketball and good understanding of human behavior. The book shows how the writer has gotten over many challenges in his own life and I bet he will excel in whatever he puts his heart in. He has brought the world of practical spirituality into sports and dared to break boundaries of conventionality.
A great book!

Phil Jackson's depiction of his journey from childhood to professional basketball will be a delight even to the casual sports fan. Centered on his philosophy of unselfishness, Jackson successfully offers insight into the mindset of high stakes coaching enabling one to understand the progression of thought behind many of the tough decisions he made while winning Championships. Sacred Hoops will offer as a special bonus some insight into Michael Jordan's world from a perspective not offered by mainstream media.

I recommend this book to any casual sports fan and in particular to all basketball fans.

I am a big fan of Phil Jackson and his approach to the game of basketball. Sports for kids, is an introduction to life, and I really appreciate what Phil has to say. I have read this book numerous times and just now bought the audio book. If you are a coach of any sport, do yourself a favor and read this book!

Is this book a slam-dunk? It could be. I'm having a hard time rating this book 4 stars when it should have had 4.5 stars. This book could be rated more like Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan to keep up with this book's terms.

The story about Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls is amazing. Any story written about it has the potential to reach Jordan heights. The story described by Phil Jackson makes it even more compelling.

Getting to know the insights about Jackson's training also gives insight about the man and his beliefs as Zen is unmistakenly connected to him. This is the only flaw within the book. Although he used it on his pupils and it worked on them, it does not always guarantee succes outside sports. Business is a different league.

If you're a sports lover just grab a copy of the book and read it. If you like to step up your own game DO try this at home, although success cannot be guaranteed.

Phil Jackson's philosophy on teamwork and leadership is based upon Native American and Buddhist principles. From his book these principles and spiritual lessons are brought to life and explained in a manner only a man like himself could do. He is trying to let people know lessons are taken from the lessons he has learned throughout his life as a basketball player and coach, but these lessons not only pertain to basketball, they can be used for anyone in order to increase the potential of the human spirit. Phil Jackson is a world-renowned player and coach of the NBA. He is now the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and has won three NBA championships with them; however, he is most famous for leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships with legendary players, such as, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, and many others. He has adopted the teachings of Eastern philosophies, like Buddhism, and received the nickname the "Zen Master" because of it. Phil Jackson has not only written Sacred Hoops, but several other virtuous books. Other books include Maverick, Take It All, More Than a Game, and The Last Season: a Team in Search for Its Soul. Jackson's inspirational messages are powerful and thought provoking and make the reader experience a sense that they are able to incorporate these teachings into their everyday lives, even if they do not play or watch the game of basketball. The methods he uses, for example, meditation, mindfulness, and visualization, and also quotes used from Zen Buddhism to Native American teachings help provide a new or improved outlook on their lives and help make them, as well as other people around them, better people. As Phil Jackson says, "Being aware is more important than being smart." Whether or not you are an athlete, student or just someone looking for inspirational insight this book is a terrific read.

Teens can really get inspired through Myers words. I also think that many teens will be able to relate to the different situations that he went through as well as learn how teens grew up in the 40's and 50's. The best part is learning the culture of Harlem as well as learn a first hand experience about the Harlem Renaissance.

On the back of this book it says that teens will see them selves in Myers. Well they weren't lying when they said that, I saw myself completely in some of the contents of Myers teenage years. For example the reading, through out the book Myers discovered that he had a very good talent in reading and writing. He also was a class clown who always got into trouble, but why doing so he made the people around him laugh. Anyway Myers didn't want to be made fun of(don't we all) about being able to read and write so he hid it from everybody. Their are things that I am good at that I don't want people to know. Myers also told what it was like being a black boy in an integrated Harlem back in the 1930s and '40s. It was hard for him, and one of his friends in the book, whom was white, got invited to a Party, and the host wouldn't let Myers go because he was black. Myers had a hard bringing up, he didn't go to school often because he did bad and didn't want to do good. Look at him now though, he is an award winning author, and wrote other amazing books like Fallen Angles, Somewhere in the Darkness, and Monster. Myers showed us all how he was brought up and the problems he had, and with his writing he showed us who he is now. This powerful book can help a lot of struggling teens

