Sports and Recreation Books

Craig Luebben's book is possibly THE Best Single Book written for rock climbing. It should be THE textbook for all people interested in learning to climb as it begins with basic but critical hand and footholds, basic climbing gear, knots, belaying, and rappelling. Later chapters for intermediate or advanced Sport or Trad climbing go into great detail. You will find yourself reading and referring to this book for your entire rock climbing lifetime.

As a relatively new climber (i.e., as of this writing, I've been climbing about 7 months), I found that this was a good introductory text to keep around. Granted, climbing is not something you really want to read-then-do; think of the reading as a good supplement to your training and climbing.

I enjoyed how Luebben dives right into the material; he keeps the introduction short and then goes immediately into the science and sport of rock climbing. He writes in a colloquial style that is easy to digest and presents the material in a way that makes it seem like a conversation. It's like it's you and him out on the rock, Luebben telling you everything he needs you to know.

While the book's focus is definitely on outdoor climbs, Luebben emphasizes techniques that should easily transfer to indoor rock gyms. Especially early in the text, Luebben writes a lot about body and foot position, how to approach routes and problems, and the mental elements of rock climbing. While these techniques are typically discussed in an outdoor context, the lessons all easily transfer to whatever surface you're climbing.

For a new, mostly indoor climber like myself, there seemed to be a lot of material in this book that either didn't apply to me or served merely to whet my appetite for outdoor routes. If you're looking for something specific to indoor climbing, you're probably better off exploring Matt Burbach's Gym Climbing book. Still, even a mostly-indoors beginner climber will find the chapters on body position, footwork and hand-holds, knots, belaying, and bouldering to be useful.

Excellent starting place to get into this kind of book, very good reference. I've been climbing for the last five years, and I learned a lot from this book.

it may not be perfect, but it does everything it needs to (at least for me). as per the title, i'd recommend this book to any beginner or strong gym climber who wants to move to real crags. for advanced climbers who want to improve their skills there are probably better books out there.

Guide, author and climbing gear inventor Craig Luebben's book won a National Outdoor Book award and it's well deserved. For anyone taking up rock climbing, or wanting to bring their knowledge up-to-date this is the book to start with.

It's well organized and well-illustrated. Luebben starts the basics of pure climbing - footwork, holds and jams along with special climbing challenges like chimneys and off-widths (he's the Yoda of off-width climbing). Then he covers the gear you'll need like shoes, harness and ropes. He describes basic climber knots and working with ropes and slings. Then he talks about protection, natural and man-made.

He tells you how to build anchors and keep your partner safe with proper belaying technique. He covers top-roping, sport climbing and the basics of traditional climbing including the approach, route-finding, setting pro and the physics and psychology of leading.. Later chapters introduce multi-pitch free climbing, descending and rappelling, bouldering and training for climbing. The concluding chapter explains how to avoid turning your climb into an epic by learning basic self-rescue techniques.

This is by far the best, most up-to-date book on basic rock climbing. After you've read it (more than once) and practiced the skills he describes, get Luebben's book on building climbing anchors.

Bill Becher

The ninth book of Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series is "Roundhouse Kick." It follows the same format found in each of the books of this series, right down to the meticulous detail he puts into explaining the execution of this popular kick. There are hundreds of photographs and many illustrations explaining the execution of the roundhouse kick and eleven of its main variations. Like the companion volumes, this is the most in-depth look at this single kick with variations ever put in print.

The entire Achieving Kicking Excellence series impresses me. As an author, I know how much work it take, and the work put into this series was incredible. Most books on kicking have a few pages with a dozen or so pictures per kick. (If that many) This book has 252 pages on just the roundhouse kick. Okay, the entire 252 pages are not just on the kick, Kovacich also includes chapters on warm ups, stretching, basic principles of kicking movement, skill training, strength training, speed training, and power training.

The bulk of the book focuses on the roundhouse kick and variations. More than 150 pages worth with tons and tons of photographs and illustrations. Kovacich crams this book full of information to help you execute the roundhouse kick to your very best. There are many notes and tips to improve your kicking. Want to have a "penetrating impact" kick rather than one that strikes with a "surface strike?" Kovacich points out how to accomplish this along with many other pointers.

