Review of "Sonny Liston: The Real Story Behind the Ali-Liston Fights"

As a boxing fan who has always been intrigued by the story of Charles "Sonny" Liston, I have been searching for a book that talked more about his boxing than his time in prison or being involved in organized crime.  While those topics are covered in this book, Paul Gallender has written the type of book I have been searching for - one that concentrates on Liston's boxing ability.   Enjoy!

Title/Author:

“Sonny Liston – The Real Story behind the Ali-Liston Fights” by Paul Gallender

Tags:

Boxing, historical, biography, Liston, Ali, Clay, heavyweight, championship

Published:

March 18, 2013

Length:

308 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Former heavyweight boxing champion Charles “Sonny” Liston was a mysterious figure, especially outside the ring.   There were questions about him concerning his incarceration before his boxing career, his connections to organized crime, his ability to interact with fans and the general public.  Even when he lost the second of his two bouts with Muhammad Ali, he generated questions as to why that happened.   This biography of Liston by Paul Gallender is an attempt to answer some of these questions and also portray Liston in a manner that was very different than the manner the press did so during Liston’s life.

Throughout the book, Gallender will compare what Liston’s actions and thoughts were about his training, his fights, his manner of handling his celebrity status and his career to those same topics as they were covered by the press.   The reader will see the difference.   Gallender gathered much of his information through research and interviews of those people who were involved with Liston.   The quality of his research shows as there are many new stories and details that even avid boxing fans of the era will be surprised to know. 

This biography does not delve with great detail about aspects of Liston’s life that were not related to his boxing career.  Of course there is good information on his childhood and excellent writing about his relationship with his wife (her loyalty to her husband was very touching) but there was a good balance of those types of passages mixed in with the boxing aspects of Liston’s life.  I was hoping to read mostly about the boxing and was happy with this aspect of the book.

The author also gives fair coverage to controversial topics, such as whether Liston “threw” the second fight with Ali because of ties to organized crime or whether he was threatened if he didn’t lose the fight.   The official reason for many years was that Liston was injured, and the author sticks with this reason, but gives ample coverage of the other reasons bandied about through the years.

Overall, this is an outstanding account of Liston’s career and life.  This type of book for this particular boxer is difficult to find in any bookstore or library.  As someone who has been intrigued with Liston’s career, I found this book to be just what I needed to read to learn more about the man. 

Did I skim?

No

Did I learn something new?
Yes.   Having not been old enough to understand the sport when the two fights took place, I did learn a lot of information in this book.  Those fights and Liston’s story in particular have always intrigued me and I found this book to be a wealth of information for that.

Pace of the book: 

Excellent.  Never drags and is always moving on to the next pertinent topic.   

Positives:

Everything, but what I especially liked is that most of the information on Liston’s life outside the ring was covered in a manner that still connected with his boxing or his boxing related business.  There weren’t a lot of irrelevant stories or outside fluff and I found that to be very good.

This is a personal preference of mine, but something I really liked is that the author referred to Liston’s opponent in the two fights as both “Cassius Clay” and “Muhammad Ali” when appropriate – meaning that the man was named “Clay” until legally changed to “Ali.”  I believe that is best for true accuracy.  Most books will refer to him as “Ali” regardless of the time described in the particular passage.

Negatives:

The closest to a negative I could find is that a reader might believe that the author is very protective of Liston and may not be totally objective in his writing.  I found that not to be the case, as I believed he was simply trying to portray Liston as not quite the same person that the press did at the time.

Do I recommend? 

Yes.  Any boxing fan or historian will enjoy this book.

Book Format Read:

EBook (Kindle)

Buying Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Sonny-Liston-Behind-Ali-Liston-ebook/dp/B00BWDCPK2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1373801674&sr=1-1&keywords=sonny+liston

Review of "Endgame"

While reading multiple books at one time can be fun and challenging, it does take some time to get everything in your mind organized.   With that thought, what better book can be reviewed than one on the greatest chess mind in our lifetime?   This is a review of a biography on Bobby Fischer. 

Title/Author:

“Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness” by Frank Brady

Tags:

Chess, biography, non-fiction, history, Fischer, Spassky, Cold War

Published:

February 1, 2011

Length:

465 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

No other chess match or game has captured the world’s attention more than the 1972 World Championship match between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.  After winning this match, Fischer became a huge celebrity and this extra attention also showed the world the other side of the man.  His life both before and after this event is covered in this biography written by Frank Brady.

It illustrates a young man who was raised along with his sister by a single mother who was chasing dreams of her own.  He would spend a lot of his free time at chess clubs or in the library learning as much of the game as he could and using a small chess set to simulate the games.  Fischer’s ability to memorize and analyze thousands of games and game situations is well documented and helped him on the way to the championship.

