5 comments about The Bowden Way: 50 Years of Leadership Wisdom.

1. i would recommend this book to anyone who has to manage people in any capacity...from managing your children to managing your employees...Coach Bowden has proven himself to be a true leader both on and off the football field.



2. On the football field Bobby Bowden is king! He is also a very inspirational and motivated person. This book is amazing, in ALL aspects. You don't have to be a Florida State or even a football fan, this book goes so far beyond any sport. This book basically tells you how too live a better life, and Bobby Bowden obviously has a awesome one.



3. I have read Maxwell and a host of other leadership books, but there is a world of difference between a consultant or a middle-manager telling you about leadership...and the winningest coach in college football telling you about leadership!

   The thing I liked the most is that rather than vague affirmations or ambiguous principles, Bowden gives us SPECIFIC, hard-won advice regarding handling staff, planning for success, etc.

   The fact that he has done so remarkably well--with his job "on the line" based on each season's performance, not to mention every time he plays a strong rival--Bowden gives us a CEO/Chairman of the Board-level view of how to handle matters.

   I bought it because I am an FSU fan. I kept it because it was the best book on leadership I had ever read.




4. I'm a Penn State grad and fan, but I enjoyed Bobby Bowden's leadership book. It's very easy to read and has lots of good advice. Also, I respect his religious beliefs and that he openly shares them throughout the book. This is a good leadership book!



5. Underneath the southern hospitality is a man who understands the importance of taking risks and managing those risks. I think what makes Bowden unique is his ability to keep his ego in check with a sense of humility and gratitude that's rare in leadership today. I always got the feeling that he's grateful for being in the position where he is today, be it family or his coaching career.

5 comments about I've Got Things To Do With My Life: Pat Tillman And The Making Of An American Hero.

1. The previous book review by that Calvert guy is totally bogus. What a jerk. I read Towle's book, and while it's not one of those long, comprehensive biographies that takes two years to write, it is very informative. It's also nicely balanced in that it presnets a thorough examination of both Tillman's Army life and his football career. Sure, there was some stuff in the book that has appeared in other sources, but Towle sourced and footnoted all those. I also noticed in his Acknowledgements section that he listed something like 40 people or so he spoke to firsthand for this book. That's pretty good considering that Tillman's family and friends have been so tight-lipped about Pat to this day. This is a story that needed to be written, whether or not family and friends are willing to open up, and I think Towle did a wonderful job.



2. Compelling real hero stuff to realize what hell at war is all about taking a life that was so vibrant!



3. I didn't like the book. First, I was suprised by how thin the book was when I got it.There were not many pages at all.The rough uneven edges of the pages made it appear as if they had all been torn out of some other book making it look very amateurish. The story content was as thin as the book itself. There was only general information on how he died; no detail at all.I was very disappointed with it and do not reccommend it to anyone.



4. This book needs to be updated with the sorry story of the abuse of a dead football player for propaganda purposes by an incompetent military and an administration bereft of any sense of decency or notion of ethical behaviour.



5. I'm confused! I re-ordered this book (returned the defective one)and received another defective book! The pages opposite the spine of the book are jagged and have a strange, uneven, torn look. This is the second time this has happened with the same book! I need to send this one back too. Thanks for prompting this response! Disappointed in Michigan

1 comments about Vagabond Halfback: The Life and Times of Johnny Blood McNally.

1. Johnny Blood McNally is one of those legendary sports heroes whose story and public image is larger than life, but this carefully researched and well written book presents the background, the context, and the complexity of character that gives a full picture of a real human being. Not only does the reader learn about McNally, but one also gets a sense of the values and social environment that gave such characters a place on the stage of public life. Anyone with an interest in the history of football, or who would like a window into the generation that came of age after World War I and were the sports heros during the depression will enjoy this book. And if you're a fan of the Green Bay Packers - a must read.

5 comments about Education of a Coach, The.

1. "The Education of a Coach" ranks towards the top of the genre I call "sports profiles," because writer David Halberstam chose to focus on football and coaching, rather than on Bill Belichick's personal life.
   
   This authorized biography contains the usual background that includes Belichick's childhood with special emphasis on his father, Steve, who was also a football coach. It was Steve who allowed his son, Bill, to help him break down game films for the Navy football team when the youngster was still in elementary school.
   
   From this early beginning Halberstam examines the younger Belichick's career and those mentors who influenced his thinking and strategies. While making this run through Belichick's career Halberstam breaks down the coach's strategy for a few big games. As a St. Louis Rams fan I enjoyed the dissection of Belichick's ideas for shutting down Marshall Faulk in the Super Bowl.
   
   The Education of a Coach does not allow the reader to see much of Belichick outside of his persona as a student of football. Though Halberstam writes in some depth about Navy coach, Steve and his family, there are very few sentences relating to the family of the Patriots' coach, leaving the reader to wonder if Coach Bill has any kind of life outside of football. (My guess is that this omission is at the insistence of the Patriots' coach.)
   
   If you enjoy football, you will probably like this book. If you enjoy the personal details that often provide filler for such profiles (such as this player likes to eat waffles and spaghetti every day of training camp and loves the smell of a dead skunk), you will likely be disappointed by Mr. Halberstam's efforts.
   
   "The Education of a Coach" does not put a human face on Bill Belichick, but it does relate some of his philosophies on what it takes to build a winning football team.



