Recreation Books

I ENJOYED THE BOOK IMMENSELY.IT IS GREAT STORY OF A BOY GROWING UP AND HAVING ONLY GOLF AS THE ONLY POSITIVE THING IN HIS LIFE.
IT IS S STORY ABOUT GOLF, BUT ALSO ABOUT GROWING UP WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS LOVE.

Absolutely captivating story...loved the story of Bobby and Boy Lee. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the game. Share it with your friends.

The second book by the author I have read... sheds new light on Hogan and the game of Golf that we love... can hardly wait for his next book on Bobby Jones

This is the second book that I read from Bob Thomas. I enjoyed it very much. I found that I could not put it down. I enjoyed reading about golf in the 1950's; and how golf saved this boy's life. I also enjoyed the character Boylee, the elder caddie. I like Bob's writing. I look forward to his future novels.

Not understanding very much about golf I enjoyed the humane side
of "Golf Gave Me Something To Love".
It was interesting to read about how the experiences as caddies
when children shaped their futures and ideas as adults.
I also enjoyed the mischief they got into as children.

Like so many other books in the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu series, the authors did a superb job in the layout and format of this book and the information that it contains is nothing short of first rate, although I did feel that a couple of sections could have used a bit more detailed explanation than what was give, but that is a very minor complaint bordering on the trivial.

As I was with the other books in the series, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy each technique was to initially grasp when reading this book. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that the photographs are all in color and printed on glossy paper which makes it easier to distinguish the finer points and it really adds to the overall quality of the book.

The techniques themselves were clearly shown with numerous photographs per technique and the accompanying text to explain each technique was very detailed yet easy to understand and comprehend.

I particularly enjoyed the history of Helio Gracie and it was really quite something to see him demonstrating the various techniques in this book. I think that it would be safe to say that this book may one day even have some significant historical value because of this fact.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning jui-jitsu and/or MMA along with the following books.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: For Experts Only

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Submission Grappling Techniques (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series)

Here are two other books on wrestling and grappling that I am sure you would also find very beneficial.

Wrestling for Fighting: The Natural Way

Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

Once you have a good understanding of the basic of BJJ, this book takes your game to another level offering you many options in term of submission. To get the most out of this book, it is recommended that you master one technique at a time, then try to combine it with other techiques. For example, I found that the bent arm lock works really well with Kimura as a second attack option.

This is a great book by the Gracie's. But as you go along in the book you can see it wouldn't benefit a beginner much. It is for those already with brazilian jiu- jitsu experience.

This book starts with a brief history and background on Helio and Royce, as well as their fight philosophy. There is a brief section on what makes someone a good BJJ practitioner and how to train techniques.

It then moves into what this book is all about BJJ submission essentials. It starts with Helio demonstrating a number of his favourite submissions before Royler takes up the rest of the book demonstrating a plethora of other submissions.

The book covers submissions from all situations and positions whether standing, mounted (top and side), guard, from the back or fighting from the bottom. All techniques are explained in great detail to ensure that the technique you're executing is correct. This is enhanced greatly by Kid Peligro's large, clear photos, which includes close ups of grips and multiple angles etc when necessary.

Basically, this book is exactly what it says on the cover - an explanation of BJJ submission techniques.

What this book is not - while it may be a useful reference book for a newer student it doesn't go into fundamentals of wrestling such as basic positioning, transitions between positions, or wrestling theory. Applying these techniques without any of those basics in a fight situation is almost impossible. These are however, covered in other Gracie BJJ books. As such this book is most useful for those who already have wrestling experience, though this doesn't necessarily have to be in BJJ.

A solid addition to the series - good fundamentals from the Grand Master Helio Gracie. Simple, yet effective techniques that are the foundation for any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student. Royler takes it further with some great chokes. Good ideas to take to the mat.

i agree with all the others who raved about the breadth of the coverage. i also agree that there is a wealth of information not available elsewhere, or at least not readily obtainable. unfortunately trivia is only really fun if the reader has some familiarity with the person whose identity he is trying to discover. a really large portion of the book is devoted to questions about players that even diehard baseball trivia buffs have never heard of. to me this is a fatal flaw, in spite of the many interesting facts that can be gleaned from the questions and hints. i think the book also suffers from the fact that the answer pages are not more easily accessed. if you are dying to know an answer to one of the many interesting questions you might very well get sidetracked before you ever find it. all in all i think the book is a good value, but just think buyers should be aware it is not quite so perfect as some of the other reviewers would have us believe.

