Review of "Never Foul a Jump Shooter"

When I received an email from the publisher of this book asking if I would review it, I was intrigued by the title.  Sounds like advice every basketball player at every level hears from his or her coach.  When I started to read the book, I realized what this was going to be like - and was entertained on every page.  Here is my review of "Never Foul a Jump Shooter."

Title/Author:

“Never Foul a Jump Shooter: A Guide to Basketball Lingo, Lessons and Laughs” by Daniel Yost

Tags:

Basketball, humor, definitions

Publish date:

March 10, 2015

Length:

164 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

All sports have their own language and lingo.  This book on basketball lingo by Daniel Yost gives readers some insight into most of the words and terms used in the game.  They range from those that are easy figure out (Charging) to clever (Charity Stripe) to puzzling (Drop a Dime) to clever (Posterized). This is NOT just a dictionary or glossary – there are plenty of opinions given and a lot of funny moments.

There are two characteristics of the book that Yost illustrates in the narrative about most of the terms. One is how this term can relate to a situation in everyday life. Now these “situations” may range from time on the job to relationships to just day-to-day life.  The explanation of how this term may relate to the average person is a nice touch instead of just explaining what the term means on a basketball court.

The other characteristic of the book that the reader will appreciate is the humor. No matter the term, whether Yost likes the term or not, there are many times the reader will chuckle or laugh out loud while reading about it. A very good example is the humor in his rant about the term “drop a dime.” In basketball, the phrase is used for the action of a player who is giving an assist to another player who scores. Yost feels the person who invented the term should be “strung up” and he also has some “news for ‘youse guys.’ An assist is a lot more valuable than a dime.”  Nice to see read about how he really feels.

Overall, I gave this book a rating of four stars as after a while, it did feel to have a bit of repetition.  But the humor was so funny, it kept me going to the end, and the basketball knowledge of the author shines through with his explanation of each term.  Basketball fans of any level of the game will enjoy this funny and entertaining book explaining many of the colorful terms used in the game today. 

I wish to thank Incorgnito Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Pace of the book:

This was a very quick read as it is in the format of a dictionary or glossary with each term defined listed alphabetically.  However, as noted in the review, these are NOT dictionary-type definitions and as a result it can be read like a story.

Do I recommend? 

Given the lingo and the use of many basketball references, non-fans may have a hard time with this book, but basketball fans will enjoy it very much.

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UKDWUXW/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UKDWUXW&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-foul-a-jump-shooter-daniel-yost/1121341231?ean=9780986195303