"Bad Boy" the story of Walter Dean Myers life in the streets of Harlem and the challenges he faced from drugs, gangs and the feeling of having no hope to ever succeed. Walter jumps you head first into how the struggle of being a young African American and how you must survive. Walter at a young age was considered very intelligent his only problem that held him back was his speech defect. In which he was teased for and caused him anger in which brought him down the path of violence. Much of Walter's life was something he fought for or strived for, something that really didn't expect with a kid that had so much rage and anger he had such passion for reading and writing. Many times during the book he would talk about how he would lock himself in his room for hours and just read and write poems, stories or just about anything that he could think of. Walter Dean Myers paints a vivid picture of the challenges a young kid in Harlem had to deal with in hopes of finding himself, it is a story that will change the mind of everyone.

This book is a good book for teens to read. It's that kind of book that us as kids can relate to.....Once i read the first chapter i was hooked! I would strongly recommend this book to any of my closest friends! I am glad to give this book a good review.

Bad Boy
By Walter Dean Myers
Review by Kareem Joey



Bad Boy .Hoops .Fly jimmy fly, what do all of these great
Books have in common? They were all written by Walter dean Myers a high school dropout!

Bad you are a thrilling book full of suspense and hard ships. IT starts while Walter was just a little boy. Even though his life was hard he somehow mad it through. The hardest part of waters life was probably his home town. Life in Harlem in the 1940s was rough. There was always crime and fights. The neighborhood was dirty and thee houses were rigtty.But Walter somehow made it thought. His main problem while he was growing up was his love for reading and writing. This is a problem because his bad and friends do not approve of his hobbies they begin to make fun of him and he begins to grow a hard outer shell.


He than becomes a bully. Towards the end of the story his anger calms and he starts to not care what people think of him. He then follows and becomes a famous writer. Though his father still doesn't approve his mother tries to keep him inspired. This Book teaches you to follow your dreams no matter what people think about you. They should not a have a say in you're future because only can decide what you do in life

Loved it! It was one of the best books I have ever read! It teaches you some valuable lessons and it teaches you how to make your foul shots 100%(really it works). It was also funny and it teaches you the value of friendship.

The book I am reviewing is The Million Dollar Shot, and is written by Dan Gutman. I think this book deserves 4 stars because it's a good book but it's not suitable for younger kids. This book is about Eddie trying to make the million dollar shot, a basket from the foul line because his name was pulled out for the contest. The problem that occurs in this story is that he can't make the shot because he doesn't have his lucky coin. The problem is solved when Annie Stockley finds it for him. Does he win the million dollars? Read to find out! I'd recommend this book to 7-12 year olds because younger kids won't get it and 7-12 year olds like chapter books about kids their own age. I like this book because it has basketball. Other books by this author are Babe and me, Virtually Perfect, and The kid who became President.

Sarah
The Million Dollar Shot!
The book that i have been reading is " The Million dollar shot". By, Dan Gutman. This book is about A boy who has a chance to win one million dollars by making a foul shot at the NBA finals.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read about sports, or just basketball. This book is probably one of the best books i have read this year. I say this because i like sports and this was a sport book. This book could have been better if there was one or two more suprises. Other that this book was very good.
One of the suprises could be that the boy gets a girlfriend or if some one famous asked to hang out with him or something like that. This was a very good book, that is what the book the Million Dollar Shot was about.

The Million Dollar Shot
By: Dan Gutman

The Million Dollar Shot is a great book of suspence.This book is about a boy who gets a chance to shoot a foul shot for $1,000,000.00 in the first game of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York where he shoots and...will it go in or out you will have to find that on your own. If I had to choose a star rating of 1-10 I would choose a 9/10 stars because there are some parts that he could improve in.

Matthew

Million Dollar Shot: Review

My lit circle book, The Million Dollar Shot is a really good book so far. Eddie Ball and his Mom been dreaming of moving out of their trailer where they live but she lost her job at Finkle Foods. It's a good book because it describes a boy that's playing basketball and he enters a contest. The part I don't like is when Eddie says he'll make the shot at the end of the book. It would have been better if he left us hanging at the part when he shot it at Madison Square Garden, when it rolled around and around the hoop, wondering if it'll go in or not! Now, that would be suspenseful!!!!!!! If I had to rate it, I'd give it 3.5 stars. I would give it that because it's kind of a good book. But it is kind of boring if you read it for a second time!


BY: Rigo