Best Boxing Biographies

Nor could he have anticipated that his diary would evolve into a book titled Instant Replay , first published in 1968, that would become a multimillion-copy bestseller and be celebrated by reviewers everywhere, including the Washington Post ’s Jonathan Yardley, who calls it “to this day, the best inside account of pro football, indeed the best book ever written about that sport and that league.”. This groundbreaking look inside the world of professional football is one of the first books ever to take readers into the locker room and reveal the inner workings of a professional sports franchise. “A classic when it was published and a classic still today.” —David Halberstam jerry kramer was a right guard for the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1968.

Be sure to check out IRON AMBITION: My Life with Cus D’Amato by Mike Tyson “Raw, powerful and disturbing—a head-spinning take on Mr. Tyson's life.”— Wall Street Journal Philosopher, Broadway headliner, fighter, felon—Mike Tyson has defied stereotypes, expectations, and a lot of conventional wisdom during his three decades in the public eye. Most readers are familiar with his tumultuous life and career—the bizarre behavior in the ring, the sordid behavior out of it—but what’s most surprising about the book is the introspection and self-awareness displayed by this self-proclaimed “trailer park nigga.” Leaving aside the question of how much of the actual writing was done by coauthor Sloman—who’s collaborated on several other noteworthy books, including a couple with Howard Stern—it’s clear that the voice is Tyson’s: it’s raw and profane but also smart and witty. “A hefty autobiography that might be the most soul baring book of its genre ever written … a fascinating look into a life that up until now had already been well chronicled … It’s raw and profane … but it is also quite funny.”— Associated Press “ Undisputed Truth , which is, without a doubt, one of the grittiest and most harrowing memoirs I’ve ever read.” –Flavorwire. “Most readers are familiar with [Tyson’s] tumultuous life and career—the bizarre behavior in the ring, the sordid behavior out of it—but what’s most surprising about the book is the introspection and self-awareness displayed … it’s raw and profane but also smart and witty … A fascinating and frequently surprising autobiography.”— Booklist “ Undisputed Truth , is the American dream writ large in raw detail: think Citizen Kane scripted by the writing team of The Wire…. “Tyson was ever practised at delivering the early killer blow; and so it is with this gripping and indecently enthralling autobiography….Tyson always had a way with words – although much of the credit for this book must go to his ghostwriter Larry “Ratso” Sloman, who not only makes Tyson’s life read like an Elmore Leonard thriller, but gifts him with considerable self-awareness and a memorably pithy turn of phrase….recounted in gripping, punch-by-punch detail in prose pungent with the reek of blood, sweat and petroleum jelly.” –Mick Brown, The Telegraph (UK).

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. From panoramic views of Ali’s place in racial, political, and cultural conflicts, to gripping accounts of his fights, to vivid close-ups of his outsized personality and relationships based on new sources, Ali will fascinate you from beginning to end.” —T. In Ali , Jonathan Eig, a fearless reporter, as relentless on his turf as Muhammad Ali ever was within the ring, has taken on one of twentieth-century America’s biggest, baddest, most important stories and told it bigger and badder than it’s ever been told before. 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 twentieth-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.” —David J. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize – winning author of Bearing the Cross and Rising Star. “Jonathan Eig’s Ali is a tour de force! It is an independent, insightful and masterful assessment of ‘The Greatest!’ Eig’s biography puts flesh and bone on Ali’s fuller humanity. JONATHAN EIG is the author of four critically acclaimed books, two of them New York Times bestsellers.

To possess the skills, techniques and attitude of the true practitioner of aikido, one must achieve a very high level of integration of the powers of mind and body, the harmonious combination of physical means and ethical motives. "It has been a most useful reference for me over the years, and I'd highly encourage any adult to make it a part of your personal Aikido library." If you're not a student of Aikido, this book can still be a useful way to familiarize yourself with the art on a theoretical level. It's also an interesting resource for anyone who wants to do some serious thinking about their martial art.

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. In 1956, millionaires Eddie Lowery and George Coleman made an off-the-cuff bet on a golf match and inadvertently set up one of the sport's most climactic duels; this one casual game has become the sport's great suburban legend. Frost ( The Greatest Game Ever Played ) diligently covers the two pros slightly past their prime, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, who squared off against two top amateurs, Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi. The match happened near the sport's great cusp, as it transitioned from something for amateurs to a professional career, from a pastime for wastrel aristocrats and entertainers (and Bing Crosby, with his annual booze-soaked Clambake charity matches) to a mainstream suburban obsession. Frost has a penchant toward the florid, but as he writes, Because he was Ben Hogan, and it was just past twilight, and his like would never pass this way again, he captures an elusive magic in this improbable matchup and what it meant for those who played and witnessed it. "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 .

Four travelers meet in Bolivia and set off into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, but what begins as a dream adventure quickly deteriorates into a dangerous nightmare, and after weeks of wandering in the dense undergrowth, the four backpackers split up into two groups. Yossi’s story of survival haunted me for weeks.” —Bryce Courtenay, author of The Power of One. Reflecting on his harrowing experiences, Yossi moves his audiences through insights and realizations that result in deep transformation.Ten years after almost losing his life in the Amazon, he returned to the Amazon river valley that was the site of his remarkable adventure and made it his home.

