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Best Hockey Biographies

99: Stories of the Game
Weaving together lives and moments from an extraordinary career, he reflects on the players who inflamed his imagination when he was a kid, the way he himself figured in the dreams of so many who came after; takes us onto the ice and into the dressing rooms to meet the friends who stood by him and the rivals who spurred him to greater heights; shows us some of the famous moments in hockey history through the eyes of someone who regularly made that history. Wayne Gretzky , nicknamed “The Great One,” is considered by many to be the greatest hockey player ever. He is the leading scorer in NHL history, and is the only NHL player to total more than two hundred points in one season—a feat he accomplished four times.
Reviews
"This is the book on how he saw the game and he did a great job on it."
"Perhaps due to being part of the 50's/60's generation I found the first half of the book more interesting than the later."
"The stories of the players that made hockey such a wonderful sport through the early years are interspersed with Gretzky's stories of how those players impacted his development as a person and as a player."
"As a hockey neophyte I enjoyed this."
"It's always interesting to read Gretzky's first hand observations about many of the most significant events in hockey history."
"Great book, with fun insights into the history of the WHA and NHL merger."
"Just buy it and read it."
"Ordered as a gift, they loved it."
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Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey
While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited— Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Praise for Ice Capades : "The one-of-a-kind left winger gives an unparalleled inside look at the NHL lifestyle... whether you cheered or jeered him on the ice, any hockey fan will be interested in the stories he has to tell."
Reviews
"The pages drag with numerous mentions of how great a hockey player Avery believes he is and how adored he was."
"As a hockey fan I enjoyed this book."
"I grew up a Rangers fan and though there were many whom I liked Sean Avery was was always the one we were happy to watch at the games we went to."
"Sean Avery was a moonshot rocket playing for the NY Rangers."
"Fabulous inside look into a hockey player's life."
"Ok book."
"This book was a fairly interesting read about an NHL hockey player that is not the norm."
"Whether you’re interested in hockey, fashion, big city living, or just old-fashioned fun, this book will absolutely entertain you."
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The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered what Sports Illustrated called the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Expertly using coach Herb Brooks (who died last year in an auto accident) as his focal point, Coffey shows how Brooks, a devoted student of the game, used both psychological tactics and a groundbreaking system predicated on speed and constant motion to defeat the Soviets, a team of highly trained, older and bigger professionals who had dominated the international competition for decades. For example, although the Russians were a world superpower, they scrounged for Band-Aids and didn't use slap shots because a shortage of quality sticks meant they couldn't risk breaking them—details suggesting the underlying faults of the Soviet regime.
Reviews
"This is an in depth look at the 1980 Gold Medal Winning USMen’s Hockey team from a fresh perspective."
"Like the movies about the game, this is a book that I will keep always."
"It does jump a little from the action of the game, to backgrounds on the players, but I actually like that."
"Very well written and interesting book."
"I'm the same age as most of the guys on this team and remembered being out with friends and most of the girls were annoyed we had to watch another sporting event."
"If you fondly remember the 1980 Olympic hockey victory you will enjoy reading this book immensely."
"You will find out about the town and growing up, and the socio economic issues the town had, not in a smooth telling, they will talk about the town then talk about how many people were laid off in 2003 and then back to Buzz as a child. Very disjointed. I did like the author pointed out that people remember exactly where they were and that is rare for something good, usually you remember that for major tragedies, like 9/11, The Challenger explosion etc."
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Best Winter Sports