This author has gone to a lot of trouble to put together lists of players who hold both important and somewhat trivial records. All are interesting, though, and some of his questions that come with his lists are dynamite. The really amazing thing is how many of them already have to be updated because of what happened in 1999. But you can do that on your own with a bottle of Whiteout. The chapter here on pinch hitting alone is worth getting this book for.

If you have a teenage son, as do I, I don't see how you can go wrong here if he likes baseball. My older son got this book for his birthday and that was the last we saw of him for about a week. He still loves it so much and is so possessive of it that I now have to get another copy to give my younger boy for Christmas. P.S. Their father might just wind up getting one too.

I have to take exception to the last reviewer even though I'm not really a big fan of the 19th century either. This book takes you on a complete journey throughout baseball history unlike most similar type books that would have you believe everything that happened before 1900 doesn't count. Sure it counts, and Nemec's book convinces you--okay, me anyway--that every player and record he cites in it is important from 1871 to the present. I will agree, though, that the answer section leaves something to be desired. My solution was to insert a kind of permanent bookmark so I could turn to it easily. Anyway, I really liked it a lot even if I too didn't exactly bat 1.000 on all the questions.

Here comes the stats lovers dream book. If you are into baseball, really into baseball, by the number you really need this book. Nemec's ability to bring out the true statistical breakdown of the National Pastime was amazing.

Every baseball fan should be asking for and buying this true work of art. The book, in quiz form, does give charts, pictures and short stories on every possible topic from singles hitting to the home run.

The book takes the reader from the early years of the game, right up to the modern day players. You are inundated with numbers, facts and figures that should keep your conversations going for years to come.

I wasn't able to find any category that wasn't covered in this book. The book even covered the not so good players, as well as the Negro leagues. The book is "The Ultimate Test for the Ultimate Fan". A great job and a great book.

The book was in excellent condition and the delivery time was speedy.

This book discussed many strategies and skills that are very beneficial in playing the game of baseball.
I would recommend it to anyone

This book was recommended to me by Coach "Hutch" of the University of Michigan's Lady Wolverines, and I've not been disappointed. I highly recommend this book for both coaches and players (over 16).

Great read for any serious baseball player, coach or parent. One of the BESt books I have read on baseball.

I teach high school sports psychology and have used this book as a text on several occasions. I now make it mandatory for all of my softball and baseball players as additional reading. Their feedback has been nothing but positive regarding performance enhancement. I strongly recommend this user-friendly text for any sport!

I liked this book and enjoyed reading it -- it was sad and funny at the same time, and should serve as a strong warning to would-be martial arts students.

My only complaints (why I docked it 1 star):

* It is very poorly edited -- rife with typos and other minor bugaboos. A skilled editor could have improved this book considerably.

* I would have liked to see more names, facts (court dates, etc.) and resources (Web sites, links to articles, etc.) to support the claims and stories. (Not that I don't believe them, but hard evidence would further support the book).

Also, it would be interesting to know how the schools continue to operate today, now that Kim is out of prison.

I have spent thirteen years in this cult. The worst feeling that I have(in post moo) is that I allowed myself to be compromised by the nefarious deeds of a manical sociopath and his underbosses. I denied reality and distanced myself from my family because I "believed". This is a must read for those who are searching for [true] martial arts as well as a warning for parents who are looking for an activity for their children. Stay Away from oom yung doe. Joe Smith unveils the entire charade in his service with the moo; the truth/reality is twisted and a person's life is degraded to the point of unconditional surrender to an evil PIMP. Through Joe Smith's experiences, the only way out is for someone to simultaneously embrace the truth with the conscious mind and the heart.