What is also well documented and described is Fischer’s personality, which shows some bizarre characteristics as well.  He would often make outrageous demands for business deals or for conditions before he would participate in matches.   Most of the time, these demands were eventually met, but it showed his lack of negotiating skills, taking the “my way or the highway” approach.

It is also well-known that Fischer would engage in behavior or outbursts that were paranoid, anti-Semitic, or otherwise far from ordinary.   These eventually caught up to Fischer and led him to isolationism, eventually landing him in Iceland where he settled after a nomadic life that had to end because he wore out his welcome in most nations.  It is also important to note that he was facing tax evasion charges in the United States.   His family was also regularly investigated by the FBI because of their connections with Russia – his mother for her studies and Fischer for his interest because chess was highly regarded there.  

All of these are combined together to make a very intriguing and entertaining biography of a brilliant but troubled man.   There is chess talk in the book as well, but not too far in depth. Therefore, a non-chess buff will enjoy this book as well as an enthusiastic player or fan.

Did I skim?

No

Did I learn something new?

Yes.   Most of what I learned that was new was about his relationships with his mother and sister, as those were reported in the media as strained.   While unusual, the book portrayed these relationships as loving, not estranged as was often reported.  The regret that Fischer shows when he cannot attend his mother’s funeral or face arrest in the United States is a good example of this.

Pace of the book: 

Very good.  It doesn’t drag too slowly and the sections on Fischer’s important chess matches make you feel you are there in the chair next to him.

Positives:

Outstanding research is evident in this book as many minute details of Fischer’s famous rants and demands from tournament officials are shared.   The author was able to glean many minute and obscure details that made this very rich and vivid for the reader.

Negatives:

I would have liked to see more in-depth writing about the actual chess games in some of the matches.  An example is during the second match with Spassky, many games toward the end ended in a draw as Fischer wrapped up the match early.   Yes, these games may not have been key in deciding the outcome, but more than a simple sentence saying they ended in a draw would have been better.

Do I recommend? 

Yes.  Even if the reader is not interested in chess, Fischer’s biography is a very interesting tale and any reader who likes good biographies will enjoy this book.

Book Format Read:

EBook (Kindle)

 

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Endgame-Fischers-Remarkable-Americas-Brightest/dp/0307463915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373799028&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/endgame-frank-brady/1100054183?ean=9780307463913

Thoughts and news...the week ahead

If you ever feel like you accomplished a million good things ,but at the same time also feel like you didn't...that was what this week was like for me.  Will have THREE reviews ready this week as two books have been read and I anticipate finishing the third later in the week. Also, Daniel Brown is performing a reading at Marist College on Tuesday and I am attending.  I will post notes and highlights from that event here as well.  So...even though it was a quiet week here on the blog, there was lots of activity behind the scenes and the upcoming well promises to be busy.  Stay tuned!

Review of "The Boys in the Boat"

This book is about the "other" American Olympic champions in 1936, nine young men from the University of Washington who rowed their way into history.

Title/Author:

“The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown.

Genre:

Rowing, Crew, Olympics, Non-fiction, historical

Published:

June 4, 2012

Length:

416 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

The 1936 Olympics may be best remembered for Jesse Owens winning gold medals, by nine young men from the University of Washington rowing team also had their moment of Olympic history at those games as well.  Their story, from the time they were a rag-tag bunch of college freshmen to a polished team representing America in Nazi Germany, is well-documented in this outstanding book by Daniel James Brown. 

The book is driven by personal stories, especially that of Joe Rentz, a young boy whose father and stepmother abandoned him and his siblings during the Great Depression.  Left to fend on his own, Joe was able to keep the family alive and also find a way to the University of Washington, where he was part of a seemingly rag-tag bunch of young men thrown together to form the freshman rowing crew.

These young men became a team through hard work, camaraderie, excellent coaching, and a lot of perseverance.  The research on this team – everything from the results to the coaches to the lives of the young men – is outstanding.   Much of the knowledge came from accounts provided by either the team members or their surviving family members.   Painstaking detail is written for some of these stories, such as the courtship of Joe and his future wife Joyce, the conditions the team endured in Poughkeepsie during the regatta championships (Washington became the first school to sweep the three events – varsity, junior varsity and freshman), and the experiences they each shared during their time in Berlin at the Olympics.

The events of the time shaped how this team would be viewed at the Olympics, and the author does a good job of writing about the history of that time without getting too deep.  The references made to the rise of the Nazis, the Dust Bowl gripping the country and the effects of the Great Depression all are important to the story but do not take away from the central theme – namely the nine young men from the University of Washington rowing team.

Every aspect of the book is well researched, well written and told in the proper amount of detail.  This was an inspiring tale and a book that kept my interest from beginning to end.  An outstanding read that anyone will enjoy.

Did I skim?

No

 

Did I learn something new?

