Athletics Books

"The Real All Americans," the story of the Carlisle Indians football team, is more history than sports. Sports fans might be disappointed since the first 125 pages are mainly history, focusing on the Indian chief "American Horse" and a young soldier Richard Pratt, who went on to found the Carlisle School for Indians.

Pratt's experiment with the Indians began at Fort Marion with Sarah Ann Mather helping to teach and educate the Indians. Pratt's goal was "total erasure of the old tribal life and the abolishment of the corrupt reservation system." Many of the chiefs were upset by the changes forced upon the Indians at Fort Marion.

Carlisle, "a social experiment unlike other schools," fielded its first football team in 1894. Its players were usually outsized, physically abused by opponents, and discriminated against by officials. They played, however, with lots of heart.

The book details the evolution of college football, particularly among the Ivy League teams, the center of power. The Carlisle Indians gained respect of their opponents, while helping to revolutionize the sport.

The arrival of Jim Thorpe and his rise to fame is chronicled. From 1911 through 1913, Carlisle posted a 38-3 record.

After Carlisle beat Army, 27-6, in 1912, the New York Times wrote that "Carlisle played the most perfect brand of football ever seen in America." Carlisle's football program, however, ended after the 1917 season.

In the epilogue, author Sally Jenkins gives a thumbnail sketch as to what happened to some of the major figures associated with the Carlisle School for Indians after its football program ended.

Jenkins does a wonderful job telling the story of this legendary school and its football program. The book is thoroughly researched, footnoted and easy to read. Highly recommended for anyone interested in sports history.

Don't be fooled by the media blitz behind this book. It is filled with serious errors and is the product of poor, second hand, research. The "Long Knives" metaphor around which this book is built is just plain false. Jenkins picked that up from Babe Weyand's first book. He, in turn picked it up from none other than the less than believable 1940-50's sportscaster Bill Stern who included it in a 1948 ghost written book for juvenile readers without single authoritative source behind it. In a lengthy series of correspondence and ghost written articles Warner never mentions the Long Knives pep talk once. Nor do authoritative and contemporaneous (with Warner) football historians such as Allison Danzig and Tim Cohane. As to the double wing, Warner's correspondence, newspaper articles and interviews reveal that the Warner was using the single wing in 1906 and the double wing in 1910. Even Army in this game used the single wing as were many other teams in the Country. The Indians didn't consider Army very important. The "Big Four" (Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale) were far more important to Carlisle and Warner than Army. As to Ike. He was a bit player on a terrible "D" who was knocked out of the game when, comic book like, he and his teammate Charley Benedict collided headon in a missed attempt to "high low" Thorpe in the 3d quarter. If the "Long Knives" metaphor can be distilled into one game it is the 1905 game between Carlisle and the Cadets at West Point - seven years closer to Wounded Knee - and a game far more important on the national stage than the 1912 game. It took a special act of the War Department to be played at all. Jenkins doesn't even mention it. The Indians won that game too. Want more? See my "There Were No Oysters - The Truth About the 1912 Army vs. Carlisle Game" which I wrote earlier this year in response to Jenkins' and Lars Anderson's companion book about the 1912 game.

"The Real Americans" is a well written and researched book. I have always wondered about the beginings of Carlisle. I was would have like to see more about the students who attended. It was very sparce on details about the ending of the Carlisle a school. The young girls who atttended the school, what were their accomplishments. Not enough pictures of the students and Jim Thorpe. I was looking for more of the latter. As an overall review of the book, I found it very interesting and worth the reading time.

This is actually three intertwined books. It begins with a history of the later stages of the Indian Wars in the American West and the slow steady marginalization of the Indians that followed. It then details the formation and history of the Carlisle Indian School, which was an important part of efforts to "civilize" the Indians. Finally, it follows the early history of football, mostly by relating the history of one of the most remarkable football teams of all, the Carlisle Indians.

It would be remarkable enough to do justice to any of those subjects in one short book, but the author manages to seamlessly intertwine all three in a page-turner of a narrative. Along the way, she paints detailed portraits of many of the complicated people who created the history.

The cumulative result is a thoroughly enjoyable book that is at the same time vitally important. An amazing number of issues dealt with in the book-- including the manner in which the US deals with its Native American peoples, the proper role of football at American colleges, and the nature of true amateurism in athletics-- have not been resolved even today, nearly a hundred years after the events related here.