Chris Carreon-PA

This book provides fascinating insight into the notorious Chung Moo Doe (a.k.a. Chung Moo Quan, Oom Yung Doe, etc.) martial arts cult founded by John C. Kim (a.k.a. Chull Kim, Jack Park, or "Iron" Kim). Although the group was exposed in the CBS investigative report The Cult and the Con in the late 1980s as well as in the article "Cult of the Quan" in Martial Arts Professional magazine, the organization still exists today. Having served time for tax evasion and conspiracy, the founder and thirteen members of his inner circle have already been released from prison. No doubt fearing repercussions, the author writes under the penname Joe Smith.

"Smith" explains how he was taken in by the "True, Right, and Correct" teachings of a narcissistic sociopath. He sold his new Oldsmobile Cutlass, drove away his friends, gave up on his college education, changed jobs, and ultimately spent tens of thousands of dollars to earn a nearly meaningless black belt and become an instructor in the cult's system. Eventually he became disillusioned with the group, developed the fortitude to pull himself away from their teachings, got his life in order, and wrote about his experiences.

While the author's writing is a bit uneven and (understandably) overly vitriolic at times, there is nothing a good editor couldn't fix straightaway. His story is interesting and important. Packed with riveting vignettes of cult life, this cautionary tale is one that all devoted martial artists and aspiring practitioners ought to read.

The book elucidates why otherwise intelligent people would join a cult. Often it's because the group fulfils and/or exploits deep-seated psychological needs that victims may not even be aware of. Aspiring martial artists can become particularly vulnerable to such manipulations, since they often approach the arts with little foreknowledge, save for the ubiquitous Hollywood fantasies they watch on the silver screen. Expecting to find mysterious Asian rituals, eager practitioners hear plausible legends and see bogus displays of fighting prowess. This chicanery reinforces their predispositions. Even legitimate martial artists wear distinctive uniforms, associate with like-minded individuals, and perform activities that are nearly unfathomable to the uninitiated. Cult leaders selfishly twist the conventions and hook victims with the promise of inimitability, status, and power, and the pull to join and stay in the cult becomes very strong indeed.

As the author so aptly states, it's a slow process, like the boiled frog analogy. Put a frog in warm water and he's happy. Increase the temperature slowly and he'll stay in, trying to continually adapt. Turn up the heat too high, throw too much cultness at him at once, however, and he'll hop out and leave, maybe telling other frogs not to go near the cult's pot. So the smart, effective cult leader slowly raises the temperature and waits until his victims have adjusted. Then, after the new norm has been established, he further refines the cognitive dissonance so it doesn't seem all that bad. What was once intolerable now becomes acceptable. Victims reinforce their new beliefs while the cult insidiously takes over their lives.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults and Martial Arts Instruction; co-author of The Way of Kata, The Way to Black Belt, and The Little Black Book of Violence

Note: Originally reviewed for Clarion Reviews

I read this book cover to cover, and then read it again. I have to say it is a very accurate account of how the cult of Oom Yung Doe (Formerly Chung Moo Quan/Chung moo Doe), operates. It clearly shows step by step how a young beginner is slowly indoctrinated and brainwashed into the cult, and how their lives slowly decay a little at time until they have been totally swolloed up. You can see how bank accounts are drained step by step, and how lives are ruined, marriages destroyed, and ultimately how ones soul is blackend by the experience.

This is a good book not only for those who are in the cult of John C Kim, but also for those who have family members, or friends involved. Every martial arts school that is anywhere near an Oom Yung Doe school should have one as well.

It is a well written, and well chronicled book. I found it to be an enjoyable read, and the writer's sense of humor complements the all too real events that occurred in the story.

I was a member of the inner circle of the Chung Moo Quan organization in the late 70's and early 80's. I found Herding the Moo to be an accurate account of the dynamics that exist at the top levels of the John C. Kim organization. These pages reveal the inner workings of the cult that are veiled from the public eye in a very calculated way. Former cult members will easily recognize the pattern of lies, deceit, and betrayal, as well as the subtle techniques of grooming that we fell prey to as loyal followers of John C. Kim.

