coolhandgopher
12-11-2008, 07:32 PM
http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylt=AqXJOg8yeQJ6Q3Llue7XZtQ5nYcB?slug=dw-holidaybooks121108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
A few more that Wetzel didn't mention and don't grab the same attention as Boys of Summer or North Dallas Forty:
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford-It doesn't really focus on soccer, but rather soccer hooligans and is a wildly entertaining, shocking, and scary book.
The Last Shot by Darcy Frey-My favorite sports book of all time. Follows the course of four high school players from Lincoln H.S. of Coney Island, one of whom is a precocious, obnoxious high school freshman named Stephon Marbury. The updated release gives an account of the players profiled ten years later.
The Cool of the Evening by Jim Thielman-A great account of the 1965 pennant winning Minnesota Twins, a must for any Twins fan, especially those who enjoy the team's history.
Clemente by David Maraniss, Ted Williams by Leigh Montville, Koufax by Jane Leavy, and Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer-No sport is chronicled better than baseball and each of these biographies were fascinating profiles of players who are legends in the sport, with varying degrees of success off the baseball diamond.
Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler-I heard the ESPN mini-series based upon this book was pretty uninspiring, but this book is a rollicking ride with the fightin' Yankees of 1977 while it also offers great insight into the other big events occurring in New York that summer-Son of Sam, the blackouts and riots, Studio 54 and a mayoral race between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo. Really a great read.
All of my suggestions are at least a few years old, I'd love to hear other recommendations, especially on books released within the last few years.
A few more that Wetzel didn't mention and don't grab the same attention as Boys of Summer or North Dallas Forty:
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford-It doesn't really focus on soccer, but rather soccer hooligans and is a wildly entertaining, shocking, and scary book.
The Last Shot by Darcy Frey-My favorite sports book of all time. Follows the course of four high school players from Lincoln H.S. of Coney Island, one of whom is a precocious, obnoxious high school freshman named Stephon Marbury. The updated release gives an account of the players profiled ten years later.
The Cool of the Evening by Jim Thielman-A great account of the 1965 pennant winning Minnesota Twins, a must for any Twins fan, especially those who enjoy the team's history.
Clemente by David Maraniss, Ted Williams by Leigh Montville, Koufax by Jane Leavy, and Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer-No sport is chronicled better than baseball and each of these biographies were fascinating profiles of players who are legends in the sport, with varying degrees of success off the baseball diamond.
Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler-I heard the ESPN mini-series based upon this book was pretty uninspiring, but this book is a rollicking ride with the fightin' Yankees of 1977 while it also offers great insight into the other big events occurring in New York that summer-Son of Sam, the blackouts and riots, Studio 54 and a mayoral race between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo. Really a great read.
All of my suggestions are at least a few years old, I'd love to hear other recommendations, especially on books released within the last few years.