Sports Books

Jackie Robinson and the Year of the Boar is an OK book. It shows how life was for an immigrant in the 1940's. It also gives you a taste of how Jackie Robinson felt to cross the racial line.
He and Bandit, or Shirley Temple, had something in common. He held his head up high even when there were threats to take his life, and Shirley did the same, while facing the bullying of her school.
This book also showed, how even if you're mistreated in the beginning, you can still make friends in the end. Shirley made friends with Mable, while she was getting teased. She was also praised with the following chant:
"Hey, Hey you're just great,
Jackie Robinson crossed the plate,
Hey, Hey you're a dream,
Jackie Robinson's on our team."
This book didn't personally intrigue me, but it is perfect for kids who love baseball. Taylor grade 5

I would recommend this book for boys and girls of any age. I would recommend this book for girls, because the main character Shirley Temple Wong is a girl, and what she does the girls can mostly understand. I would recomend it for boys, because there is a lot of baseball involved, and the year of baseball is staring Jackie Robinson. The genre of the book is multi cultural. The theme is bravery, hope, and overcoming fears. The most important setting is Shirley's school. The conflict is Shirley does not speak a lot of English, and she does not have any friends. Some specific things about the book are Shirley learns to like baseball, and Jackie Robinson. Another one is Shirley learns to make friend's. I like the part when Shirley went to a new school, and the principal winked at Shirley with one eye, and Shirley did not know what he was doing so she blinked both eyes, and her teacher thought there was somthing wrong with her eyes. My least favorite part was when all the other kids did not like Shirley. They did not want to play with her at all. The author is Bette Bao Lord.

My daughter didn't really enjoy reading this book. She became bored with the issues and wanted more excitement and kindness.

I love this book. This book tells you how to overcome loneliness. Shirley found a way to make some good friends. I would have you read this book because it lets you learn what it would feel like to move from one place to another. It also tells you how different and unique other people can be. It's a really good book. (written by my sixth grade student, Ashley)

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. It's funny and heartwarming, and touches on Chinese culture and 1940's American culture, making it an all-around interesting read. Plus, Bandit is such a great character, you can't help loving her. This would be an excellent addition to any kid's collection.

During the summer of 1926 the eyes of the world turned to Europe, specifically the small strip of water that separated the British Isles from France. Four American women had announced their intentions to swim the English Channel. The first swimmer to accomplish that feat would be the first woman to ever complete the channel swim, joining elite group of male athletes who had managed to navagate the channel. Women had been making huge strides in the realm of athletics, steadily setting aside stereotypes and prejudices.

Four women, Gertrude Ederle, Mille Gade, Lillian Cannon and Clarabelle Barrett, completely different but each posessed the desire to be first to complete the swim. Each knew the accomplishment would thrust them into the public spotlight and could better their fortunes and futures. The public interest after their swims was beyond anything anyone could imagine, and changed their lives. The Great Swim captures the giddy optimism of the 1920's and the emergence of women as a force in the world. Using diaries, newspaper archives, and primary sources Gavin Mortimer brings to life the excitement that surrounded the swims, the people supporting the swimmers and the swimmers themselves. It is a unique glimpse into the "roaring twenties" and the way the idea of a lone female swimmer taking on the channel captured the American public's imagination. It is also a cautionary tale of public adolation, the power of the press and greed. An engrossing read.

In 1926 Gertrude Ederle, a 19 year old New Yorker, became the first woman to swim the English Channel. She did it in record time, faster than any of the five men who had swum the Channel before her. Although that feat is little more than the answer to a trivia question today, at the time it was an accomplishment that rated a huge parade through Manhattan. She was treated as a heroine, at least until Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic three years later.

The Great Swim by Gavin Mortimer tells Ederle's story and the media frenzy surrounding it. There were three other American women competing to become the first woman to swim the Channel that year, including one who broke Ederle's record only three weeks after Ederle set it. What is most interesting is the role of the press in reporting, in making these historic events. Ederle and another of the swimmers were under contract to write regular newspaper columns about their preparations. Some newspapers sponsored one or more of the swimmers. They reported daily on the swimmers, and included lots of photos of the swimmers in their swimsuits. It had only been a few years since bathing costumes for women had included sleeves and stockings. The new one-piece form-fitting swimsuits of the twenties were the bee's knees. Incidentally, Ederle developed what may have been the first bikini, using men's swimming shorts and a modified bra. Shortly after she started the record-setting swim, she chucked the bra and swam the Channel topless.