I laughed at Joe Smith's antics which typify the ridiculous missions we were assigned. I wept when I discovered that women other than me had been sexually abused in this cult. I raged when I learned that this charismatic charlatan has continued to masquerade as a martial arts master for over 30 years.

For those currently involved in Oom Yung Doe, Herding the Moo will provide you with information to ponder. I hope that it will generate questions. Do not hesitate to pose those questions to your instructors. For parents with children in OYD, Herding the Moo is an essential read.

Kim Rieser; Helena, MT (formerly Naperville, IL)

I have loved this book since a Kodiak fishermen gave it to me to read in 1995 (thanks Andy, sorry I wasn't able to return it!). Unlike Deadliest Catch, this book chronicles almost every kind of fishery in Alaska as Hank arrives as a wide eyed greenhorn in the 60's and then proceeds to try them all (halibut, crab, salmon, shrimp). Not only the fisheries but the canneries as well where he works his way up to manager before deciding to become a crab fisherman. The characters in this novel are rough, tough, and colorful and we steadily follow Hank's progress as he carves a life for himself in Alaska through hard work, suffering, and an insatiable love of the ocean. You will also learn about the politics behind fishing and how American fishermen had to compete angrily with the Russians and Japanese for the very same fishing grounds before 200 mile limits were imposed. McCloskey is not only a great educator but a great story teller as well. This is not just a text book, this is a gripping novel that you will simply not be able to put down. He will take you through the great Alaskan earthquake, the tsunami following it, and survival in a life raft in the frigid Bering Sea. If you love Alaskan commercial fishing, this is definitely the book for you. As McCloskey says, its the last true American frontier.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I did find some of the details a bit tedious & boring...BUT the details really made the story SO realistic! I'll finish Breakers (#2 sequel) tonight & start Raiders (#3 sequel) immediately after. It is hard to believe that Hank & company are fictitious. If you enjoy watching "Deadliest Catch", (on the Discovery Channel), you'll love his books.

If you have watched and enjoyed the Discovery Channel series "The Deadliest Catch", this book is a must read.
William McCloskey uses the hero, Hank Crawford as a vehicle for telling the story of commercial fishing in Alaska. The author alternates chapters of fiction with chapters of fact.
If Hank Crawford goes `crabbing', the next chapter is filled with facts concerning the various species of crabs, their life cycle and of gear used to catch them. This is typical of Hank's work in a cannery, and fishing for various species of fish. These chapters are not dull, but just as well written as the fictional parts.
Did you know that one of a Halibut's eye moves from one side of the head to the other, and how this fish can wreck havoc on deck? It's just one of the many facts covered in this book.
Going back to the "Deadliest Catch" series; McCloskey's description of the Russian Orthodox Church, with its twin domes comes alive when you see it in the video. It's like this book was the screenplay for the series.

This is a great work of fiction by the author that follows the main character Hank Crawford who comes from college to go to work at a salmon cannery for Swede Scorden in kodiak with the story following along as hank moves from opportunity to opportunity on fishing boats that catch salmon king crab shrimp and hailbut this describes also many of the characters he works with and comes in contact with and even though this is fiction seems to be right with all info about commerical fishing compared to books i have read on the real thing. This is a great book and i definitely recommend its sequel Breakers.

I make my living teaching about commercial fishing. I am glad to see this book still in print so I can continue to recommend it to my students. It is, by far, the most entertaining and historically accurate account of Southwest Alaska and fishing from the 50's to the 70's. It should be required reading for anyone who fishes crab, salmon, and groundfish out there. Bill is a great writer, and this book is more or less his own experience. It is good for both its historical accuracy and the personal story of what is was like to see our fisheries develop to what they are today. He continues to come here and go out on boats to learn and write more. There is no else one who has the combination of great writing skill and experience in these fisheries, and this book is well worth reading. You will enjoy the story, you will learn something, and you will want to be Bill McCloskey (and live through it, like he did).

