Review of “Full Throttle”

Keeping with my policy of reading books about the sport I am attending when traveling to and from an event, I started this book when I attended the NASCAR Cup Series race in New Hampshire last weekend.  It was long but quite entertaining. Here I’m review of the biography of NASCAR legend Curtis Turner. 

Title/Author: “Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of NASCAR Legend Curtis Turner” by Robert Edelstein

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Curtis Turner was one on the early superstars of NASCAR racing. He has been called by some the “Babe Ruth of NASCAR’ with the many victories he had in the sport’s early years. This biography by Robert Edelstein is a testimony to not only his racing career but also to Curtis’ flamboyant lifestyle.

In those days of the sport, drivers did not win large purses and had to beg for sponsors or others to put up the investment for the cars. As a result, they also had to earn a living elsewhere and Curtis did so in the timber business. It gave him a nice income and while he didn’t immediately squander it (and his race earnings), it did give him the means to live an extravagant lifestyle.

This included legendary parties at Daytona every year, a small airplane (which he was flying when it crashed and killed him in 1970), and other business ventures, not all of which was successful. The book covers these adventures, especially his flights, with as much detail and entertainment as it does Turner’s racing career.

One aspect that covers both of these areas is Turner’s vision of building a speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina to rival that of the one in Daytona built under the guidance of NASCAR founder Bill France. This was part of the complicated cared relationship Turner and France had. While Turner’s fearless driving style won him many races and fans (and filled grandstands at France’s races), when Turner wanted to form a union for the drivers (as he was trying to secure funds from the Teamsters for his Charlotte track) he was blackballed from NASCAR.

All of this and more is told in a very good storytelling fashion by the author. It was not only very entertaining but also enlightening as a reader will, like me, learn much about the early days of the sport.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Throttle-Nascar-Legend-Curtis/dp/1585677515/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 

Review of “Baddest Man”

This book grabbed my interest because of the author. Mark Kriegel wrote excellent biographies on two of my favorite childhood athletes, Joe Namath and Pete Maravich.  Knowing this and also that he covered boxing for a New York City newspaper during Mike Tyson’s era, I felt this would be an excellent book on him - I wasn’t disappointed.

Title/Author: “Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson” by Mark Kriegel

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Mike Tyson is probably the most talked about boxer in the history of the sport aside from Muhammad Ali. His life has taken so many twists and turns. Despite all that has been already said and written about him, this book by bestselling author Mark Kriegel is excellent in not only its portrayal of Tyson, but also in its ability to make even those readers who think they can’t read anything new about him will find something they didn’t before.

While the book is about his life from his childhood in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn to his 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988 to unify the heavyweight championship of boxing, the prologue will grab a reader right away. Kriegel writes about Tyson, the father who is watching his daughter at a tennis match. From just this passage, it will be clear to readers that this will not be a typical sports biography.  

From there, Kriegel takes the reader on a journey that will not only reveal much about Tyson, but also provide in-depth looks at a variety of topics: poverty, crime, gang activity, the media’s love of celebrity issues, the crookedness of the boxing business and its characters, the greed of the 1980’s and so much more. None of these topics will be new to anyone, but the depth to which Kriegel writes about these topics, especially the business side of the sport, is excellent. It should be noted that Kriegel was a long time boxing writer for the New York Daily News, so his knowledge of this side of the sport is well-grounded.

While the fights Tyson had in the ring as an amateur, his failed attempt at making the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, and those as a professional are well covered (including the famous bout with Spinks), the work on Tyson’s life outside the ring is what makes this book so good. Kriegel writes about the myths on Tyson, especially in his days in Brownsville and those when he was taken in and mentored by Cus D’Amoto. Also noteworthy is Kriegel’s accounts of Tyson’s marriage to actress Robin Givens, his relationship with her mother Ruth Roper , his lack of business acumen when dealing with Jim Jacobs, Bill Clayton and especially Don King. If one remembers this time as a tangled, salacious time for what Tyson was doing, the reader will find out even more twists as Kriegel navigates then through all of the lies, deception, stories and craziness.