Mortimer covers the preparations, the swim itself, which was quite dramatic, and the aftermath. Ederle was treated as a conquering hero, then as an accused cheater, and then as a traveling show curiosity. If anyone thinks the media frenzies of today are new, they need only read The Great Swim to see that they are only carrying on a tradition as old as the press itself.

This book was recommended to me by a relative, who at the time was a doctoral student just like myself. We both desperately needed to fight off the stress of graduate school and to combat the bodily effects of endless hours of sitting in front of a computer. He had found the way to do it. Soon, I also knew what it was thanks to him. This is an excellent book for beginning runners. It is absolutely worth your time and money. The most valuable part of this book is the amazing 13-week program. I have gone through this program a few times now and keep coming back to it. Its promise is to put the least amount of pressure on your body to prevent injury, allowing your bones, muscles, and cardio system to adjust to running gradually. You can start the program if you have never run before (as I did the first time), and it will get you running 60 minutes straight if you follow the 13-week program without undue pressure on your body. The typical training session lasts about 40 minutes and you do three sessions every week.

In my experience, the program holds up to this promise. I have felt that each training session gave me exactly the right amount of challenge. I wasn't intimidated, I wasn't in pain, I wasn't worried about failing to run for the recommended time or about hurting myself (and I worry quite a bit about sensations coming from my body) and I wasn't bored either. I felt great after completing each session, and as a result, my feelings of competence and my belief in my ability to discipline myself increased naturally.

Besides the program, the book has many useful tips and lots of information about running. You will find something useful for you. The 13-week program is also supplemented by other kinds of programs, such as programs for those who want to run faster or farther once they finish the basic program, or a program for those who want to just walk.

The only negative thing I will say about the book is that it doesn't really address what to do when there are disruptions in your following the program (e.g., you miss a few sessions during week 8, where to start again now?). However, you intuitively figure it out, so it's not a big deal.

I am very pleased with this purchase and I'm keeping it in my library. I keep coming back to this program every spring when the weather gets better and I can run in the park. Overall, I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to make a solid exercise program a part of their routine, but don't know quite where to start.

I bought this book when I decided to get back into running after 5 years of not doing much of anything. I really do not enjoy running, but find it is the best way to get into shape and lose weight. This book made it enjoyable! The weekly sessions are very doable and make you feel like you are really accomplishing your goals. I started out barely able to run 30 seconds, and now feel totally comfortable running 5K's or more. Great buy for someone just starting out or looking to ease back into the "fitness" scene. Great buy!!

I've just completed this program and I can't say enough good things about it. Other reviewers have knocked this book citing changes in the program from previous editions. I question the motivation behind such reviews. I've never been a runner and this program has taken me from barely being able to run for 1 minute to running 5 straight miles. The program seems to do a good job of challanging you, then backing off a bit. The ONLY complaint I could lodge is enough attention isn't given to what pace you should run at. This book is not the end all be all running book, there's certainly better books out there once you get started, but this is a great place to begin.

Before I started reading this, I was a slug - never exercised and was 70 lbs. overweight. I started a weight loss program and was walking religiously, but found that I became used to the intensity so I needed something more. My daughter recommended this book as a way to "learn" running and I've been following it ever since. I've now lost 54 pounds and am about 25% through the program. My goal is to run a 5k on my 53rd birthday the end of March, and I am confident I will be able to do it with the help of this program. I'm amazed at how easy it is to follow. That doesn't mean it's not tough - obviously it requires exertion. However, I've never felt like it was anything I couldn't handle. The best part is that it's allowed me to get that "runner's high" that people talk about. I actually enjoy exercise now.

I would recommend figuring out how you like to run. Some people like to run outside (my daughter does this) - others prefer the convenience of a treadmill (that's my choice - I love watching DVDs while running). Some do a combination - outside in nice weather and inside during bad. Don't give up, though - keep trying and I guarantee that this book will make a runner out of you.

My wife and I (both non runners) picked up this book at the end of the summer based on the promise of getting into a regular running program without getting injured.

Prior to starting, neither of us could finish a mile without walking. At the conclusion of the program, we're both running 30-60 minutes at a time, 3-4 times per week. We've recommended this book to many others and they've achieved the same success.

If you're looking to "become" a runner, there are many programs to help you start, but none better than this simple, proven book.