This is a remarkable book that will more than justify the time taken to read it.

As a guy rule of thumb, when your wife says "I think you should read this book about football", it's a good idea to listen to her. My wife started recommending this book after the first chapter, and I was happy when she finally turned it over to me. Sally Jenkins' "The Real All Americans" is by turns fascinating, entertaining, and moving.

Anyone who has ever played football is likely to enjoy the description of the early stages of the game. It is amazing how brutal it could be, and how little regard there was for the "rules" such as they were, of the day. The phrase "if you're not cheating, you're not trying" comes to mind.

Ever wonder why we have "Pop Warner" football? Well, here is Warner in all of his glory. He does not come off as a particularly nice person, but as an innovator and a competitor, he has few peers. He took control of the speedy-but-undersized Carlisle Indian School football team in an era when brute force was what won football games, and he created a winning program by emphasizing speed, passing, and misdirection. My favorite anecdote? In order to create confusion, prior to a Carlisle game against Harvard he had players sew football-shaped patches onto their uniforms. In response, the Harvard coach had the balls painted the same crimson color of his team's jerseys. In a compromise, the patches and colored balls were both removed.

The book does more than just revisit football's roots. It is a fascinating history of the aftermath of the United States' western expansion. The director of Carlisle, LTC Richard Pratt, comes of as stern but fair, with the best interests (as he saw them) of his students at heart. He was a firm believer that the conquered tribes would fare best if assimilated into larger American society. The Carlisle Indian School was explicitly set up to remove children from their parents and their tribes, separate them from their heritage, and indoctrinate them into America. It was at best a mixed success, and it ultimately failed after Pratt left. For many, myself included, this chapter was missing from our history books. Jenkins' retelling is riveting and at times poignant.

So, think of this as two books for the price of one. If you are a fan of sport, you'll think the chapters on football are a hoot. If you enjoy American history, even in one of its darker moments, the descriptions of the moral dilemma facing the country and the tribes will fascinate you. Either way this book will be well worth the read.

5 stars.

The way "Four Days to Glory" picked up steam from chapter to chapter, I had a hard time setting it aside, and wound up reading it too fast. I actually had to go back a second time to pick up the little details I missed.

This is a great story about heart, sacrifice and pride. I have almost no background in wrestling, but I found myself afterwards going to the internet to find out how Jay and Dan are doing now. Thanks to their success, this looks like a story that is going to continue to be told for years. It should be -- they've got an awful lot to say to many of us who can use the inspiration.

I have read basically every book on the subject of wrestling. This book is number one. The first time you read it, the hair on the back of your neck will stand up several times. I liked the interconnection between the wrestlers, families and the Iowa culture of wrestling. As an avid reader, I rarely read a book a second time. This book was just as good the third time.

"Four Days of Glory," was a super read. Kreidler takes us right into the hard, lonely world of high school wrestling. It was great following these two wrestlers as they deal with all the pressures of trying to accomplish a huge feat. It's not just about takedowns and nearfalls, it's about fathers and sons, hometown hero's and an obsession with goals. Very entertaining...It's "Friday Night Lights," for wrestling in the state of Iowa.

I couldn't put the book down. Keidler captured the essence of the epic journey of both the wrestlers and their families. He exposes some of the evils involved in youth programs and with parenting yet doesn't dwell on the negatives, allowing the reader to make his or her own judgement. After reading the book a trip to the Iowa State Wrestling Finals has been added to my bucket list of sporting events to see. As a non-wrestler I have always admired the dedication and spirit of the sport and this book provided even more appreciation. The ultimate compliment I can give the book is that since finishing it I find myself checking the progress of the wrestlers as they compete in college. Kreidler really stuck it!!

A great read on two wrestlers who seek greatness in Iowa High School wrestling. The book focuses on the intensity and drive required to be the best. As someone who doensn't live in Iowa, I came away with an appreciation of how big wrestling is in Iowa. Drama, challenges and interesting characters are all here. This is one of the very few books that I will re-read.

This book is well written, easy to use and read. This simple and short volume is best thought of as a graphical "how to perform the movements" exercise guide. I recommend it for anyone.

But im only 14 so i havent fully developed yet, so i have hope that with this i will not stunt my growth and still get tough muscles. I also lift weights so if i update this , i might be wrong...

