Review of "I'd Know That Voice Anywhere"

While having to recover from a minor medical procedure isn't fun, when it has to be done during a long weekend and the weather is crummy, it does mean one can catch up on some reading. As my pile of ARC's was growing, I decided to tackle some of those and this one by Frank Deford is certainly one that I am glad that I read.  A quick and fun read, it covers some of his best commentaries on National Public Radio.  Here is my review of "I'd Know That Voice Anywhere"

Title/Author:

“I’d Know That Voice Anywhere: My Favorite NPR Commentaries” by Frank Deford

Tags:

Sports, broadcasting, collection, short stories

Publish date:

May 3, 2016

Length:

240 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

As a reader who likes to read collections of short anecdotes or stories, whether fiction or non-fiction, I was happy to see this collection of NPR broadcasts from Frank Deford available for review prior to the publication. The fact that the author is one of most beloved and respected sports journalists is icing on the cake. Deford has pleased and informed many readers, listeners and viewers over the years with his reporting and commentary and this book is sure to do the same for readers.

Every sport from American football (several times he ensures that he makes that distinction so that no one mistakes it for soccer) to golf the Olympic games is covered in his unique style.  He mixes politics, social issues, steroids and questions about the place in society and entertainment for sports as just a few of the topics addressed in his commentaries.

His opinions on whichever topic can be viewed as whimsical, such as if golf were a country it would be Cuba; strongly worded, such as the lack of stipends for college athletes; or hilarious, such as his take on luxury boxes in stadiums - sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The writing is light and easy to read, and since it is broken up into small passages, the reader can stop and pick it back up very easily. Many readers may do the same as I did when reading it and imagine Deford talking on the radio with his smooth delivery.  This is a book that is highly recommended for not only fans of sports and Deford, but even for those who are not sports fans but enjoy reading about topics of social interest.

I wish to thank Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for providing an advance review copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links (pre-order at time of post):

http://www.amazon.com/Know-That-Voice-Anywhere-Commentaries/dp/0802125247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455655503&sr=8-1&keywords=i%27d+know+that+voice+anywhere

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/id-know-that-voice-anywhere-frank-deford/1122845934?ean=9780802125248