This book covers all of the basics very well. Essential reading material for any level of hockey player and coach. I have read it over and over again.

This book is a must have for coaches of any level and experience. The book contains so many good ideas and skills to work with.

As a player and a coach, it is outstanding. The book contains ideas for practical skills development - including theories and specific practice plans.

from basic conditioning to advanced play development, this book will help the coach bring his players up a level. the player reading it will see improvement in their game. the drills are explained in a clear manor and will definately improve the ability of the player. the section on play making is outstanding. when teaching some of the plays to my bantam and midget players, it was like a light bulb went on in their heads when they caught on to the play. this is a must have book for any one involved in the game of hockey.

evry word is important, the previous edition was better, in my opinion, than the current version. A must for every student of the game and anyone who is serious about coaching. I have not found anything else like it and read it over and over.

When I wanted to improve my game I asked people around for the best book to get. They recommended this one and after seeing myself improve I recomend it to.

I was looking for a book that was geared for people who want to work out at home and couldn't find anything until I found Home Bodybuilding. The format is based on three steps which are the mental, physical and nutritional. The book also has separate sections for men and women as well as exercises with weights, without weights and even infomercial equipment. I liked the author's straight forward approach which doesn't have any agendas like other books I've read (i.e. like Body For Life which the author of the book is also the founder of the supplement company EAS which is promoted in his book) and he provides lots of good information which works. He is also very motivational and the book is filled with inspiring observations, quotes and affirmations which are helpful. The last part of the book is devoted to the mental aspect of being successful working out at home and while being a bit apprehensive about it at first, I'm a believer now. All in all, a well done book I'd whole heartedly say "get".

I've read the reviews on this site about Home Bodybuilding and have a few observations people may find helpful.

First of all...

1) If a book is rated five stars, look to see if it's rated with just one five star rating or many. Chances are, if there's more than one glowing review, many other people have found the book equally as helpful.

2) When there are negative reviews, check and see how many there are and if there are commonalites between each of them.

I bought this book many months ago along with the Men's Fitness Home Workout book and have found each to have their strengths and weaknesses.

While the Men's Fitness book has more photos and exercises, it lacks much of the periphery elements of the mental components of motivation and just how hard it is for many of us to get started and stay motivated working out--especially at home AND by yourself...HELLO!

I like both both books very much. There must be a reason why amazon.com pairs Home Bodybuilding with the Men's Fitness book. They compliment each other quite well.

Finally, I'd like to give a few observations on what the reviewer "Judge Knott" wrote regarding the Home Bodybuilding book and how this reviewer must not have read the same book I'm looking at right now as I write this review. Specifically:

"There are many exercises shown that can only be done if one has access to expensive, complicated gym machines. (Yo! Isn't this supposed to be for h-o-m-e workouts?)"

If this reviewer would've read the book and understood its purpose, the author Robert Wolff states in clear language that he wants to give readers exercises they can do with freeweights (barbells and dumbbells), without weights (bodyweight only), with machines (if they have those in their home), and even informercial equipment.

"There is a sloppiness and an imprecision in the way many of the exercises are described."

I've got a library full of nutrition, exercise and physiology books and the exercise descriptions and illustrations Wolff uses in Home Bodybuilding match how the others illustrate how the exercises Wolff Describes should be done.

"The whole book is written at a reading level equivalent to that found in "The National Enquirer" or "The New York Post."

I'm reminded of a quote that a 20-plus million copy bestselling author once said, "Don't worry; If you write for the seventh grader, the Ph.D. will understand it too."


"It's also filled with cheerful, peppy, Oprah-like self-help sayings and anecdotes that recall Dale Carnegie in an extremely good mood. They bored and annoyed me."

Look at the other reviews who seem to greatly enjoy this author's writing style. Then click on reviewer Judge Knott's other reviews. For such a scathing review of this book, it was surprising how many of this person's reviews fall into the scope of fine arts and NOT nutrition, fitness or health. Perhaps returning Home Bodybuilding and getting a book on the order of the "New York Metropolitan Ballet of Workouts" might be a better fit?