I think the book is excellent for anyone interested in personal fitness, regardless of whether or not they have joined or will join the marine corp. The stretches, explanations, and workouts seem to be carefully reviewed by professional physiologists and excercise scientists, but I dont know if that is really the case. the nutritional information is solid. It gives insights into boot camp and the marines life.

The 16-day workout plan and the exercise tutorials are good. A lot of the book has no use to the average home user. Unless you have access to a military training ground. It does highlight some of the stuff you will do in boot camp.

I liked this book. To complement what other reviewers wrote, the book has actual day by day schedule of Marine boot camp pt exersices. It highlights the difference between OCS at Quantico and Parris Island/San Diego recruit training. In addition to daily 16 it has workout schemes for different time schedules. The photos were useful, as many would concentrate on a particular machine or exersice and show it from various viewpoints.

David

I thought this book was excellent. Not only is the story of such a remarkable winning streak noteworthy in itself, the story of Coach Bob Ladoceur will change many people's view of the nature of a winning coach. It appears that he and his staff really do care more about their players than about the game and, certainly, The Streak. I learned some key things about what makes high school boys tick and what makes teams accomplish more than they believe they can.

This is a very well written book by Neil Hayes. I liked how the author looks back on the past of the De La Salle football team, while going through the present season. Another thing I liked was the way the author made you feel like you were part of the team. A way he made you feel that way was by showing the speeches head coach Bob Ladeucuer speeches before and after the games. I liked that Neil Hayes followed the team around to show the more in-depth look at one of the most well known High School teams. I especially liked the speech after their first lose in the 2004 season. Overall I thought this was an extremely good book and I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a good sports history novel. This was a great read and was easy for me to understand. I also liked the pictures they had in the book to show what the players were like.

This book is about so much more than football. I am a high school English teacher, but my sports background allows me to appreciate the importance of developing the whole student-to celebrate not only the essays they write, but also the great blocks and hits they have on the field, or the great music they create. Lad and the DLS coaching and teaching staff are successful at doing exactly that: developing whole young men who are thoughtful, respectful,and disciplined in the way a man needs to be as they face the world outside of the classroom, develop meaningful relationships, and eventually become fathers themselves. Thank you so much Coach Lad for allowing Neil Hayes to write this book and inspire the rest of us, football coaches, teachers, parents-to do our best by our boys so they can be their best.

Not everybody that read this book liked it, judging from the other reviews here.
What I appreciated about the book was the look at coach Lad, and what he emphasized in his coaching.
It seemed that he was most concerned with challenging his players to be disciplined, to work hard, to love each other, and to grow in maturity. He uses football to do it, and I would say that he is very good. De La Salle's winning streak is a symptom of a much deeper, more profound success that that football team is experiencing. I love this book because it shows that when you love your players, and they love each other and are willing to work to show each other that love, then winning happens.

I have had the privilege to play for the De La Salle Spartans on the J.V. level. Although I have never played on var yet, I know what it is to play for the Spartans. There is a brotherhood of love and Unity, that is the key to winning. I know ther is no recruiting, people want to come to De La Salle for more than sports,to learn more about themselves and their lives. After all, the motto is "Enter to learn, leave to serve", and that is exactly what the school and football program do. I would recommend this book to anybody looking for an inspirational guts and glory story.

This is a goldmine of information for bodybuilders or anyone who trains with weights.

It presents an incredibly wide range of exercises for every body part complete with descriptions and pictures. It is worth the money for that alone.

I have had this book for over 20 years and have often used it as a reference. It will give one many different exercises for any given body part to keep training fresh and effective.

As the book was written in the 1980s, some of the information is dated. In the area of nutrition, there is a lot more current information. Also the split routines used by Arnold would constitute overtraining for most people. I used that approach many years ago and have gotten far away from that. I am a believer that less is more in terms of training. In spite of that, there is a lot of great information in this book. When combined with other approaches, the knowledge that one can gain from this book is invaluable.

*Note* There is a revised edition of this book.