But one conclusion that one will make, no matter their view on Tyson as a person, is that it’s very clear that he was a person who lacked the love and support he wanted and would accept it from whomever would provide it. Nearly every person mentioned in the previous paragraph was doing that in some way and Tyson was always seeking it, no matter what it would do to him later.

Since this book only covers Tyson’s life up to that June 1988 night in Atlantic City and the anticipation that accompanied it, I am hoping Kriegel writes a sequel covering some of the other events that made Tyson such a compelling character. This book is highly recommended for any reader who wants to read about any aspect of Mike Tyson’s first 22 or so years of life. 

Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552034/baddest-man-by-mark-kriegel/ 

Review of "From Boxing Ring to Battlefield"

While I have always liked to be working on at least two books at the same time, lately I have been finishing the two current books around the same time.  This was the case with this one and yesterday's review, "Sir Lewis."  Like the other book, this book on boxing champion and war hero Lew Jenkins was an excellent read.  Here is my review.

 

Title/Author:

“From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins” by Gene Pantalone

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The best way to describe Lew Jenkins in one word is “fighter.”  As a child, he and his family fought poverty to survive.  Later, in the boxing ring, he was a fighter as well as a powerful puncher to earn the world lightweight title.  Then, he was a fighter in the Armed Forces, serving with the Coast Guard in WWII and then in the Army as an infantry man in the Korean War.  His story, both in the ring and in combat, is very interesting and Gene Pantalone tells it well.

I enjoy reading Mr. Pantalone’s books on champion boxers who are obscure to all but the most dedicated boxing fans and historians. Jenkins is no exception as he wasn’t built like most boxers as he had a very lean body.  Jenkins also was not a fan of hard training that most champion boxers do, but he did enough to earn that championship.  His first wife, Katie, had much to do with his success in the ring as well even though as a woman, she could not apply for a manager’s license.  This is the first area where I was very impressed with Mr. Pantalone’s research and writing.  Even though this boxing took place over 80 years ago, it felt like it was just recent news, and I enjoyed this part of the book.

Equally impressive is Mr. Pantalone’s writing about Jenkins’ fall from grace after he won the championship and Jenkins’ subsequent new life in the military.  Jenkins lost the title, his money and Katie due to many drunken escapades and issues with law enforcement.  He was even accused of having an affair with the wife of legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey.  An entire chapter is dedicated to this sordid affair – more proof of excellent research.

Although all of this is good material, the reader will really enjoy learning how Jenkins cleaned himself up by serving in the military in two wars.  He enjoyed being on the battlefield the most – first by the guilt he felt in WWII when he was serving on Coast Guard vessels carrying Marines and later with his heroic leadership and fighting in Korea.  It was enough to earn him a Silver Star, and he made it back to his second wife and son.  Like with the other sections, Mr. Pantalone does an excellent job with his research, his interviews and his telling of Jenkins’ war stories.

Any reader who wants to learn more about a boxer who sunk to new lows in his life and then made good by serving his country in two wars will love this book.  I am very glad to have learned about the life of Lew Jenkins.

I wish to thank Mr. Pantalone for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins: 9781538116746: Pantalone, Gene, DiSanto, John: Books

Review of “Rory Land”

 Remembering that this book had recently been sent by the publisher to my NetGalley list, I immediately opened it after Rory McIlroy finally won his first Masters. This book is an excellent look at one of the most popular golfers today.

Title/Author: “Rory Land: The Up-and-Down World of Golf’s Global Icon” by Timothy M. Gay

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Rory McIlroy is a name instantly recognizable to golf fans. He burst onto golf’s scene in the 2010’s by winning four majors, but until his recent win in the 2025 Masters, he was stuck on that figure for 11 years. This book (completed before that Masters victory) by Timothy M. Gay, tells the complete and complicated story of one of the most popular golfers today.