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Their survival, and the survival of the men they left behind, depended on their small lifeboat successfully finding the island of South Georgia-a tiny dot of land in a vast and hostile ocean. 'A superb account of the greatest survival story of our time' - Chris Bonington The story of Ernest Shackleton's epic journey to cross the Antarctic overland has now been turned into four hours of gripping television with Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton. Shackleton's mission failed, but the resulting adventure became one of the most celebrated accounts of man's survival against unbelievable odds.
Reviews
"Other must-reads in the genre are The Long Walk (though that turns out to be most likely fiction so I no longer recommend it), Into the Wild, and Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North. At the time of launching, Shakleton's expedition was history's most extensively planned exploratory trip to Antarctic, complete with a photographer, scientists, carpenters and engineers (a crew of 27 in total). The crew salvaged what it could and was forced to make do with dwindling supplies and provisions, eventually eating some of their beloved dogs. I won't dampen your reading pleasure by giving away too much of the unfolding events, but through a combination of amazing resourcefulness, outstanding leadership, and ultimately incredible luck on the part of Shakleton, the whole crew survived without a single life lost."
"You will not find a boring page in this book, and if you need an idea for a gift , this would suit any curious person ( even a wimpy female like me)."
"Absolutely fascinating journey and the author did an awesome job with his research."
"Although I know every sequence and outcome, I don't tire of this epic narrative, and the final chapter never fails to make me tear up."
"A great read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, fest adventures, and especially the cold."
"Led by Ernest Shackleton, the purpose of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic continent on land, from one end to the other, across the South Pole. In October, when it became clear that the Endurance was going to be crushed by the pack ice, Shackleton ordered his crew to abandon ship. From there, Shackleton and a crew of five journeyed through the roughest seas on the planet back to South Georgia Island, about 800 miles away. Shacklteon then returned by ship to Elephant Island to rescue his crew, arriving on August 30, 2016, two years after they had left England."
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Best Hockey Biographies

Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey
While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited— Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Praise for Ice Capades : "The one-of-a-kind left winger gives an unparalleled inside look at the NHL lifestyle... whether you cheered or jeered him on the ice, any hockey fan will be interested in the stories he has to tell." — Hockey News "Ken Dryden's The Game rewritten by Hunter Thompson...This is the NHL you don't get from post-game scrums."
Reviews
"The pages drag with numerous mentions of how great a hockey player Avery believes he is and how adored he was."
"As a hockey fan I enjoyed this book."
"I grew up a Rangers fan and though there were many whom I liked Sean Avery was was always the one we were happy to watch at the games we went to."
"Sean Avery was a moonshot rocket playing for the NY Rangers."
"Fabulous inside look into a hockey player's life."
"Ok book."
"This book was a fairly interesting read about an NHL hockey player that is not the norm."
"Whether you’re interested in hockey, fashion, big city living, or just old-fashioned fun, this book will absolutely entertain you."
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Best Soccer Biographies

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Then two great forces alter Oher: the family's love and the evolution of professional football itself into a game in which the quarterback must be protected at any cost. As in Moneyball (**** July/Aug 2003), which chronicled the strategies behind the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, Berkeley-based author Michael Lewis takes a personal look at a complicated game in his newest nonfiction extravaganza.
Reviews
"This was a pretty good book for someone who hates football."
"Love the book, you don't necessarily have to like football to like the book."
"What a great book. Michael Lewis not only knows how to put together a captivating story, he does so with subtle wit and plenty of insight. For a casual movie fan, the film is enough, but if you like both the movie and football I cannot recommend this book enough."
"If you're a fan of high school, college, or NFL football, this book is a great read. Or if you just want to read a book that will make you laugh, challenge you, and sometimes make you questions of the motives of the protagonists, this book is a great read."
"Very good book."
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Best Golf Biographies

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever
Lowery claims that two of his employees, amateur golfers Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi, cannot be beaten in a best-ball match, and challenges Coleman to bring any two golfers of his choice to the course at 10 a.m. the next day to settle the issue. "The untold story of golf's greatest money match, featuring Hogan and Nelson at Cypress Point, come to life in Mark Frost's gripping new book, The Match . "It's difficult to beat a good golf book, be it a good yarn or a picture book . " The Match was a dream I never thought would come true. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't believe it myself, and if you know anything about sports or the game of golf, once you pick up this book you won't put it down.
Reviews
"I was surprised to find that it was a wonderful read that gave me real insight to the people who played the game for all the right reasons."
"Was introduced to Mark Frost through his fantastic book, The Greatest Game Ever Played (the movie does not do it justice) and bought this to replace my copy I had bought a few years ago, lent out and have yet to have returned."
"I really enjoyed this in-depth story of some of America's greatest amateur and professional golfers!"
"and tries to play golf three times a week , the 2 ball team event has always seemed the most enjoyable golf."
"The biographies that fill the spaces between the updates on the match are adequate and mildly interesting."
"I have met Byron and you would never guess that he would be involved in this match, of course he was many decades younger at the time of the battle."
"This is an excellent story of four of the greats of golf, and the marvelous "casual" match they played one day at Cypress Point, one of the sport's iconic courses."
"You have the stories of two pros (Hogan and Nelson) who were so instrumental in the transition of professional golf from secondary entertainment status to recognition as one of the major sports we now know."
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Best Football Biographies

Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Program
In Above the Line , he offers readers his unparalleled insights into leadership, team building, and the keys to empowering people to achieve things they might never have thought possible. Urban Meyer is the head football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Reviews
"Inspirational look at leadership."
"Great Read from Coach Urban Meyer!"
"I got this book over a year ago and my son really enjoyed it."
"Leadership, coaching and the ability to learn from someone who wants to put the team as a unit."
"Excellent book."
"Football and leadership its a very good read."
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Best Baseball Biographies

Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER Packed with "compelling inside stories" ( Chicago Tribune ), Teammate is the inspiring memoir from "Grandpa Rossy," the veteran catcher who became the heart and soul of the 2016 Chicago Cubs championship team. "After sitting and having lunch with Rossy for over an hour at the ESPN studios in fall 2014, I knew he was exactly what the Cubs needed to help bring a championship to Chicago. "Ross ... has plenty of terrific stories to tell from a long career in the big leagues.... Ross shares his perspective on what it takes to be a good teammate and how that role accounted for both his longevity in the sport and his impact on the Cubs in 2016. Fascinating inside stories about the 2016 Cubs, told from the perspective of someone who was right in the middle of them... A good read and worth your time.
Reviews
"At the highest levels of competition in professional sports, you might think that inspirational lists on a whiteboard, schmaltzy and even chichéd, would never be used by men who are paid millions to play a child's game. Cub fans will rejoice in the description of how the 2016 season unfolded, and the descriptions of game 7 of the World Series play-by-play, out-by-out, eventually leading to the end of the 108 year drought for Chicago and their first World Championship of the modern era."
"Being a long time Cub fan (3rd generation) the winning of the World Series after 108 years was magical."
"Book is as awesome and very informative."
"What a story!"
"This is a man who played for the love of the game and particularly his Cubs teammates loved him."
"Thank you David for giving us a glimpse into your life."
"( after Anthony Rizzo) He makes you love him even more by how he includes real life and feelings all in one book."
"Good book if you are a Cubs fan."
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Best Basketball Biographies

Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores his 50-year friendship with Coach John Wooden, one of the most enduring and meaningful relationships in sports history. He is also one of a handful of influential and respected black men in America who has a national platform as a regular contributing columnist for the Washington Post and TIME , where he shares his thoughts on some of the most socially relevant and politically controversial topics facing our nation today. Currently he serves as the chairman of his Skyhook Foundation whose mission is to "Give Kids a Shot That Can't be Blocked" by bringing educational opportunities to under-served communities through innovative outdoor environmental learning.
Reviews
"Hearing all the personal stories that Kareem shared with the greatest coach in sports history was such an enjoyable read."
"this is a gift for my dad."
"I love reading about Kareem and Wooden's friendship."
"Great story of a friendship over a long career."
"A touching look at the special relationship Kareem had with his "surrogate father,' John Wooden."
"I purchased this book for my husband and he is totally enjoying the read."
"Birthday gift, guaranteed 5 stars from my husband."
"Great story of Kareem's life with Coach Wooden."
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Best Boxing, Wrestling & MMA Biographies