The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding is the largest tome of bodybuilding information found in any publication, finishing up at around 800 pages with approximately 1000 pictures and weighing in at a whopping 5.8lbs, making it the only book that gives you a workout while reading it. Arnold divides his massive manuscript into a number of sections, starting with the history of bodybuilding, competitions, the gym experience and training techniques (the core exercises) before rounding up with various poses and additional information on bodybuilding supplements and diets. Arnold advocates trying to find pictures of a bodybuilder who fits your size and figure and then aiming to replicate their results. Arnold himself used Reg Park as a model for his first teenage foray in the gym while in subsequent years built each body part up using different bodybuilding models to achieve his own unique juggernaut definition. This is but a tiny fraction of the kind of good quality recommendations that the Encyclopedia comes up with. Bodybuilders (bbs) everywhere refer to the `encyclopedia' for its awesome display of photographs of superhuman bbs throughout the ages. There is no lack of snaps that detail the human anatomy. You will likely run through the book many times to find that muscle group or separation that you missed the first time. It is startling how much anatomy you need to get around before you can understand what impact each exercise has on the developing muscle. This is a fully fledged subject that will have your attention for years to come and there is no better place than to start here. Combining this book with the movie "Pumping Iron" on DVD will give you a much better idea of where the information is coming from and you will see most of the faces in this book actually exercising and involved in many of the competition photographs that are on display here. Arnold's description of the muscle groups and how to work them is coupled with illustrations and photographs to show the kind of development you should be aiming to achieve. Creating striations on muscle groups like deltoids and pectorals are topics that will cause you to go back to page one to re-examine everything you have read and seen. Anatomical research coupled with exercising methodology and application with dieting will transform your physique over the course of even a few months. As a lifelong hobby you will be bulking up before your first year is out. A few years will have you at competition level. The whole point is get into the gym to work off that fat to reveal your true shape, a shape that can be defined and built upon with muscle. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other world-class bodybuilders, advocate more than one set per exercise called High-Volume Training, HVT, the traditional method of using multiple sets to train to failure by training each set to failure, resting, and then repeating the set to failure, as many times as it takes before you just can not do anymore sets for that body part. You will build muscle no matter what kind of genetics you have if you stick with HVT. Hypertrophy is the scientific term for the enlargement of muscle tissue caused by a specific amount of intensity needed for the hypertrophy to occur. No intensity, no hypertrophy, no gain. HVT achieves hypertrophy every time because each muscle group is trained to failure. This is the key to building muscle. You must get that straining feeling where you just can't do another repetition. If you find yourself doing lots of repetitions (more than 10) then you need to add more weight. Arnold includes various Power-Training techniques to help shock the body into being able to lift heavier weights. They work. He also includes increasing intensity techniques by utilizing `forced reps', `negative reps', `isolation training', `supersets' and `stripping methods' among a host of others to learn about. There is much more here then any review can hope to explain (and look at the length of mine!). That is why it is 800 pages or so. Apart from the five stars which it deserves the book does have some major drawbacks. The first big drawback is that all the photographs involve drug use. There are only a few photographs of bodybuilders who have not used steroids and the reason is obvious. It is the little dirty secret that hides behind all the bigger muscle on display. You simply will not get as big as these legends without doing drugs. However you will certainly be able to achieve the same definition and still have very big muscles without drugs. The bodybuilders who did not do drugs are at the start of the book in the history of bodybuilding. Look at the photographs of everybody until you reach Reg Park. After that it is all drug users. Achieving the same sizes without drugs is near impossible apart from the exceptionally genetically gifted person. There is also a lesson to learn from this drug experimentation. Don't do it if you put any value on the most important muscle of all... your heart. All of the guys in this book are much older now and you can see them in the bonus material of the "Pumping Iron" DVD. Sadly they don't look good (sadly some are in wheelchairs) and even Arnold has had a bypass. Just go with food type supplements like 100% Whey Protein and Creatine and stay away from all forms of steroids. The other major drawback is that the 70s bodybuilding era did not give much regard to what is called perfect form. Perfect form is all about doing the exercises the right way to avoid injury. A lot... and I mean a lot... of the exercises in the Encyclopedia are considered very dangerous, mainly because of back arching. These include nearly all of the `Rows'-type exercises (Bent-Over Barbell Rows, Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows, T-bar Rows and the One-Arm Dumbbell Row) which are abandoned today. A `Straight-Leg Deadlift' is something you must do right or you can injure yourself. The `Goodmorning' is considered iffy. Using a Smith-machine for the `Vertical Machine Press' is bad because it has a set path. Triceps `Extensions' are a problem. Take care with `Dipping' and avoid `Sissy Squats'. Arnold's book does not do perfect form so well and in most cases just comes up with plainly dangerous material. This is not to say that you can not do the exercises now and again. Most you can, but in the long term you will only get an injury. Avoiding injury = gain. It is as simple as that. So learn perfect form. How to do this? If you want to learn perfecting form then read "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique" by Stuart McRobert. This book clearly explains how to perform Back Extension, Cable Row, Calf Raise, Close-Grip Bench Press, Crunch Abdominal Work, Curl, Decline Bench Press, Dumbbell Row, Finger Extension, Grip Machine Training, Incline Bench Press, Leg Press, Lever Bar Work, L-fly, Neck Work, Overhead Lockout, Overhead Press, Parallel Bar Dip, Partial Deadlift, Pinch-grip Lifting, Prone Row, Pulldown, Pullover, Pullup/Chin, Pushdown, Rader Chest Pull, Shrug, Side Bend, Squat, Stiff-legged Deadlift, Thick-bar Hold and the Wrist Roller Training. Get it along with this book and you will not be disappointed with what you can learn between the two. Getting that perfect form right is something that you can learn from the latter book and start doing better in a year than the bb who has been in the gym for ten years. It is that important. Slow and controlled exercising does not avoid injury. Injury has nothing to do with the speed or control of the exercise. Injury occurs because of bad form. So get the form right, learn what Arnold teaches you about developing muscle groups and stay away from drugs to live until you are 90 with a darn near perfect body. It can be done!