The cover shows McIlroy with colors from the Irish flag. However, he hails from Hollywood, County Down in Northern Ireland and Rory, to this day, has conflicting emotions on which country he represents. His great uncle was killed during The Troubles, the long war between Catholics and Protestants that ravaged Northern Ireland. This is just part of the extensive picture Gay includes of McIlroy and his family in his formative years. 

There is also a lot of good material about McIlroy after he becomes a PGA member off the course. His romantic interests, including the very public engagement and subsequent break-up with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, his current marriage to Erica Stoll and other flings that kept tabloid reporters very busy. Also well documented by Gay was McIlroy’s public denouncing of the LIV golf tour (before they and the PGA came to an agreement), his changing of his management company and his great love for his parents. No matter the topic, if it involved McIlroy, Gay made sure to include it.

Of course, the writing about McIlroy’s successes and struggles on the course are quite good as well. McIlroy’s game is great off the tee but his putting issues are practically legendary in a not-so-flattering way. Whether it’s a major tournament, on of the other non-major events or his representation on the European Ryder Cup team, the description of the action on the course is great. The last few chapters of the book are heavy on this content and it does feel fitting to do so. This book really show the complexity of the character that is Rory McIlroy.

I wish to thank Regalo Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Rory-Land-Up-Down-Global/dp/B0DMM3WRT8/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Diamond Duels”

It’s the start of the 2025 baseball season and as is the case every year, I read a few baseball books to get in the swing of baseball. Here’s the first baseball book for me in the 2025 season, “Diamond Duels”.

Title/Author:

“Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups” by John Nogowsli

Rating: 

3 ½  of 5 stars (good)

Review:  

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball, there have been great individual matchups, even though it is clearly a team. Whether the comparisons are a particular pitcher against a particular hitter, a comparison between two pitchers or two batters, or just describing how one player fares against certain peers, there are countless examples of where this information can be fascinating. This book by John Nogowski is a collection of chapters with such information.

Through some great research online and reading a lot of books, Nogowski was able to illustrate some of the most interesting comparisons among the greats in baseball history. All eras are covered, from the era of pitchers like Cy Young and Walter Johnson to the ”steroid” era and sluggers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Some of these are how these stars matched up against others - pitcher vs. batter. It was usually, but not always, a listing of which pitchers gave a hitter the most trouble or vice versa. There were also comparisons of teammates that gave their team a fearsome 1-2 punch such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey or David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Not every chapter was in that format, however. The sections that focused on one player were some of the best in the book and when Nogowski is attempting to make a case for a player as an all-time great. The best of these was his section on Pedro Martinez and his case that two of the best seasons recorded by a pitcher were those of Martinez in 1999 and 2000. One may not agree, but it makes fro great reading.

There isn’t a lot of new information in this book that serious baseball fans won’t already know, but it’s still a decent book to pick up to get in the mood for the new baseball season. It worked for this reviewer.

I wish to thank Lyons Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Duels-Baseballs-Greatest-Matchups/dp/1493084828/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38T6LBXXX4O7E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bN6dBDAZJq8DGrESzGSQiw.IbuTW5kdMKpaSnI9VEX0iTomULZxy1c6dYsWsM9KIzw&dib_tag=se&keywords=diamond+duels+nogowski&qid=1743285388&sprefix=Diamond+duesl%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1 

Review - A.J. Foyt Volume 1

Lately, there have been several interesting books on auto racing, and this is certainly one of them.  A.J. Foyt has had a long and successful racing career, and this book does his work justice - at least until 1977.  This is just the first volume of his storied career.  Here is my review of this volume. 

Title/Author:

“A.J. Foyt – Volume 1: Survivor, Champion, Legend” by Art Garner

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

When an athlete’s name is recognized by people who are not fans of that sport, it says a lot about that athlete’s talent. A.J. Foyt is a name many people will associate with auto racing, mainly because of his four victories in the Indianapolis 500 in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  But there is SO much more to the man than just his victories.  This book, the first of two planned volumes about Foyt’s life and racing, is Art Garner’s complete biography of the famous racer.