Yes.  Having no knowledge of rowing, the history of the sport or any of the strategy involved, I found the passages on the actual races undertaken by the Washington crew, whether in their hometown of Seattle, the regattas at Poughkeepsie or the Olympics, the manner in which these races and the strategy involved made me feel like I could coach these men.

Pace of the book: 

Excellent.  It moves between the sport, the personal stories and the current events of the time smoothly.  Each time there is a change, it is for the good of the book so the reader can catch up on that aspect.

Positives:

Just about everything – the research, the writing, the sport and the personal stories, especially that of Joe Rantz.  Even mundane items such as how the team traveled to first Poughkeepsie and then to Berlin for the Olympics was made interesting by the style of the author’s writing. 

Negatives:

No major problems – well edited, researched and written

 Do I recommend? 

Yes.  Just about anyone will enjoy reading this book – whether for the sports, the history or the personal stories.  Even fans of romance will be touched by the story of Joe and his lady Joyce.

Book Format Read:

EBook (Netgalley)

 Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boys-Boat-Americans-ebook/dp/B00AEBETU2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1373237870&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-boys-in-the-boat-daniel-james-brown/1114985036?ean=9780670025817

Review of "How's That! A Layman's Guide to Cricket"

Thought I would try to add a little variety as one goal of this blog is to cover a wide variety of sports and the books written on them.   Here is a review of a book that introduces the reader to cricket.

Title/Author:

“How’s That! A Layman’s Guide to Cricket” by Tony Whelpton.

Genre:

Cricket, instruction, introduction, non-fiction

Published:

December 21, 2012 (second edition).  Originally published 1998

Length:

71 pages

Rating: 

2 ½ of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Written for those who have little or no knowledge of the game of cricket, “How’s That!” introduces the reader to the terminology, field layout, basic roles for players and an explanation of the scoring in the game.   Cricket is not a game that can be easily explained to the person who has never seen it before, and the author makes an admirable effort to do so here.  

The biggest problem I had reading the book was the complexity of the game itself.  By trying to keep it as simple as possible, there was a lot of information that felt incomplete.  Trying to explain how a team scores its runs was an example.   While reading the concept of the runs, and introducing the second batter into the explanation, I found myself reading certain sections over and over just to be sure I understood the author’s explanation of the game.  Admittedly, I still had some troubles understanding some of the lingo, such as breaking the wicket, even after rereading the appropriate passages. 

As an American, I can appreciate the attempt by the author to do this.  I have similar issues when trying to explain the similar game of baseball to someone who has never seen the game before.  That can be met with frustration on both the part of the person learning the game and the one teaching the game.  I got that same feeling while reading this book.  I know the author was doing his best to keep it simple, but after I finished the book, I don’t believe I understand the game much more than I did before.   The terminology and glossary of the game was covered well and I did learn a lot there.   I was hoping to learn more about the game than I did, and for that, I felt the book fell short of that goal.  

Did I skim?

No

Did I learn something new?

Yes.  Many things, mainly the basic rules and terminology for cricket.   I didn’t get a good feel for the game having not watched it or played it while reading this.  

Pace of the book: 

Good for the most part.  I found that I needed to go back and refer to other terms that were already mentioned because now in the new context, I had to go back and reread that passage.

Positives:

The book is written in simple language, easy to understand and does not delve too deeply into the nuances of the game.  For a beginner or non-fan, this is a good format.

Negatives:

There were numerous typing and grammatical errors throughout the book, even allowing for a “language” barrier with the author British and the reviewer American.   The diagrams of the field, the wickets and the position of the bowler, batter, and fielders were far too small in the ebook edition to be helpful while reading. 

Do I recommend? 

Only for those who just need to gain a basic understanding of the object and terms used in cricket.  If a more detailed book on the strategy and intricacies of the game is wanted, this is not the book to buy.

Book Format Read:

Ebook (Kindle)

Author Media Links:

www.tony-whelpton.co.uk .

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ARYAZPE/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Review of Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes

For the 4th of July, it is only appropriate to celebrate America's birthday with a review of a biography of one of the all time greats of America's Pastime. 
 

Title/Author:

“Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes” by John Rosengren

Genre:

Baseball, non-fiction, biography, Tigers, Pirates, Indians

Published:

May 2013

Length:

400 pages

Rating:

4 ½ of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review:

Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, another player had to endure taunts from ignorant players and fans as well as wonder what would become of his people as he played the game during a tense time in world history.   Hank Greenberg was a New York kid who became a star first baseman for the Detroit Tigers.  Born of Jewish descent, Greenberg’s best years on the field coincided with the rise of Hitler in Europe and his plan to wipe out the Jews.  Author John Rosengren writes a wonderful biography with the emphasis on this time in Greenberg’s life that is filled with much success as well as trouble. 