I bought and read this book about ten years ago. I used it to start a weightlifting program. There is alot of good information in this book. However, the book is somewhat dated. As I learned from other serious, competitive body builders, there is too much training advised in this volume. Even people who juice don't train this much - and you don't have to to achieve great results. For example, Dorian Yates trains alot less than what Arnold advises in this book and he was Mr. Olympia for a number of years. Consequently, you better off purchasing a more recently published book.

This book was the original motivator to get me into the gym in the early 90's. I recall sitting day in and day out reading and re-reading this book. While it might not be the most up-to-date, it still hits all the key areas. Let's face it, there are only so many different workouts you can do to hit a particular muscle. This book covers them all. Lacking in diet information should not sway your decision to purchase, as you can find in depth diet information from EAS for free. I lost the book and am finally ordering my second copy. Can't wait to start looking it over again.

After searching the book stores for a descriptive book on body building and i have finally found one. Arnold know's what he is talking about when it comes to working the body to severe extremes. I have found it useful in the gym. When questions have aroused on how to work a body part,i just flip to a page that specifies on that body part. I am so impressed with the photographs on every page showing a more indepth view of a work. I have brought this book to everyone's attention. If you have not already looked into this book, please do.

Quick and easy to read. Full of short stories that help athletes gain perspective into building a stronger mental game.

Don't be fooled, this book isn't just for athletes. The author includes dozens of quotations and bits of wisdom from various top performers. The book is divided into quick, readable chapters (each about 4-5 pages long) and can easily be read within a few sittings. I personally read one chapter at a time so I could let the knowledge sink into my head and reflect upon it.

The book contains tons of great advice for anyone that wants to excel to the top of his or her field. Definitely one of my top books of 2008!

If you want to read an inspiring book on the power of the mind in sports, then this book is for you. It is not too packed with information, but it underlines many of the important points in mental coaching. Great stories and examples make it an uplifting read. The only thing missing was a step-by-step instruction guide to mind management - practice makes perfect.

a solid read, but i was expecting a book that got more into the intricacies of sports psychology, but this book seems to focus more on your thinking off the court then on it.

I have read several books on the mental game in sports and this is by far the best. I work with collegiate and professional athletes and recommend this so often that Gary Mack should send me a commission!!!

Excellent book. You can relate to the writer, he has a food sence of humor while still giving you important information on how to run and the runners lifestyle.

I recently returned this book because I have the book "Courage to Start" by the same author John Bingham. I felt like I was reading "Courage to Start" all over again just a different title.

The book is good and I like all the fun stuff that Mr. Bingham writes in this book - I was laughing a lot and I could relate to a lot of things that is in this book.

It really does give you a good motivation jump start but it did not give me anything new from what "Courage to Start" did.