The primary kick of this book is the Back Leg Roundhouse Kick. Then Kovacich moves on to the following variations: Step-Back Roundhouse Kick, Cross-Over Roundhouse Kick, Back Spin Roundhouse Kick, Spin Back Roundhouse Kick, Hop/Slide Forward Roundhouse Kick, Hop/Slide Backward Roundhouse Kick, Switch Roundhouse Kick, Off-Setting Roundhouse Kick, Front Leg Roundhouse Kick, Thai Roundhouse Kick, Butterfly Roundhouse Kick, and the Back Spin Roundhouse Kick with the left leg.

This book is meant to be a guide and not a book you just pick up and read cover to cover for enjoyment. In fact, when you read it cover to cover it can become redundant as parts of each variation are often similar. I recommend you read through the book quickly so you know what it contains, and then use the book for the area you are currently working on. After you have read the chapter on basics that apply to all variations, you can then pick up the book and just focus on the section that pertains to the kick you are working on. It is great that each of these portions of the text are complete. While maybe redundant when reading through cover to cover, it is nice to pick up the book and review what you want without being told to skip around in the book.

This book was written to help you with your roundhouse kick. That's what it was written for and that is exactly what it will do. If, that is, you read it and USE it. By that I mean, actually have this book in your training area and do what Kovacich teaches. USE the book to improve your kicking.

If you are a martial artist that incorporates kicks into your training, the Achieving Kicking Excellence series belongs in your library. The series belongs in your training area to use. The series belongs among your training and teaching resources to help you become the best martial artist you can become. I highly recommend Roundhouse Kick and all the others in the series. These books are the most comprehensive texts on kicking available and a must for all serious martial artists of kicking styles.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

I have just finished reading Roundhouse Kick, the ninth book in the "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series. The book follows the same format as the other books in the series and continues with the same quality instruction that is the trademark of Kovacich's work. Roundhouse Kick contains great pictures, technical prowess, and is yet another excellent book. Shawn Kovacich has a knack for making the technical aspects of martial arts kicks very understandable.

I wish that I would have had the opportunity to read this book when I first started in the martial arts. My roundhouse kick as always been a sticking point for me, but this book made it clear where my technique was going wrong. This is a must have for beginning and advanced martial artists.

This book leaves nothing out. It covers everything including the anatomy of the leg, stretching, vital targets, foot positioning, timing, distancing, and the importance of correct recoil. Shawn Kovacich covers variations on the roundhouse kick which I haven't considered before, and I have been studying martial arts for 25 years. He also delves into training drills, weight training, speed training, and covers several ways to develop your kicking power. If it has to doing with martial arts kicking, it is included in this book and the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

Roundhouse Kick is very well written and easy to follow. So many of the technical martial arts books are so dry and boring that is is a struggle to get through them, but Roundhouse Kick uses a lot of analogies and great photographs which make it interesting and easy to follow the author's points. I especially found the "did you notice anything wrong photographs" and the trouble shooting section to be very helpful. The pictures really helped to drive home specific points and demonstrated specific mistakes, as well as how a good wheel kick should look.

Shawn Kovacich obviously knows his stuff! I am totally impressed with this book, as I was with the other books in this series, and plan on reading more of the series. I highly recommend this book to every martial artist who wants to improve his or her kicking skills. This series is the best that I have seen.

Dr. Bohdi Sanders, author of Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior

My real-world introduction to the wrong end of a round-house kick was during the spring of 1975 at Apple Valley Senior High School during flag football at PE class. I had just done the impossible--I snagged a flag off the opposing team's ball carrier. He was not happy with me--he snap-kicked me in the groin and went into a classic roundhouse. I had enough time before the snap-kick caused my crotch to explode in pain to commit to a course of action and while he was executing his round house kick I tackled him. We rolled on the ground. We weighed about the same--160 pounds--but I was 6'3" and he was about 5'8". I managed to pin him face-down and was crawling up his body to do permanent harm to him when the rest of the class intervened. The other kid (we were both 18) had boasted of being a Tae Kwan Do brown belt--perhaps he was. To my untrained eye, his kicks were competent and he used a combination. I just didn't cooperate. If I had, he would have hurt me worse. As it was, afer seperation, I had to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the period. I was bruised and hurting for over a week.