The book covers events in the world at the time as skillfully as it does Greenberg’s baseball career which included many records, including becoming the first player in baseball history to win the Most Valuable Player award twice in different positions.   Greenberg also lost time to military service – nearly four years – and this part of his life, as well as his comeback is well documented.  The book wraps up with Greenberg’s career in the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, his subsequent divorce and remarriage and his later years when the Tigers gave him a long overdue day of honor.

While these topics are well researched and documented, the book is also a very good source of information on some of the hot-button topics in baseball of that era.  Race relations in baseball were mentioned, including Greenberg’s interactions with Robinson as they both felt the heat of being a “minority” in a game with mostly white Christian males as players.   Salaries and negotiations with players are frequently covered as the yearly negotiations Greenberg had with the Tigers always seemed to show his petulant side, yet there was always an agreement reached.  It was especially ironic when Greenberg was later a general manager and would employ the same negotiating tactics with his players that infuriated him during his playing days.

This book is a thorough and enjoyable read on the life of one of baseball’s greatest players.  Fans of all generations of baseball should read this book to gain insight into not only one of the best players but also into the events and mindset of that time.   Excellent book. 

Did I skim?

No

Did I learn something new?

Yes.  Many things, but what struck me the most was how much of a hero Greenberg was considered for Jewish people all across the country.   I was also fascinated with his seemingly petulant behavior every year when he negotiated his contract.  Considering this was during the time of the reserve clause and no agents, it was understandable, as it was usually the only leverage a player had during negotiations.   But it was still surprising to me as it seemed to be the complete opposite of the persona that was portrayed.

Pace of the book: 

Excellent – the narrative never was bogged down with unimportant information or overloaded the reader.

Do I recommend? 

Yes.  For any baseball fan or historian, this is a complete and entertaining account of Greenberg’s life and baseball career.

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Author Media Links:

http://www.amazon.com/John-Rosengren/e/B001JS36DU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Hank-Greenberg-Heroes-John-Rosengren/dp/0451235762/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372897555&sr=1-1&keywords=greenberg+hero

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hank-greenberg-john-rosengren/1113067064?ean=9780451235763

Interview with Graham Hughes

Recently I had the pleasure to interview Graham Hughes, author of "A Devilish Pastime."   His answers are posted this morning for your reading pleasure.
_______________________________________________________________________________

What inspired you to write A Devilish Pastime?

I was doing a writing course, and, for one of the assignments, I needed to produce an idea for a non-fiction book and write a synopsis for it. I had become very interested in sports history, and thought about various ideas in that area. My first idea was to cover the history of all well-known sports, but that wouldn’t have allowed me to go into much depth about any of them, so it wasn’t very appealing Then, something – I can’t remember what – made me think about the common ground that the various football sports share, and there seemed to be a good basis for a book there.

So, I did a bit of research and planning, and wrote a synopsis. I began to like the idea so much that I started doing some more detailed research and planning, and started writing the book itself, independently of the course.

After finishing the first few chapters, I started contacting publishers. One of them, SportsBooks, agreed to publish the book, giving me a great incentive to press on and complete it.

Aside from the research, what other means did you use to obtain information, especially if you participate in any of these games?

Almost all of the information came from researching – using books, websites and so on. I went to see a folk football event in the Midlands, and visited Harrow School in London to see its own 19th-century brand of football – these are both covered in the book’s epilogue.

I don’t take part in any sports nowadays – too old and unfit! – although I did play soccer at a recreational level for many years. Other than that, my playing experience is limited to a couple of rugby union games at high school, when I was pretty clueless about the rules, and probably never even touched the ball.

Describe your experiences while researching and writing the book.

It was hard work, but mostly enjoyable. The social history aspects were especially interesting, and made for some nice diversions from learning about the histories of rule changes, leagues being formed, etc.

One of the difficulties was that a lot of the source material for the research was written from biased viewpoints, by people who were essentially proselytising about those particular sports – I had to try to differentiate the facts from the myths and exaggerations.

The easiest, and most satisfying, parts to research and write were the parts about the sports that have had the most eventful histories. Writing about rugby union, from 1895 until roughly the 1960s, was especially tough, as very little happened throughout that time, thanks to the extreme conservatism of the people running the sport. On the other hand, with American football, there was an enormous amount to write about in terms of changes in the rules, tactics, culture and organisational structures – almost too much.

 Do you any future writing projects or books you wish to share?

No, not for the foreseeable future. I didn’t have any further ideas that seemed to be strong enough, and turned my attention to proofreading and editing instead. This helped me with re-editing my book for re-publication as an ebook last year, after the original SportsBooks edition went out of print.

Is there anything else you wish to share with readers?

Strange as it may seem, I haven’t been to a soccer game since 2007! Although I grew up as a fanatic, I find it difficult to watch soccer nowadays, thanks to the diving, play-acting and whining, and the extreme levels of hype and madness surrounding the game in England. I do still find the game’s earlier history interesting, though.