I have read nearly all Massad Ayoob's books and many of his articles. When I got into guns recently, in particular handguns, I ran across his writings. They changed my life. Not only is he an authority on self defense with and without handguns, his analyses of guns and manufacturers of guns are superb. Anyone looking to learn about modern handgunnery ought to turn to Mas Ayoob's writings. His style is concise yet exploratory; his coverage is complete; his demonstrations and illustrations and/or photos are informative; and his message is clear: handgunnery is a serious subject, one that can take many hours of anyone's time, and it should be analyzed carefully along the way. And, finally, Gun Digest is an authority as well, so this combination of publisher and author is one with which you cannot go wrong.

This book will allow you to look at what is available in the current field of combat handguns. The book covers pistols, revolvers, larger frame.service size handguns, compacts, subcompacts, and little "mouse" guns. Also covered is the most popular self defense calibers and suggestions on the best loads for your favorite caliber. Also covered, as a primer really, how to carry your weapon and some product suggestions. There is also a section introing the reader to drawing your weapon and shooting your weapon. Some shooting sports is also covered.

Mr Ayoob has done a great job of putting together a complete book on the top choices in handgun seceltion, caliber choice, and load offerings from his own persoanl experiance and from other well know professionals in the shooting/defense field. There is $400 to $100 handguns in here, something for everyone's budget. The book is ment to be a primer for the novice, but experiance shooters can learn also.

Alot of the chapters are sometimes a "refresher" from Mr Ayoob's other books on shooting and self defense. I've read all of his books and I haven't found a bad one yet. The beginner is well advised to search out his other books as well.

Mr. Ayoob, as always does an excellent job whenever it comes to gun topics. If you have a gun in the house I would urge you to read his books. Even my wife who knows almost nothing about guns found the book interesting.

Save your money. The 6th Edition is exactly the same book as the 5th Edition published in 2002, except for the cover. You can buy the 5th Edition (used) on this website for as low as $1.67. Gun Digest should have pointed this out when they published the 6th Edition. I am surprised that such a distinguished publisher would resort to this tactic to make a few more bucks.

A disappointment...Ayoob is an awesome author, but if you've already purchased the fifth edition this is almost identical. I own all six and have loved this series as my favorite in the subject. I was so dissapointed when I found out Ayoob just added a couple pages and resold the book as a new edition. Editions 1-5 were always relevant and had a lot to say, but 6 was just a reprint of 5 with a couple new pages. not sure why he didn't write a whole new book like the others always were, however his authority on the subject is without question near the top five in the country.

If you are in a hurry than dumbbells are an excellent way to work the upper body and this book is very easy to understand. It's not a big book but is is plenty big enough with good illustrations.

Fred Fornicola and Matt Brzycki (rhymes with "whiskey") have written a very accessible and informative guide to dumbbell training. In addition to explaining key strength training concepts and principles and considerations specific to the use of dumbbells they provide a huge variety of routines including routines contributed by several other professional strength coaches and trainers. I have used routines in the book with my own personal training clients with excellent results. I highly recommend Dumbbell Training for Strength and Fitness for anyone who trains with dumbbells.

I have to laugh at some of the reviews, like the one that gave one star and says "don't waste your money". It's 10 bucks! Makes one wonder what axe they have to grind. Not surprisingly, the reviewer promotes a competing book.

I find that many of the reviews are misleading. For one thing, this isn't a beginner's book. It describes 50 different exercises in good depth, with instructions and photos, and it contains around 30 different workouts.

The photos are not too small or too blurry to see. My eyesight isn't great but I had no trouble at all. By keeping them on the small side, the book could be much more compact, which is helpful during my workouts.

The background information runs from basic to advanced. I am no novice, yet I picked up quite a few new things I hadn't known previously.

For $10, it's hard to go wrong with this book. I researched quite a few and this is the one I like best.

I bought this book and Men's Health Ultimate Dumbbell Guide. This book is not worth the money. The pictures are small. The book from men's health is the only book to own on dumbell training.

I was disappointed with this book. The author is not specific with the muscles worked. He says an exercise works the triceps instead of which of the 3 heads it focuses on or the exercise works the abs and not if it is upper, mid or lower abs. Same thing with shoulders. The author doesn't state if the exercise works the middle delt or the rear or front delt. The descriptions of the exercises are also re-hashed. Every explanation of particular muscle groups exercises are basically the same with a few words changed out. It just seems like the author wanted to churn out this book wihout being fresh or specific.

I picked this book up because of the crazy-looking bird on the front cover -- I'm not a birder, nor did I think I had any interest in birding. But Dempsey's quick wit and hilarious anecdotes make the book not only a pleasure to read but also a really fascinating look into birdwatching, even for the uninitiated. The author is the antithesis of the geeky birdwatcher, relating his escapades with sharp, candid humor, and I found myself laughing out loud frequently -- beware of reading this in public places! It also made me much more curious about the birds I see every day, I even found myself wondering if I should buy a pair of binoculars and a bird book, just in case the brown bird with the reddish patch I keep seeing on the lawn really is a rare bird and not just some kind of sparrow.
I have been recommending this book to everyone I know -- birders or not. Anyone looking for a well-written, witty read would enjoy it, and it leaves you afterward with a new appreciation of the feathered beings in the backyard.

I originally bought this book for my boyfriend, but I love fishing and know very little about the tricks of catching a fish. I have learned so much about lures and fish and how they think in order to catch fish better. This book is awesome! I totally recommend this book to any "family fisherman" if they want to know more.

Wow! When they say "mini", they mean Mini. This book is tiny. The content however, is actually fairly good. It's a very quick read. The print is actually not too bad for the physical size of the book. It had mostly fairly basic information, but the size would allow for it to be thrown in a tackle box or fishing vest if you wanted. Again, just the basics, but worth the price. My wife thinks it's very "cute" too.

Terrible. Will not help you begin to fish. Poor content, organization, and editing. Bookbuying for Dummies. Dont waste your money.

I feel that it is my duty to help bring down the review score that this book is getting. some people are obviously mistaking this book for another. The mini is a waste of paper. A book like this is an abuse of freedom of speech. How should a book about "how to fish" not give any information on how to fish. Robbery is against the law; and that's what this is. The best part of this book is the advice of bringing a sandwich with you. You'll need it when you catch no fish. I suggest getting any other book on the subject if you wish to learn about tying knots, casting, bait, etc. The purchaser of this book is sure to be dissatisfied at any cost. I guess there is a lot to be said in the title "Fishing for DUMMIES (MINI)".. Maybe I was a "little stupid" to buy it.

I recommend this book for the beginning angler. Well written and very informative. The book covers all elements needed to enjoy fishing and to catch fish. Love the book!!!

Gincy Self Bucklin is the trainer I wish I had had all these years I've spent riding! I have been training with qualified instructors for 18 years, and I have still learned SO much from this book. I cannot say enough about this book and its sequel. This book is wonderful and it FAR exeeded my expectations. I only wish I had these books when I first began riding - I could have saved so much time, trouble and bad habits!

I reccommend this book to everyone who rides and loves horses, whatever level, whatever style. I first bought it because, in my youth having ridden wonderfully kind horses that pretended like I knew how to ride, I wanted to get back into riding when I was in my late fifties. After a year of lessons with a well-qualified instructor, the school horse I was riding got fed up with my mistakes and sent me sailing. Two operations and two years of physiotherapy later, I went back, just to make a point. It took me a year to get back to about where I was before the accident. Then I hit a block. I didn't seem to be making any progress, in spite of two or three lessons a week. That is when i read this book and a lot of lights came on. Gincy's "active hand" transformed an irritated,head-tossing horse to a calm, attentive partner. Once I grasped her explanation of lateral centering, the horses I rode stopped cutting corners. My instructor and the people I ride with started paying me compliments on my position and my progress. I continue to read and reread her books, and the lights are still coming on. Some people may complain about the detail, but if that's the particular problem you're working on, you want all that detail. Someone commented that Gincy writes for instructors, to help them be better teachers, but if you don't have an instructor, or if he knows it all and doesn't think he has to read books, students can learn directly from the book. As Gincy mentions, many instructors know what you should be doing, but don't know how to explain to a student how to do what is an automatic reflex for an advanced rider. It's certainly helped me to understand why my instructor was always saying "shoulders back, heels down!" etc. I reccommend it to my friends, but as someone else mentioned, it's not a book you can lend, because it doesn't come back. And perhaps the best thing about the book is Gincy's wonderful attitude towards horses and understanding their behavior. I found that Gincy accomplishes everything she set out to do in her introduction.

How Your Horse Wants You to Ride: Starting Out, Starting Over

If our horses could have a verbal conversation with us, it would be about how they want us to ride on their backs. So, if that is the information you are looking for, this book will do that for you. Coming to horses late in life, with only weekend trail riding and no ownership in my background, learning to train my horse and ride her has, at times, been overwhelming. All bad habits that horses have are from bad training, not from stubbornness or naturally occurring mean spiritedness. Every interaction we have with our horses teaches them something, good or bad. Gincy is a patient person, I know from interacting with her on her Riding with Confidence list group on Yahoo. She has great insights into muscle memory, fear, breathing, etc. and the way those things cause horses to react in one way or another. How Your Horse wants you to ride is not a quick fix answer. It is deep and thoughtful requiring work on the part of the owner/rider. The reward is as great and worth striving for. After all, if you have a horse, you want to have fun with it, not be fearful of it.

This book has inspired me to work on bareback exercises this summer to retrain my balance. I'm sure my horse will thank me. Having ridden with the author when I was a teenager (40 years ago), I remember the value of the bareback riding after this book reminded me. I have tried to read Sally Swift's "Centered Riding" but just didn't engage me. This book has and I will be applying the lessons to myself.

I started riding quite late in my life and this book has been a great help to me. Whenever I encounter a problem I consult it again and it always gives me new ideas which work. I like especially the mixture of at home, on the ground and on the horse exercises. You can try basics safely first before you mount your horse. I am a Western rider and although its focus is English riding I was able to use it.

Haven't hiked it yet, but this book gives the most comprehensive look at the JMC, both North bound and South bound. The reason I bought this book was because it gave details on both directions. It doesn't give you a daily guide because it knows that each person will have his or her own pace. The only thing I didn't like is that it spends too much time describing fauna and not the trail.
It is also meant to be a trail companion and to be read on the trail. Why? If I'm on the trail why do I need to read about it? Some of the detail is useless unless you are right there looking at it. However, the description of the trail and the maps are valuable (I especially like the elevation maps given for each section)
It also gives very important information on how to get to the trail, permits and where and when to get them along with some great mileage charts.

Great book for on the trail, a good book for preparation.

This is the new edition of the Morey/Winnett (sp?) book but it's much, much more than that. I've hiked the JMT a couple of times and done a fair amount of hiking in the Sierras. Basically tho I'm a city boy and can't tell one tree from another and know nothing about geology. This book will - I haven't had the chance to hike with it yet - fill in the ignorance and satisfy the curiosity about what I'm hiking past. The author knows her stuff. But, wait, there's a whole lot more. Aside from a large number of GPS coords, more than I've found anywhere on the Web, there's all kinds of info you need to orchestrate your hike - names, addresses, prices, policies, regulations, campsites, side-trip peak-bagging, Harrison maps, informed suggestions - it's all here. One more item - it's only occasionally you read a book that makes you feel the author really worked hard to make it "complete", didn't cut corners, "pushed" when the going got hard - this is one such book. If you're thinking of hiking the JMT or any part of it, buy the book. If you're not thinking of doing the hike, buy the book and discover what you're missing.

Wilderness Press continues to update some of their classic guides regularly and this new version of their John Muir Trail Guide is well written with a new author, Elizabeth Wenk. At its heart, the guide is similar to previous editions in giving a mile for mile description of the trail. I found it very accurate for all portions of the JMT that I have hiked. It also includes new features: numerous GPS coordinates for landmarks, updated regulations, appendices listing campsites, mileages, and resupply points, and new topographical maps from Tom Harrison.

All these new features come at a small cost, however, in that the book is more than twice as large as the previous edition, by Kathy Morey and Thomas Winnett. And while you will need these new features in planning your hike, they are less important on the actual trail. Backpackers trying to save space and weight have a couple of options. One is to simply tear out the sections of the book you will be using. You hardly need the classic South to North directions if you are hiking the other way. Another is to use this edition for planning, but to get one of the older editions for the actual trip. These can be found here (1998) or here (1986). But this book is still worth purchasing. Having it will improve your odds of completing the trail and dramatically increase your enjoyment of it as well.

The previous version of this book was, I believe, considered to be the definitive JMT book, and this new version must be also. In it are all the details anyone attempting or thinking of attempting the John Muir Trail will need to know; what clothes to take, which food is appropriate, permits needed, bear information, a guide to the flowers of the area, history of the trail, geology, directions and even maps and a list of possible campsites. In fact, details are the thing about this book - it's ram-jam with them, and I couldn't think of any detail that I'd like to know that wasn't covered (I've hiked the trail once)!

This is a guidebook for those intending to hike the trail, not an account of someone's experiences, but even so it must get even the most couchy potato interested in getting out and walking! I did find the referencing of the sections and maps a little confusing, but it's a small point. And it might be a little large too, so I'd probably elect to photocopy parts of it, or rip out sections to take on the trail.