Shawn defines a roundhouse kick, then explains in detail how to execute the perfect kick. Shawn's "Roundhouse Kick: Achiving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 9" isolates the technique from the application. The kid in the school scuffle used good application (distract me with a kick to the groin) and may have used good form--the roundhouse kick is very much a finisher and shouldn't e round one. I was in pain and I'm not real tough, yet I managed to avoid being kicked in the head. Shawn shows how to practice (I recommend three or four people train together using this book, mirrors and a video camera) so that the roundhouse kick is flawlessly and reflexively executed each time. The roundhouse kick is a difficult technique that demands precison timing and accurate delivery. When properly executed, it will put the biggest man on the ground in a dazed conditon. The problem that tripped up my advasary wasn't technique--it was application. Shawn is working on the application in another book series. First, however the person who wants to use the roundhouse kick in competition or as a street technique needs to drill, drill, drill in flawless execution until a correct technique is delivered every time, naturally and effortlessly. There is a word for a martial arts competitor who thinks through each step in every technique--loser. What's the street term for someone who hasn't mastered their techniques?

Shawn's book is a comprehensive training program for mastering one technique. If you want to use the roundhouse in competition or for self defense, this is the book to buy. Do the drills and you will master the roundhouse kick.

Author Shawn Kovacich has exploited an important niche in his "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series of martial arts instructional texts.

Shawn is quoted as saying "In an unarmed self-defense encounter, your kicking skills or lack thereof, can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. In today's society, kicking is not only used more frequently, but it also ranks as perhaps the most versatile and underrated weapon that you have in your arsenal." I agree with him.

I found "Roundhouse Kick" (volume 9 of 10 in the series) to be so highly detail oriented that it overcame any presupposition of dryness and boredom to which I initially attributed to it. In short, I was "hooked." Laid out in terms that the novice can easily follow and the practicing martial artist can incorporate into his or her regimen, Shawn starts out with the historical background of the Roundhouse Kick and then introduces the reader to the physical and physiological body movements and mechanics associated with the kick.

Providing tips on conditioning and training, Shawn demonstrates foot movement by foot movement the Roundhouse Kick's basic principles and then introduces the primary Back Leg Roundhouse Kick to his audience and follows with twelve variations; (some of which I have never even heard of!).

Shawn demonstrates the principles of each kick with clear photographs that leave nothing to the imagination. Fortifying the text with chapters on "Warm Up and Stretching," "Training and Practice Methods," "Trouble Shooting Guide," and "Kicking Applications," to name a few, Shawn provides the reader with more than a full understanding of what could and mistakenly be known as a "simple kick."

Totally complete at 231 pages, and chocked with all sorts of valuable information from the "nuts and bolts" of technique description and demonstration to body dynamics, this is without a doubt the "gold standard" by which any examplar of martial arts kicking should be judged by.

This book can stand alone or be incorporated within the series. I rate it at five stars without hesitation or reservation. Well done!

Like all the titles in Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series, book 9 Roundhouse Kick is a comprehensive study of one of the important kicks used in modern martial arts today. The book is incredibly thorough with numerous photos demonstrating the every aspect of the kick in minute detail. Mr. Kovacich knows his stuff and it is obvious that he has spent many hours honing his technique. The book provides an in-depth study of the bones, muscles and mechanics involved in the kicking technique.

In addition, the book contains a wealth of supplemental information on strength, speed and power generating exercises to enhance the technique. There is also a section on stretching as well as the application of the technique.

This book is ideal for any martial artist who wishes to perfect their roundhouse kicking ability. The beginner will find a wealth of information to assist in developing proper mechanics while the advanced practitioner will glean some vital knowledge from an accomplished teacher.

Be sure to check out the other books in this series. You are sure to find one that addresses the specific kick that you need work on.

Aaron Hoopes
author of Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation

After Dungeons and Dragons, Perrin and Chaosium had another take on the fantasy role playing game setting, with an explicitly deity based magic system, and a skills based system in general, both for combat, and for everyday tasks.

This allowed characters to be whatever they wanted without classes, or other such distinctions.

This marvelous roleplaying game far eclipsed AD&D and it's overrated successors. Why is Hasbro holding onto this gem? It belongs to Chaosium.

Why? The world of Glorantha gets all the glory when people talk of Runequest, and it is indeed an incredible world set in rich detail, but it is the simplicity and playability of this system that really sets it apart. Keep in mind, the system we are talking about is well described in about 150 pages. Compare that to games with volume after volume of rule books like D+D and Rolemaster, etc and you will appreciate it. Not only simple, but in my mind the most realistic and fun. If you can get your hands on the Chaosium version you will know what we are talking about.

No matter how many other rpgs I have seen over the years, I still return to Runequest. I am grateful for my cousin for first introducing me to the 2nd edition back in my early teens, and I eagerly bought the 3rd edition in my later teens. Since then I have been involved in other rpgs on and off for almost 20years, but I often return to GM a game with the RQ system when I can.