Ali: A Life
Jonathan Eig, hailed by Ken Burns as one of America’s master storytellers, radically reshapes our understanding of the complicated man who was Ali. Jonathan Eig’s Ali reveals Ali in the complexity he deserves, shedding important new light on his politics, religion, personal life, and neurological condition. Ali is a story about America, about race, about a brutal sport, and about a courageous man who shook up the world. "Finally Muhammad Ali has a biography as big, complex, and memorable as the man himself—or as close as any book can come. Eig in a knockout.” —Jane Leavy, author of Sandy Koufax and The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood “ Ali is a marvelous biography - deeply reported, illuminating, dripping with detail chapter after chapter—in every way worthy of one of the great figures of 20th century America.” —. David Maraniss, author of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi "Finally, after so many works focusing on this fight or that, the whole man, the whole life, is presented here. Eig's richly impressive roster of interviews informs an authoritatively critical biography that is both punchy and sure-footed." It is an independent, insightful and masterful assessment of ‘The Greatest!’ Eig’s biography puts flesh and bone on Ali’s fuller humanity. An utterly absorbing and richly detailed account of the most charismatic and controversial athlete of the 20th century.” —Mike Silver, author of The Arc of Boxing. The author of acclaimed books on Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson, Eig weaves together Ali’s athletic feats, cultural significance and personal journey. Fortified by hundreds of revealing interviews, 'Ali' vigorously narrates the story of the man who transformed the landscape of race and sports . 'Ali' stirs together the sweet and the spicy, the gifts and the failings, the charm and the rage, the grace and the greed, the pride and the ego. "Eig's revelatory bio traces the late boxer's path from pariah to national treasure." “Drawing on interviews with Muhammad Ali’s friends, family, and colleagues—as well as recently discovered recordings from the 1960s and extensive FBI files—Eig tells the life story of the legendary boxer, political radical, and hero in all its complexity.” — Entertainment Weekly , Fall's 20 Must-Read Books. “Jonathan Eig’s masterful new biography of the champ is both captivating and highly relevant to the current discussions on race in America . Muhammad Ali was one of the most compelling figures in the 20th century, and Eig does ample justice to capturing his extraordinary and enduring legacy.” — Seattle Times. What makes Eig's book stand out is its broad scope, its detailed reportage and its lively, cinematic writing." "Eig’s book is a fine read on the great boxer’s life, taking him on as he was and always seeking the truth that hits closest to bone. It covers the tumultuous middle, and then the oddly sanitized and bland second half of the American Century, an era in which Muhammad Ali was among the biggest and brightest players on the stage — living a life that, far from signifying nothing, will in its outrageous grandeur and stunning humanity, stand the test of time." Locked on that purpose, Eig delivers a biography that reflects his subject well—complex but straightforward, human but legendary.” — Chapter 16 “An appropriately outsized—and first-rate—biography . "Eig skillfully utilizes resources unavailable to previous authors, allowing him to present other aspects of Ali . VERDICT: A must-read for Ali fans, followers of the sweet science in general, and those curious about the maelstrom of events that shaped a generation."
Reviews
"It is too bad that Ali didn't meet Ali earlier in his life when he needed someone to take care of his finances and also to take take if him. But Ali held to his beliefs even until the end when Being a Muslim was not appropriate."
"This book did an incredible job of weaving the most public persona of Muhammad Ali with intimate and personal stories that ushered us behind the scenes."
"fun book."
"The best non-fiction book I've read since Seabiscuit."
"Cassius Clay was an 8-1 underdog in his first fight with Sonny Liston in Miami in 1964; did Eig manage to beat the odds with his ALI: A Life?"
"As Eig so excellently lays out for us, Muhammad Ali’s best fibers offered us a magnificent wealth of substance to replicate and bind to our own psyches. Nevertheless, you’ll be drawn to Ali’s boundless bravery and kindness, reminded of the extreme excellence he displayed in the squared ring, and regaled with stories of his impish ways. Eig’s goal was not to humiliate, but rather to humanize and get it all out on the table, sort it, and reveal the incredibly positive net effect of a sometimes enigmatic Muhammad Ali. The author surely succeeds, as his work is meticulous (while not tedious to follow), presented in a relaxing (though not drawn-out) unfolding of events, smartly crafted (yet not pedantic), and heartfelt (but not sentimentally burdened). Eig fills in virtually all of the blanks, revealing a naked Ali…with some ugly scars, but a wondrous sparkle in his eye, and a warm heart and hand freely extended (sincerely, lovingly, often under the radar) to enrich the lives of so many individuals of all colors, and to meaningfully inspire and uplift a good chunk of a generation in need."
"One of the best biographies I’ve ever read. Ali Had so many things going on his life."
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