A caddie since he was twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year in St. Andrews, Scotland—a town with the U.K.’s highest number of pubs per capita, and home to the Old Course, golf ’s most famous eighteen holes—where he enrolls in the St. Andrews Links Trust caddie trainee program. A hilarious, irresistible, behind-the-scenes peek at the world’s most celebrated golf course—and its equally famous caddie shack— An American Caddie in St. Andrews is certain to not only entertain golfers and fans of St. Andrews but also anyone who dares to remember stumbling into adulthood and finding one’s place in the world. "This poignant, funny memoir by Oliver Horovitz, a Harvard student who finds his calling on the Scottish links, is an intriguing tour of life at the world's most celebrated course." “In this breezy memoir, the younger brother of a Beastie Boy spills insider tales about looping and living in St. Andrews…the characters—bitter old caddies, the author’s university pals and his 83–year–old uncle—are lovable. I loved his memoir so much I lingered over it, relishing my own memories of that mysteriously captivating town, historic links, and addictive Scottish game, and I recommend Ollie's book to those who've either already walked in the footsteps of Old Tom Morris or have a visit to the home of golf on their bucket list. " An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts! "While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself.

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."

A fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, Ty Cobb—“The best work ever written on this American sports legend: It’s a major reconsideration of a reputation unfairly maligned for decades” ( The Boston Globe ). Setting the record straight, Charles Leerhsen pushed aside the myths, traveled to Georgia and Detroit, and re-traced Cobb’s journey from the shy son of a professor and state senator who was progressive on race for his time to America’s first true sports celebrity. The grandson of one of the few courageous abolitionist politicians in Georgia, Cobb was among the first to applaud the breaking of the color barrier, and there seems to be no evidence of his racism. The myth of Cobb's supposedly violent play was largely based on a handful of very minor affairs, which all the principals agreed were overblown, coupled with his psychological style, which tended to scare opponents but not hurt them physically. (Ron Keurajian Sports Collectors Digest). “No matter what you think of Ty Cobb, you’ll want to read Charles Leerhsen’s fascinating biography, as he dispels rumors, exposes frauds, and challenges everything you thought you knew about the most controversial individual ever to play the great game of baseball.” (Kevin Baker, author of Sometimes You See It Coming ). "Not only the best work ever written on this American sports legend: It’s a major reconsideration of a reputation unfairly maligned for decades." Leerhsen’s feat of research brings the real Cobb home at last.” (Roy Blount Jr., author of Alphabet Juice ). "Now Cobb has an advocate, one who's actually read all the old newspaper clippings (some of which flatly contradict common "knowledge"), visited the terrain, and interviewed as many relevant people as he could find. "Leerhsen's magisterial reexamination presents a detailed view of Cobb culled from actual research rather than hearsay. "Leerhsen wraps his penetrating profile of Cobb in gripping play-by-play rundowns and a colorful portrait of the anarchic 'dead-ball' era, when players played drunk and fans chased offending umpires from the field. "Charles Leerhsen has done baseball aficionados a great mercy by bringing to life Ty Cobb, the man and the ballplayer—warts and all, some might say. And even more, Leerhsen summons up the days when baseball was young and innocent and, one thinks, filled with a kind of raw vitality that is missing today. It showcases Cobb as a flawed and vulnerable human being who, after suffering a nervous breakdown his second season, came back to fearlessly embrace his talent in an era that was just discovering what it meant to love baseball."

• Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s. • Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title. • Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync. • Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves. • Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others. To a casual fan, meditation, Buddhism, and Native American spirituality may seem an odd mix of resources with which to motivate highly paid, often egocentric professional athletes. "— The New York Times Book Review "Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract...But the primary thing with Jackson — as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves — is the voice.

• Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s. • Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title. • Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync. • Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves. • Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others. To a casual fan, meditation, Buddhism, and Native American spirituality may seem an odd mix of resources with which to motivate highly paid, often egocentric professional athletes. "— The New York Times Book Review "Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract...But the primary thing with Jackson — as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves — is the voice.

Phil's education in the ways of the peloton, his discouraging negotiations for a better contract, his endless miles crisscrossing America in pursuit of race wins, and his conviction that somewhere just around the corner lies the ticket to the big time fuel this tale of hope and ambition from one of cycling's best story-tellers. As a college-educated latecomer to the sport, as an outsider who struggled to be given a chance, and as someone with the perspective to laugh at the absurdity of being paid to ride a bicycle for a living, Gaimon's insights into the pro cycling world resonate with a wide audience. His self-effacing humor, commitment to clean sport, and extraordinary talent have made him a bit of an everyman hero within pro cycling -- a rider you want to hear from, and know more about, win or lose." "An outspoken proponent of clean competition, Gaimon sports a tattoo of a bar of soap with the world "Ëœclean' on his right bicep, and he was attracted to Garmin-Sharp for its ethical code."

Reviews

"This book is a breath of fresh air for a sport that has struggled with its image over the past 10 years, written by a guy who found the sport late and made it to the pro ranks by hard work and sacrifice."

"I always knew Lance was probably doping (everyone starting with Indurain was doping) but seeing guys like Tyler Hamilton have these incredible results just killed my interest in following pro cycling."

"The book is definitely an eye-opener into what these guys have to go through (low or no pay, constant travel with bad accommodations and what sounds like really bad food and often times bad company) just to get to the pro level."

"Would love to find the same type of account from a Euro pro coming up through the ranks, and what the experience is like across the pond."

"Here is a passage from the book that provides a peek into his perspective on life (which I think is advanced for his age), humor, and ability to offer some truly useful advice: “A big goal like starting a business or writing a book can be daunting at first, but all you need to do is break it up into little pieces and keep working at it."

"If you are into cycling (or have enjoyed Phil's columns in Velonews), this is a good book to read."

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