Chaosium should of held onto the rights for the system and the Glorantha world, rather than move into Stormbringer. The current Call of Cthuhlu rules are a version of these rules, but it can be a limited at times in it's scope due to the limits of the world setting.

Runequest, with all it's quirks and sometimes amateurish publications, firmly remains one of the best roleplaying systems I have ever seen, easily playable in any genre. With minimal adaption it can be played in a typical Tolkienesque style fantasy setting (I have played it in Middle Earth, and it works fine), but it's own world of Glorantha was just as rich, with more elements in common with Ancient Rome or the Norse sagas.

Any gamemaster worth his salt should own a copy of the Runequest 2nd Edition rulebook or the Runequest 3rd Edition Deluxe Rulebook - this is fantasy rolepaying at it's height, when roleplaying was a spirited past time, and not just another marketable commodity to try and rival the computer game industry as it is today.

Buy these books if you ever come across them!

Now sadly out of print (but reborn as Hero Wars using a totally different system), this was the best fantasy RPG out there. It built a truly magical world interwoven with myths and legend. Instead of paper-thin religon systems all crudely based on a Judeo-Christian model, they created realistic pantheons that interacted with each other. The built a creation myth that integrated all races instead of religions in a vacuum. The magic system is neat and subtle. No simplistic fireballs or lightening bolts, but it enhances your abilities. The combat engine was simple yet deadly. If you ever wanted to roleplay in a heroic world in the style of Achilles, or Cu Chulainn or Herakles, this is it.

Excellent book steeped in history and written with great style. One can almost feel Africa and how Safaris changed people as well as a country.

This book, Safari, is one of the best books I have ever read. The
chapters can be read individually yet read perfectly as a whole.
I bought a number of the books as gifts. They were VERY well received.
Thank you for this excellent product.

Safari: A Chronicle Of Adventure details the history of the African safari from its first expedition of 1836 to modern times. Bull is an environmentalist, so his survey Safari isn't your typical gun-hunter's celebration of good old days, but a survey of conflicts between hunting and conservation, weapons and transport, game control and more. From economics and financers of the safari to mishaps, adventures, and famous personalities involved in safaris, vintage black and white photos pair with wide-ranging personal and political stories for maximum effect.

A wonderful book covering the beginnings of the African Safari to the present. Many current authors use this book as reference for their own books such as Peter Beard, Bibi Jordan, Kuki Gallman, and Mirella Ricciardi. If all of these authors use this book as a reference and quote it throughout their own books it has just got be good. I recommend it highly for any African Safari book collection!

This well written book documents the evolution of Safaris from the early Boer settlers through the modern camera hunters.

This was an amazing book that combined history with fantasy in such a way that baseball fans, history buffs and fantasy lovers would enjoy it.

This book series is perfect for children with a strong interest in baseball. You get a good idea of the hero's personality as well as their sometimes quirky and inspirational methods to become great players.

I've particularly enjoyed the Satchel Paige book with him, because I'm originally from Kansas City and have been to the Negro League Baseball Museum there. Now he's asked to visit, so he'll continue his education about sports heroes and racism.

Dan Gutman has definately written another awesome adventure book. I thought this book had a different twist than the other books, though.

Summary:
Joe Stoshack goes back in time with his friend Flip to see if Satchel Paige was really the fastest pitcher ever. While back in time, they see that life was still hard for Negroes. They befriend Satchel Paige. However, for an adventure novel....Flip finds some romance while back in time....

In the five star story Satch and Me there is a young 12 year old boy named Joe Stoshack. He plays on a little league baseball team coached by an old man named Flip Valentine. While playing one of the games there is a player nicknamed "Mutant Man" who sparked an idea for Joe and Flip to travel back in time to try to find the fastest pitcher in baseball. Flip had already borrowed a time clock from the high school coach so they used Joe's baseball card powers to travel back in time.

On their way they meet a waitress that becomes there very good friend. Also the boys almost get sent to jail for counterfeit money because they have money from the future. But the waitress gives the boys enough money for bus tickets to travel up to were Satch's team is playing. Finally they find out at the end if he is or isn't the fastest pitcher in baseball. They then no the secret of the fastest pitcher in baseball.

Satch and Me is a great sciencefiction book out of Gutman's series of "and me" books. If your child is a sports maniac you should get him or her the series. It was one of the best series I ever read.

The photos and sketches are wonderful as is the timeliness (1940) of the writing. It's good to go back to the time and era when Seabiscut was alive and breathing.