My purpose is not to deride of belittle the above reviewer. All of us are entitled to our own opinions. However, when coming to this review forum, my only request is that any of us have a fully formed and educated opinion that doesn't selectively omit the good or not so desirable points of any book. That way, we can all learn and be helped by what anyone says--good or bad.

For my money, Home Bodybuilding was money well spent. Thanks for letting me have my two cents worth. Best to all!

I almost quit working out (again) if it weren't for Home Bodybuilding. I have two kids, a full-time job and no time for a gym and I needed to find something that would help me keep in shape. I'm so happy that I found this book.

The book has five parts and they are:
Part I--Getting Started
Part II--Nutrition
Part III--The Basics
Part IV--Body Specific
Part V--The Mind

It is also broken down into giving workouts and advice for women and men (a good thing since I have no desire to have big muscles) and it has lots of good workouts and exercises you can do at home or in the gym.

It seems to cover all the basics by featuring exercises and workouts you can do with barbells, dumbbells, machines, no weights and exercises with just your body and even using infomercial equipment.

Yeah, I admit it. I bought the Total Gym a year ago and after a few months of using it (it now sits in the garage, thank you) it's more like the Total Joke, but that's a whole different review.

Anyway, this book has been really helpful and if anyone is looking for a no non-sense way to get themselves in good shape and do it at home, this is the book I'd recommend.

I like the Men's Fitness book a lot and thought it woould be all I needed for working out at home, but I have to say I was wrong.

While the MF book provided lots of tips and plenty of exercises, it didn't give me the missing pieces I was wanting to help put together an effective home workout program that took into consideration my need for having a thorough exercise, nutrition, AND motivational program.

It's tough for me to go to the gym and even tougher for me to work out by myself and at home. But the Home Bodybuilding book has made it so much easier and enjoyable. It not only gives lots of information about exercise and nutrition, it also convincingly explains the ways of how to get started and stay on a home workout program. It's been those ideas that have helped me reach my goals quicker than I imagined possible.

I'd like to see the author do a follow-up book with more information on home workouts. I've noticed that as I've gotten into to workoing out more, I'm wanting more and different ways to work out.

This book works and is highly recommended.

This book is great for someone who is starting out.
However, I found that the book was lacking in variety of exercise for a person who already knows the basic weight training exercise.

I found that the book did not go into much detail in all the chapters, it was more like a breif summary.

I guarantee after 8 weeks you will be looking for another book that provides a variety of exercises so that you can alternate and stay motivated.

Dryden and MacGregor have penned a non-fiction examination of Hockey (meant in capital letters) and how it is intertwined with Canadian life. It does a good job of exposing how both Canada and hockey are changing, and touches on topics such as the minor hockey league system, the '72 Super Series, the Gretzky trade, and our enjoyment of the game. For those hockey fans out there, it's an interesting read, even if it is nearly 20 years out of date at this time.

Give me any Ken Dryden book and three hours, and I will return with peace. I love his books about hockey. His commentary on hockey and life in Canada is true to the point. There are books that you read and then there are books that you relive. Dryden's books are expereinced. The flooded pond, the neighbor games, the eternal dream of playing in a old timers league, the continued goal of scoring another goal to win, of coming back in overtime to secure victory. I am 30 years old, and I still skate out on the practice rink with a Canadian jersey on with the imagined roar of the crowd cheering for my favorite player-Sidney Crosby-or really me. I might be 30, but my heart when it comes to hockey is still 10. This weekend I watched my nephews play hockey for the first time, one of them scored his first hockey goal ever in league play. He will never forget that goal. I know, I still live hockey, it lives in me, for I am Canadian. The cold chill of playing on cold rinks flows through my blood. It is more than hockey, it is "The Game."

Although the title causes Americans of my acquaintance to laugh, this book really does a wonderful job of examining (if not always explaining) what the game of hockey means to Canadians. If you have read "The Game" and thought there was nothing more to be said about hockey and Canada, think again.