If you have "Courage to Start" and you need some additional information re-read the book. If you do not have "Courage to Start" this would be a good book for you.

I was NEVER an athlete. I started walking before I turned 40. Walking got boring after a while and I decided to add a bit of jogging to the walk. I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend. It was fantastic! Funny, motivational, and inspirational. It's been 2 years now and I'm still running and looking forward to a half-marathon in my future! I bought this book as gifts for others who wanted to start running and they loved it too.

No Need for Speed is just a recap of his earlier book, The Courage to Start. Unlike The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed has two whole pages of actual useful running advice, as well as a handy 12 week training program (again, two pages).

So, this book really only has four pages of new, relevant material. I'm not sure it's worth buying. Check and see if your local library has a copy.

Bottom-line...if you're out of shape and always dreamed of running, but could never figure out how to begin, then this is the book for you. John is kind, gentle, honest, and he gives all the right information to feed your motivation, no matter how far back in your mind and heart it may be.

Not what I expected at all. Less auto-biographical and more how to set goals and achieve in life.

I was looking for something that got behind the public persona of Michael Johnson ... but this was touched on only a little with no real insight into Michael Johnson the man. I managed to read this book cover-to-cover in about 2 hours.

If you want a good introduction on setting goals and motivation then by all means buy this book.

First, this is a self-help book. Why is Michael Johnson writing a self-help book rather than just writing about what he knows and about his life experiences? I don't know. Johnson is not an expert on living life. He is an expert on running fast. The best part of the book is near the end when he talks more about his quest for the 200/400 double gold in Atlanta, rather than pontificating on life in general.

Second, the book is not very well-written. It has lines like, "I don't play much golf, but they tell me as you get better it gets harder to improve your score. All things in life are like that. (That's a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) So...if all things are like that, why pick an example you know nothing about? Most of the book has this contrived feeling to it.

Johnson also repeatedly pounds the same points about how hard you have to work and how you need to set goals etc. He uses the same examples over and over for life goals, including losing weight, getting a A in school, selling a lot of cars or carpets, or "being a successful businessperson". He tends to think pretty small outside of the realm of track. Is he incapable of imagining any nobler goal than these mundane examples? Things along the lines of contributing to our scientific knowledge, creating art, starting a charity, or inventing something useful to mankind never show up in the book. Or how about just mentoring a kid or cleaning up a park? Johnson constantly talks about approaching your personal best, yet he is unable to consider anything as successful unless it is quantified. For him, accomplishment is either winning something or getting money. It has to be measurable. You even see traces of this attitude when he talks about interpersonal relationships.

Johnson states that when he doesn't think he can beat the best in the world any more, he will retire rather than continue to compete, because someone who hangs around past his prime and can't win any more is pathetic. That doesn't sound to me like someone who competes for the love of the sport. I'm no expert myself, but I'm pretty sure there's more to life than winning.

Most athletes dont write their own stuff by themselves. Usually they have a professional writer help them out be cause most athletes, (and im not trying to be judgemental against athletes, im an athletes myself) aren't as good writers as others are. And i'm sure Michael Johnson did have help in rearanging certain grammatical errors and reorganizing the structure of his book, but overall it is a book that Michael Johnson wrote himself. It is one of the very few books that you can say written by a man who is not a writer that you can say "WOW" too. This wonderflly done piece of literature is a great read for student athletes and yound men and women who are aspiring to become something great in whatever profession they are in.

I would also like to say something about the author of the very terribly written review about Michael Johson. First of all, do not pay any attention to the review for it almost doesn't represent the book in any way. These reviews are meant to be a review of the book, not anything else. secondly, if any thinks Michael Johnson faked his hamstring pull, you should take a good look at the athletic doctors report on Michaels injury during the 150 meter race between Donovan Bailey. It will say that there was definate "tearing" in the muscle. Don't make pre-conceived ideas about an athlete who injures him/herself.

Michael Johnson is not only an athlete, but an intellectual as well. He spells out how it took him six years to improve his 200 meter race 1.7 seconds. What is 1.7 seconds? It is the difference from being a good athlete and a world class athlete. This book teaches everyone how to improve themselves in order to achieve their dreams, whether it is in athletics, business, or education. I read this book in a matter of hours, it is a quick read and has invaluable insight into how to slay your dragon--a term Michael coins referring to how to reach your goals. If you have a dream and want to reach it, but have fallen short of victory, this is a must read.