Seabiscuit was my favorite book in elementary school and still rates high amongst a handful of favorites. Many times over decades, circumstances gained perspective by recalling the depth of spirit and perseverance conveyed so concisely by Mr. Beckwith. Seabiscuit's story is truly for all ages. I believe stories like this are a reason why people are prone to assign human emotions to animals or treat them like a best friend.

As a child I often dreamt about having a horse, hoping I might even be fortunate enough to have one like Seabiscuit. I ended up with four, all of whom indelibly changed my life. I took care of them as if my life depended upon them; even sleeping with them in their stalls when I could get away with it. Bingo, Scamper, Scully and Crackerjack have permanent places in my heart. With them is a picture of Seabiscuit from Mr. Beckwith's book. They always gave their very best and showed me mine. Anyone who reads Seabiscuit's story will come to understand that the innate ability to recover and succeed resides in every person and all life. Opportunity to find and use that power of heart and energy is always available.

I am infinitely grateful to Mr. Beckwith for recognizing and writing Seabiscuit's story and especially to my father for making a vital, life changing dream come true.

I knew B.K. Beckwith personally, and worked with him the last ten years of his life at Santa Anita. He was our television commercial spokesperson for the Santa Anita Handicap for several years, recounting remembrances of Seabiscuit. He was a consummate horseman turned journalist and writer, and had been at Santa Anita from the opening on Christmas 1934. He also wrote "The Story of Santa Anita," which was never published commercially, but used the same heroic and emotional Grantland Rice style that you enjoy in his Seabiscuit book. His memory was a treasure, and since he wrote this book contemporaneously with events, you can feel the horse come alive, as well as the people and the places. This is SO GREAT to have the publisher find this work of art, enjoyable for anyone who loves horses, or racing, of any age. The drawings by Howard Brodie -- who went on to great fame otherwise -- are superbly reproduced, and so are the historic photos. You can see the 'Biscuit's personality come through, especially when he's looking out of his personal railroad car at all the fans and cameras, and in several others!

Inspiring story placed in compelling historical setting. Beautifully done by someone who knew the main characters well.
Nothing to find fault with here. Terrific read.

Owner of Ponder Publishing Company, LLC, my first response after reading was `I wish I had found Beckwith's story before this publisher did!' I was there! I heard Seabiscuit breathing. I saw him sweat, felt his determination, smelled the liniment. You could taste the air of early last century, to anguish and rejoice with one horse's determination to Keep on Keeping on, despite all adversity. Here, love touches a reader, as it touched the crowds who flocked to admire the Biscuit, in the flesh, his ample flesh. My Christmas shopping is done this year!
www.ponderpublishingcompany.com

If you love basketball at it's purest form you want to read this book.A must read for anyone who call themselves basketball junkies.

I could not wait to get my hands on SFMJ and I was not disapointed. It stays within my reach for those who thinks they know more about PREP basketball than I do.

Hope to see a next addition. Sports Fan Hampton, VA

Terrific book...I read it cover to cover, I highly recommend to any serious basketball fan, both young and old.

As a high school hoops fanatic over the past twenty years, I was excited to find out more information about some of the best prep players I remember watching growing up. Greg Moore provides outstanding insight to the careers of some of the best. A great book that I recommend to any basketball fan.

If you spent even a part of your childhood pouring over Street & Smith's high school All-American list, this is the perfect book for you. It answers the "whatever happened to" question for dozens of former can't miss prospects. Of course, as this book reveals, many of them did miss. The book is full of stats, insights and stories. For every Michael Jordan and Jason Kidd, there was an equally touted Tom Lewis and Jamie Brandon. I hope all of the players profiled in the book had as much fun playing basketball as I did reading about them. If there is a hoops fanatic on your shopping list, I promise they will be thrilled with this gem of a book.

Sensei Dollar has provided a key into the true essence of Uechi-ryu Karate and the brotherhood that surrounds the Kenyukai (Shinjo - Strong Fist Group). It is a blessing to have this abudance of information and guidance provided to us. If you are a serious practioner of Uechi-ryu Karate, this book will provide great insight and instruction. It is highly recommended. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

This book was quiet an undertaking! Allen Dollar wrote a very enlightening account of karate on Okinawa and its history. This is important as most people involved with karate have only superficial knowledge of its historical origins from China and its development by including ancient Okinawan techniques. Brought to light, are the accomplishments of many masters of various styles on Okinawa and especially Uechi Ryu karate. It serves as a tribute to the Uechi & Shinjo families that made it possible for so many to learn this unique martial art around the world. There has not been any other work about this subject that covers such in depth details of Okinawan Karate and history.