It is clear early in the book that Garner is going to devote most of the text to Foyt’s racing and how that shapes the man he becomes.  Even his childhood revolves around racing.  The story of him racing around his parents’ house in a small car was a prelude to what his life would be like for the next several decades.

It doesn’t matter what level or which circuit Foyt would be racing in, his years in the sport are covered in excellent detail by Garner.  Volume 1 ends after the 1977 season in which Foyt won his 4^th Indy 500, the first driver to do so.  He has since been joined by Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves but it is Foyt whose accomplishments at the Brickhouse are fondly remembered.  It should also be noted that Foyt isn’t an Indianapolis legend solely for his driving.  Garner also documents his involvement in designing, building and testing the cars as well as Foyt’s involvement in many decisions that affect the teams, such as who will be the drivers for either the second car the team runs or who will be backup drivers. 

This is where Foyt’s legendary stubbornness or principals, whichever view one prefers, is on display quite well.  Even though he did not graduate high school, Foyt has a sharp eye for business contracts, details to every aspect of race cars and of course, how to drive one of the cars. It should also be noted that all of these traits, on and off the track, were also on display in other racing circuits.  Foyt was also the first driver to win three of the biggest events in motorsports – the Indianapolis 500, the 24 hours at Le Mans and the Daytona 500.

One last comment about this book.  Something that race fans should note, especially those who have followed the sport for many years, is that it is scary to read about all the deaths to drivers in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in this book.  Nearly every year covered has multiple drivers who succumbed to injuries in crashes. While reading this, it did feel macabre to reading about so many men dying in their prime, but as Foyt mentions often in this volume, it’s a part of the sport and he did have some fear every time he stepped into a race car.

A well-researched and well-crafted biography, this book is one that every race fan of every level should pick up.  I know that I will be eagerly awaiting volume 2.

I wish to thank Octane Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: A.J. Foyt: Volume 1: Survivor, Champion, Legend eBook : Garner, Art, Andretti, Mario: Kindle Store

Review of "Barbara Ann Scott"

I always will take a look at least the synopsis of a book on an athlete I never heard of before.  That was the case with this one on figure skating Olympic gold medalist Barbara Ann Scott and I am glad I picked it up as it was an informative and quick read.  Here is my review of this biography of her. 

Title/Author:

“Barbara Ann Scott: Queen of the Ice” by Ryan Stevens

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:

Barbara Ann Scott made sports history when she became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics.  This biography by Ryan Stevens not only tells the story of how she overcame some struggles to earn this honor, but also how after her victory she became a national hero and inspiration to many Canadians.

Scott’s family had some financial difficulty during her childhood and her father Clyde, while a good athlete in his time, he continued to participate as best he could after being wounded in World War II.  He and her mother Mary were supportive of Barbara Ann’s skating from her first figure tests at seven years old up to and including her amateur career.  Barbara Ann also was inspired by the legendary skater Sonja Henie whom she eventually met.

Something that should be noted about this book is a line that Stevens writes in the introduction.  He states that this book is intended for readers who are “figure skating people.”  If one is not familiar with the sport, they will not find any explanations or definitions. While I will not call myself an expert and can easily distinguish between different jumps, for example, I consider the book good for those with at least a moderate amount of knowledge and interest in the history of the sport.  It is an enjoyable and fairly quick precisely because of this lack of technical jargon.

Stevens, with his knowledge of the sport and through good research, also gives the reader a good picture of Barbara Ann’s life off the ice, both during her childhood and after she retired from skating after turning professional and performing in several ice shows. He doesn’t pry too much into her personal life with details. Instead, Stevens concentrates more on items like Barbara Ann’s popularity among the Canadian citizenry and the many other activities in which she participated.

As mentioned above, this book is not for readers who have little to no knowledge or interest in figure skating, but for those readers who enjoy the sport, even if just every four years during the Olympics, it is an enjoyable read in which they will learn about Canada’s first “Queen of the Ice." 

I wish to thank Mr. Stevens and Book Sirens for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: Barbara Ann Scott: Queen of the Ice eBook : Stevens, Ryan: Kindle Store