Especial highlights are the early sections discussing small-town Saskatchewan and the importance of the rink in drawing the community together; the stories of particular players with NHL dreams; and the memories of members of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. Phil Esposito, the heart of that team, is not surprisingly the guy with the best stories about what it all meant. The following section about Soviet hockey, which elevates the faceless Russkies into real guys and fellow players, is almost enough to make a Canadian root for them. (Almost.) And the writers' take on their own recreational play, and what it means to them, is illuminating and sort of touching. Once again, as in "The Game," Ken Dryden manages to depict himself as an amazingly inept Hall of Famer, always panicking under pressure and getting in the way of his defensemen -- "I could talk and chew gum at the same time, but breathing did me in." There's no false modesty here, the reader gets the impression that Dryden held himself to impossibly high standards. Still, when he explains that he now plays defense because he has fulfilled his goalie fantasies, and playing defense allows him to have new ones, it's nice to know he still enjoys the game. (And I have to admit, I howled when I got to his dry remark on playing defense and who's responsible when a goal is scored: "I've changed my mind -- it IS always the goalie's fault.")

The photos that decorate this book are equally beautiful, from the prairie kids playing on a frozen slough to the professionals displaying their remarkable ability to a member of Team Canada (1972) jumping for joy as a Russian player offers a wry yet respectful salute. The photos are grouped according to section and I find it telling that the only photo of Dryden as a Montreal Canadien is one of him and a bunch of his teammates grinning in delight at having apparently won some kind of inter-squad scrimmage trophy. This photo is grouped with the recreational player section and tells an enormous amount about how Dryden felt about the game even as a professional.

Dryden and MacGregor describe Canada as "an improbable country," and they mean that in a good way. What holds us together as a nation are the bonds we have made among ourselves, and hockey is one of those bonds. I was reminded of that this year during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when a mailing list I subscribed to for the CBC news reminded subscribers of schedule changes because "there's hockey tonight." I hadn't watched much hockey in years but somehow, living in Texas surrounded by US culture, it felt like home to watch Larry Robinson hoist the Cup once again.

These are two great hockey writers, and they have produced a book that, even ten years later, is a joy.

I can see why Canadians love there game so much through this group of essays they are very interesting I wish americans loved hockey as much as the Canadians do then I wouldn't be the only hockey fan I know

"So what can a 10-year-old book on ice hockey really teach me about the sport and Canada?" I wondered as I started Home Game. The answer is pretty much everything. Dryden, who writes in a delightfully unhurried style, takes us through the game as it is played by enthusiastic amateurs, by teenagers desperate to break into the NHL and by the professionals themselves. And by probing how hockey took root here, Dryden provides the best analysis of what it means to be Canadian that I have ever read. My job in Ottawa is to explain Canada to the outside world and of all the tomes I have read so far, this must be the most illuminating. Rarely do you come across a book which so clearly explains what fires the soul of a country. Buy it now!

I could not put it down, and had it read in two days! I've always enjoyed the Saddle club books, but the lasted ones have been really good.

I coulden't figure it out! I diden't think one of the nisest people there could have stolen the money. If you like a horsey mystery this book is it! I agree, there should be a TV show or something like that. ~Rachel~

My name is Shannon and I got this book today and have already finished. I think its a realy good book although it didn't realy make it sound good on the back. But once again its all stuck up Veronicas fault, although she may not be the culprit. The clue Stevie foundgives it away if you think about it but it is pretty tricky. From Shannon Horse Crazy and Saddle Club Crazy. PS I think there should be a Saddle Club movie or Tv series it would be a big hit, because the saddle club is ten times better than "Pony Pals" yuk.

If you are into mystery's this book is definitely for you! The first day I got it I couldn't put it down. I think this one is one of Bonnie Byrant best book ever. I loved the Saddle Club series the first day I got them. This book kept you thinking the whole time. I definitely think this book is a have to read.

I have almost all of the saddle club books and this is one of the best! It all started when there was a pony club rally including all local pony clubs, that means Stevie's boyfriend Phil will be there too. Then $500 goes missing Veronica says she saw Phil hanging around the office where the money was. Can the saddle club prove Phil's innocent? ~Sarah~