I am a high school English teacher and plan to use bits of this book in my classroom to help my students learn to establish goals and achieve them.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

When I bought the book at a used book store, I had no idea what it was like. I just wanted a book for my 13 year-old son to read and maybe enjoy. We had been to the '96 Games and had seen the 200M race so I thought he could relate even though my son hates to run. I had him read a few pages out loud each day so I could hear his pronounciation but within a few days I began to realize what this book has to offer. I also noticed a change taking place in my son as he read the words. I really can't do justice to the book but I can tell you the message Michael Johnson has for young people has the power to change lives. I am grateful to Mr Johnson for what he has given my son.

Great Book...If you're a Lou Holtz fan, a college football fan or if you're a fan of a great story on How to be successful in life....read Wins, Losses and Lesson's an autobiography about Lou Holtz.

Excellent book for anyone to read. I also pruchased the teen version for my son. It is an excellent book as well.

This year our baseball team (comprised of 13-16 yr olds) decided end of year trophies would be a little juvenile for the boys. The coach let me know about this book and thought it would be a good idea to give each of the boys one for the end of the season gift. We did and it was very well received! An amazing book for anyone that aspires to do something more with their life!

Well written and very easy to read! I highly reccomend!

This book provides an excellent insight into the life of Lou Holtz and his motivational attitude on life. His dry humor will make you laugh, his thoughts inspiring, and make you think W.I.N. for those tough decisions in life.

Lou listed some great stories.

In fact that is one reason why this is a great book, because Lou is an AWESOME story teller.
Listen to the audio book as you read, Lou narrates this book very well.

Lou has lived an amazing life.
He just got it done, no matter what he does.
Anyone can pick up some great tips about being more successful from this book.

Paul

I purchased this book for my 9th grade classroom library. Chris Crutcher hits the controversial topics so well. Though I haven't read all of his other works, this seems to be a great follow-up book to revisit his characters. Another Crutcher book to open up the mind and start conversations.

This really is a wonderful collection, one that anyone seeking to understand the mind and actions of a teenage boy or even girl should read. Chris is simple, straightforward, and always fun to read. I'd highly recommend this to any student and even some teachers.

In this collection of six short stories based on characters from Crutcher's books, he reminds me again of why he is one of my favorite YA authors. And also one of the most-often banned. He uses the world of high school sports to address issues faced by young adults in a sensitive and realistic way. As his heroes get on with the task of growing up in a difficult world, they deal with just about every -ism there is.

Crutcher's books provide excellent talking points for conversations that parents, teachers, and any other concerned adults should be having with the kids we love.

Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher is a collection of six short stories revolving around six different characters. More than a mere collection of sports related stories this book looks at everyday situations and problems about teen life. Weight problems, pushy parents, uncomfortable situations, racism, homosexuality and death. Packed into less than 200 pages Crutcher is able to captivate readers through this book with his humor as well as his insights into the young adult mind. My favorite story of the six is "The Other Pin" about a guy named Petey who is "volunteered" by his best friend to wrestle Chris Byers who has a habit of not just beating all opponents but humiliating them in the process. If that wasn't bad enought Chris Byers is also a girl. Though some of Crutcher's stories are emotional and heart wrenching all are worth the read.

In ATHLETIC SHORTS, Chris Crutcher presents original short stories involving characters from his previous novels. In the book's forward, Crutcher explains, "In my travels around the country and in letters from readers, I am constantly asked what happens to certain characters in my books. So once in a while I check in" (pp. ix-x).

Each of these short stories involves a central character from a previous novel, but, while Crutcher may have intended a particular story to be a prequel or an afterward, the stories remain independent. So a person who has not read RUNNING LOOSE will still be able to understand the storyline behind IN THE TIME I GET, in which Louie Banks looks into the eyes of a friend dying of AIDS and realizes the value of time. Additionally, after getting a taste of Crutcher's novels through his short stories, readers may well be inspired to go out and acquire the novels themselves.

Athletics are the uniting theme throughout these stories, but they also give Crutcher a medium to introduce physical, mental, and emotional challenges for his characters. Sports allow a safe setting for conflict and failure, while also providing a site for characters to achieve and excel.

Thumbs Up! Award Winner, 1992

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard