Sport Book Reviews
Standing Tall
By C. Vivian Stringer
“Work hard, and don’t look for excuses,” C. Vivian Stringer’s parents told her, “and you can achieve anything.” But her faith and perseverance would be tested many times. A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championships–a triumph hailed as “Hoosiers with an all-female cast.” In 1991, her husband, Bill fell dead of a sudden heart attack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four. Through these dark times and others, Stringer has carried her burdens with grace. Given her history, it was no surprise that she led her team to respond to Don Imus’s slurs with dignity and courage. Standing Tall is a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love story–love for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon.
Brette Farve (The Tribute)
By Sports Illustrated
No other contemporary athlete has been as admired among peers and beloved among fans as Brett Favre. From his arrival in Green Bay in 1992 to his retirement in 2008, the Packers’ strong-armed, free-spirited quarterback thrilled NFL fans with his exemplary talent and passionate style, and inspired them with his courage in confronting personal challenges. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s tribute to Favre is the definitive account of a remarkable career, collecting the best stories and photographs from the pages of SI to chronicle Favre’s rise from humble coach’s son in tiny Kiln, Miss., to premier passer of his generation and th personification of the American sports ideal. The product of SI’s unparalleled NFL access and insight, Brett Favre: The Tribute include 16 of SI’s finest Favre stories, by such renowned writers as Peter King, Michael Silver, Leigh Montville, Jeff MacGregor and Alan Shipnuck, plus brilliant pictures from the recognized leader in sports photography–stunning action shots, intimate portraits and candid off-the-field moments–that illuminate this incomparable athlete. Brett Favre: The Tribute stands as an enduring testimonial to an American icon, a man who, more than any other of our time, played his game the way it should be played.
Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook
By Nancy Clark
Boost your energy, manage stress, build muscle, lose fat, and improve your performance with the all-time best-selling sports nutrition guide!
If you’re seeking advice on losing weight, getting energized to exercise, or improving your health and performance, Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook has the answers you can trust.
Cheer!
By Kate Torgovnick
Think cheerleading is just pom-poms, “gimme an ‘R,’” and pleated skirts? Not anymore. Take an exhilarating trip through the rough-and-tumble world of competitive college cheerleading…. College cheerleaders are extreme athletes who fly thirty feet in the air, build pyramids in which a single slip can send ten people crashing to the ground, and compete in National Championships that are won by hundredths of a point. “Cheer!” is a year-long odyssey into their universe, following three squads from tryouts to Nationals. Along the way, meet unforgettable characters like Sierra, a cheerleading prodigy who has never lost a competition; Doug, who is in his eighth year as a college cheerleader; and Casi, one of the few female bases who can lift another cheerleader on her own. These are people who risk horrifying injuries on a daily basis, battle demons like eating disorders and steroid use, and form intense bonds. In the immersive tradition of Friday Night Lights, “Cheer!” is a captivating, all-access journey into a deeply absorbing world.
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