I am not practicing Uechi ryu but I can confidently say that this is one of the best (if not the best) book ever written on the subject! It covers everything you need to know about Okinawa Karate from its original root from China, the history of Uechi ryu, and the excellent technical section. Three major katas, Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseiryu, are thoroughly demonstrated.

Great book. Regardless of what style you are practicing, you will learn something from this wonderful book.

Here is an excellent addition to books regarding this not-so-well known style of Okinawan karate. Alan has the experience and connections to gather great info and puts it together in a very readable format that would be interesting to anyone intereted in traditional karate. Great job Alan!

Steve Hatfield
West Palm Beach Florida

Mr. Dollar does a great job tracing the lineage, training, and technique of this powerful but little known school of Okinawan karate. The flow is good and steady and the material found in here is first-rate. Investigate and documented by a real practioner trained by the real masters this book is worth every penny, so check it out!

It's a road trip book and a coming-of-age book and a mystery book, and all three fit together seamlessly. The voice is clean and clear and the protagonist likeable and smart as he tries to work out what, exactly happened to his best friend during their bike trip across the country. I fell in love with this book when the two boys, on their bikes, see a road sign: "Truck on a triangle!" they shout, and cruise down a steep road as fast as their bikes will go. The road trip details are so authentic, and the relationship between the boys and their families is right on. One of my favorites of the year.

Jennifer Bradbury has written a story that is as engaging to adults as to young readers. A page-turner that depicts not only a bicycle journey across country, but also a personal journey. The young character learns about himself, about loyalty, and about friendship. Well-written. I loved it! (My husband read it too and enjoyed it)
[...]

Jennifer Bradbury's "Shift" is a truly engaging story that not only explores a puzzling mystery, but also serves as a brilliantly crafted coming-of age-tale that held my attention to the very end. The first person interchange between the narrator's present situation and his retelling of his journey offers a unique style that serves to move the plot at an exciting pace without sacrificing the development of characters that the reader grows to love. The gripping story is punctuated with suspense and beautiful details that really bring the characters and their struggles to life. This novel explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the struggles of trying to live up to others' expectations while trying to remain true to oneself. It was a satisfying ride!

"This land was made for you and me." -- Woody Guthrie

"They've all gone to look for America." -- Paul Simon

"'Remember those outlandish lies?' she said, arms crossed as she stared at me across the table.
"'Mom, that was just Win goofing around--'
"'He told that poor student tour guide that you'd been in a coma for three years!'
"'Mom--' I tried to break in, but I could feel the smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.
"'I'm not finished, Christopher,' she intoned. I shut up and let her continue. 'And he wasn't satisfied with just that lie, was he?'
"I sat quietly, unsure if I was supposed to answer this question or not.
"'Um, no, but--'
"'He went on to tell her that he was an orphan refugee from--' She paused, waved her fingers toward me, beckoning the answer.
"'I don't remember, Mom. One of the Stan countries, maybe?'
"But it didn't matter. Now she only wanted to ensure this was as long and painful as possible. 'And,' she said, positively vibrating as she said the words, 'and he claimed to be your adopted brother who'd tutored you to make up for those years of high school you missed during your coma!'
"My father laughed. 'It's not funny, Allen!' Mom said. 'Chris could have gotten a lot of scholarship money at Marshall. And then he would have been close to home instead of going all the way down to Atlanta.'"

West Virginia high school senior Chris Collins has certainly never spent any time in a coma. His recent accomplishments include Eagle Scout, honor society vice president, and an acceptance letter from Georgia Tech.

Chris has known goofball Win (Winston Coggins III) since third grade and the pair have been best friends for the past half dozen years. Win's high-powered, CEO-of-a-polluting-chemical-company father and disinterested mother are nightmare parents ("All Win knew he could do was disappoint them, so he made an art of it.") who have spent the past six years sending him to therapists ("They couldn't figure out what was wrong with their kid, but wouldn't bother to talk to him when they could pay someone else to.").

Win's father has paid off all the right people and twisted all the right arms so that Win, with his mediocre high school grades, has been accepted for the fall into the same Ivy League school as Winston I and Winston II attended in their days.

As high school graduation approaches -- and Chris' mom starts talking about his getting a summer job at Kmart -- Chris hatches a plan for Win and him to spend the summer bicycling across America. (They've both been entering biathlons since freshman year.)

Chris' mom is horrified by the thought of her child taking off like that, but his father -- whose own teen on-the-road dream was left behind when he'd fallen for Chris' mom -- is supportive and insistent that Chris go for it. Win's father doesn't care what Win does, just as long as Win doesn't call for help when he fails.

And so the two friends hit the road:

"Come and take a walk with me through this green and growing land
Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand
Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains
Walk through the sun and walk through the rain." -- Phil Ochs

"I'd let Win talk me into paying two bucks for the only qualifying tourist attraction in Pepin -- a reproduction of a log-cabin pioneer homestead. The only interesting trivia that Win picked up was that when Pa Ingalls used to slaughter a hog, he'd make a balloon out of the bladder. He was so impressed by this fact that he asked the nervous little old man volunteering in the small gift shop if they kept pig bladders in stock."

But SHIFT is only in part an on-the-road story.

Fifty miles before they will reach the Pacific coast of the state of Washington, Chris gets a flat tire and Win doesn't stop to wait for him. Instead, Win pedals on -- and disappears.

The book actually begins with Chris attending his first week of classes at Georgia Tech and being confronted by an FBI agent who has been strong-armed by Win's dad -- a former classmate -- into investigating Win's disappearance.

Chapters alternate between our following Chris through his first weeks of college (and unappreciated meet-ups with FBI Agent Abe Ward), and our trying to pick up clues on Win's disappearance while following the teens biking together (and redefining themselves) across the country:

"At home neither of us had ever had a girlfriend. But on the road it actually seemed possible. 'Women love us,' Win had remarked one day as we left a Dairy Queen where a cute girl named Shayna had been sneaking us refills on soft-serve ice cream for the last several hours because we made her laugh. "It was true that biking cross-country was a good conversation starter. True that we seemed instantly cool, since we were doing something that everybody wished they could. I saw myself not as all the girls I'd gone to high school with saw me -- that is, one of the two skinny dorks who were always laughing at something stupid. For the first time we were cool, and we knew it."

As a guy who has spent my own share of time trying to peel off the many layers laid on me in my young years -- both at home and on the construction sites -- by my father, I found SHIFT to be an exceptional coming of age story about fathers and adolescent sons. Having always been awed by the breadth and beauty of America, I enjoyed how the bicycle trip provides a stunning and sometimes comical ode to our land. And having instant messaged my own friend since third grade this morning -- to try to figure out the place in Commack, back in the Seventies, that had the baskets of peanuts on the table (and the shells thrown on the floor) -- I love this exceptional and mysterious story of adolescent guy friends.

The transition from high school to college often brings a sense of freedom and release, but Chris' first few days on a universtiy campus were impacted by the arrival of an FBI agent full of questions about his best friend.

Author Jennifer Bradbury does an exquisite job of seemlessly weaving past and present scenes into an intriguing, cohesive story as Chris struggles to decide what to do about his missing friend, Win,last seen at the end of their cross-country bike trip

I felt the wind in my face, burni n my calves and sweat on my back. I look forward to Bradbury's next release!

Take a college with under 200 students, a young coach who has as much skill in self-promotion as basketball knowledge and a star player who is a scoring machine, but doesn't have a high-school diploma.

Add in the monolith that is the NCAA and top programs who are getting pushed to the brink of defeat - or are taking big "L's" - to the upstart college, and you have an absolutely wonderful book on a lost history by Kyle Keiderling.

The story centers around Bevo Francis, who scored 116 points in a game, and Rio Grande College & the journey the basketball team took from its band-box of a gym to some of the biggest arenas in the country. It also shows how the NCAA stood in judgment of the small school and ultimately did a masterful job in erasing the records set by Francis and the team from the collegiate books.

As much a history on how an underdog won under the bright lights, it also is a tale how the special interests of the major programs were served by the NCAA.

It is a must read for fans of college basketball or for those who enjoy stories on how - within an even playing field - dreams can come true.

I loved the book and found it very flattering of Bevo! I think that anyone interested in college basketball would find this book highly entertaining and informative! Unfortunately, when I asked Bevo to sign my copy, he refused and said it was unauthorized? Is this another case of someone taking advantage of Bevo?

For fans of traditional basketball -- where the tradition means tiny uniforms, lousy floors, crowded gyms, transport by station wagon, and honing skills in a barn -- this is literally one for the record books. The college with 100 students took on the establishment and won the hearts of America's basketball fans and the general public through the person of one of the sports' most tragic figures. From scoring 116 points in fron of fewer than 200 people to playing to packed arenas from Boston to Kansas City, the ride was short, not always sweet, but memorable.

'Bevo' Francis earned his nickname from his father's taste for a regional soft drink -- Bevo -- and the name passed on to his son, once Little Bevo and, in time, just Bevo. Raised in the Appalachian hills of southern Ohio, Francis was so frail as a child he missed a lot of school time. By the time he arrived at this tiny college (although most people tghink Rio Grande College is along the river in Texas, it is in southeaster Ohio), Bevo would be a married, 21-year old freshman who still hadn't finished high school. A crafty, P.T. Barnum-like coach saw fame and fortune in building a team and a makeshift schedule around a true phenom, and Bevo rewarded his faith with a 116-point performance that season that earned national attention but also caused the NCAA to disown his performances against teams not from four-year colleges.

There is some clear element of the country rube in Francis, but he comes across in this kind treatment as a bright but uneducated, malleable youth. The promotional coach turns out to be interested in showcasing Bevo's talent, at whatever the cost, running a barnstorming-like schedule against all comers. The good news is that the team generated a quarter of the school's operating budget from their appearences; the bad news is that the school turned on the team when it was clear that basketball brought a harsh media spotlight on a woefully underfunded school.

You can't help but like and feel sorry for Bevo; it is almost easier to despise or at least think little of coach Newt Oliver. After a second successful but stormy season, Oliver urges Bevo to sign a terrible contract to play the oafish role to the Harlem Globetrotters, and a life of basketball and career are finsihed before Bevo would have normally finished college.

Bevo Francis caught the nation's attention at a time when college basketball and Madison Square Garden were reeling from the point-shaving and betting scandals of the late 40's and early 50's. Like a shooting star, Francis shone brightly, but only for a very short time. He may have saved the sport and earned some kudos (and built Oliver's ego), but the NCAA, the Globetrotters, Newt Oliver, and Rio Grande treated Bevo poorly.

Times may change, but some things stay the same -- sports have strong grip on the public.

I had never heard of Bevo Francis before, and reading this story makes me wonder why. Truely a remarkable tale of a "superstar" who, along with talented teamates, took the country by storm. His story was covered nationwide, and record crowds gathered to see him.

Bevo Francis was an extremely talented, unassuming, and honest person. His coach, New Oliver, was a promoting promoter who "sold" Francis. Although the team Oliver had assembled was good, they played for a tiny, unknown school - Rio Grande College. Oliver felt that fame would come to the team if ONE player scored a lot of points.

Bevo had his "breakthru" game in Jan 1953. The national scoring mark was 87 points. Bevo had 61 points after 3 periods, when Oliver had the team pass up shots and feed Bevo, as well as foul the opponent as soon as they touched the ball to stop the clock. By the end of the game, Bevo had scored 116 points, and Rio Grande won the game 150-85. Suddenly, all Oliver's efforts to promote the team went from no response to nation-wide acclaim. In a similiar game a year later, he scored 113 points.

Despite these two "contrived" scores, Bevo was a legitimate scorer and all-around skilled player. He averaged almost 50 points a game over two seasons. The second season was entirely road games against top flight competition that Oliver arranged to maximize the exposure of his team and to generate the most income.

Bevo Francis, playing for tiny Rio Grande College in Southern Ohio, was indeed a shooting star. He averaged just under 50 points a game for two seasons and still holds the NCAA record for the most points scored in a college game (116).

As would be expected, the team was built around Francis, and he made all the headlines, as well as the covers of the major sports magazines of the day. Unfortuately, his team did not receive the credit they deserved. In 1954, Rio Grande, with an enrollment of less than 200 students, played some of the nation's best teams: Villanova, Providence, Miami (Fla.), Arizona State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State. In January of that year, I watched the Redmen beat Butler University in Indianapolis. Bevo, coming off several weeks of appendicitis attacks, scored 48 points. At the end of the game, the Indiana fans, who know their basketball, gave the entire Rio Grande team a standing ovation; something rarely seen in college play.

Two years later, While in the Army, I had the privilge of playing on the same team as Roy Moses, a former Redmen. After listening to some of Roy's stories about touring the country with Bevo and the Redmen, I was hoping that someday somebody would write the definitive history of Rio Grande's two legendary seasons. Kyle Keiderling has done it, and it is an excellent book.