2. "The Education of a Coach" is not only about how Bill Belichick came to win three super bowls in four years, but the people that helped shape his career along the way, notably his father Steve. The book talks about Steve's years as a coach and how Bill was involved with football from an early age. The book also talks about Bill's involvement in football in school, his first job in football, his time with the Giants, his disastrous stint with Cleveland, and of course his current stint with the Patriots. The book also touches on his relationships, for better or worse, with football insiders including Bill Parcells, Ernie Adams, and Scott Pioli, among others.
   
   As the title suggests "The Education of a Coach" is more about Bill Belichick the coach than Bill Belichick the person. There are glimpses into what makes him tick - his quest for privacy, why he doesn't do well with the media, why he treats all his players as equals - that make him even more interesting. But much of his personal life - his marriage and later divorce, his children - are barely mentioned. But that fits the way Belichick is, a very private person. And what is at the heart of this book - Belichick's football life - is fascinating. Some readers may be disappointed that there's not more about his family, but once you've read the book you realize that football is Belichick's life.
   
   Because "The Education of a Coach" was written in 2005, there is, of course, no mention of "spygate". It's hard not to think about it while reading the book and it was interesting to read about Belichick's preoccupation with studying football film. It's something he started doing at a young age with his father and is, to me anyway, one of the most interesting aspects of his character.
   
   Love him or hate him, Bill Belichick is one of the most talented and complex coaches in football. "The Education of a Coach" is a good glimpse into what made him one of the best coaches in football today. Well done.



3. The book, admittedly, leaves a lot unsaid but then it is an unfinished story. After all the accusations,both accurtate and inaccurate,the book offers an insight into the man who has accomlished so much. Those who hate the team, hate the coach,love the man, and/or love the team should read this book to gain an understanding of Belichick and the pressures of being a successful head coach in the NFL. It's interesting to read of the people behind the man both in the past and today. Looking at the run the Patriots made in 2007 and the super bowl loss, one has a greater apprecciation of the accomplishments and failures of the man who created a true "team" after reading The Education of a Caoch.



4. I hate to pile on a fine author when the time has passed when he can redeem himself but I concur with all the negative reviews with one exception--I don't think the book's lack of appeal can be written off as due to the fact that Belichik is a boring oaf. He is that on the outside, but there's a lot more than that inside and the author just did not dig that out. The problem with the book is that there is minimal "inside" information - a little more detail about Tom Brady's development than maybe you know, and a good explanation of just how feared a player Marshall Faulk was, but that's about it. The title suggests that the subject matter is limited to the sort of background biographical stuff so maybe we should have seen this coming, but this is really little more than an expansion of the bio you might find on the Patriots website.



5. I've read several of his books (although this was my first sports book of his) and I highly enjoyed them. Maybe it's because the subject is just not a very interesting person, but this book is just terrible. He tells us material that contributes nothing; who cares about about his grandparents and his wife family? He also gushes about the subject and his family. Is everything really so great? It's as if he chose an average person at random and wrote a biography about him. The average person doesn't lead a particularly fascinating life and the resulting biography would be dull. Just because he is a success as a coach doesn't necessarily make him a good candidate for a biography.

5 comments about Namath: A Biography.

1. Time has a way of marching on. In every sport there are a certain amount of sport stars that made their mark not only in the history of their particular sport but upon society in general. Joe Willie Nemet (his real name)made that and more.
   
   A larger than life character is brought to life in this wonderful read. From his roots in growinup up in a rough and tumble mill town of Beaver Falls to the bright lights of Broadway. Namath had the ability to overcome many demons with a unreal atheltic arm and mind. Today's professional athlete - football, baseball, basketball - should lay down and thank the Namath's of professional sport as the ones who made it possible for them to earn these out of sight salary figures kicked around today. Joe brought not only guts and grit to his game but a dertermination and intellegence to run an offense without all the help of modern coaching input seen in today's game. They just don't make em' like the Namaths', Title's, Unitas's, and Baugh's much anymore.
   
   Rank this one up there with it's realistic approach to how it was. A fun ride.



2. Everybody knows Joe Namath (okay, most people have heard of him). Of our knowledge and recollections of Namath, most go back to about 40 years ago, when he was a young quarterback on fragile knees, had a shotgun arm, a team jelling around him that lead to The Guarantee, a Super Bowl win . . . and he was Joe Namath, The Swankiest Dude in NYC, ladies at his beck and call, llama rug, fur coat, bachelor lifestyle, etc. After that, it all kind of fades to memory: years of frustration, a year with the Rams and retirement. Once in a while you'd hear about him, starring in the theater of all places, but the memory goes back to when he was 26 and an American idol.
   
   Kriegel wrote a heck of a book, cutting through the cobwebs of our collective memories to give us a much different portrait of a man than the hype had provided to us: one who cared about family, one who respected the father figures of his life, one who cared deeply and was loyal to his friends - but one who reinvented himself at various times of his life and left his old friends behind. His reinvention of his life led to marriage and a family, where he wanted a stable, loving family around him - but didn't quite achieve that. Now, the reinvention goes on - new relationships, new family relations as his children got older, but the old life he lived has never quite been shaken off.
   
   This book was written without the direct help of Namath or through his lawyer, Jim Walsh. It appears that Namath's policy is that his personal life is nobody's business but his, and I respect that: he's had years in the spotlight and what he chooses to reveal to the world should be just that which he chooses. Walsh, a lawyer who has as his sole business that of Joe Namath, requested a huge sum of money for access to Namath and his story. That I have little respect for. I think that Kriegel's version without the help of Namath and Walsh give us a much better, more honest view of the man than if Namath had cooperated in the writing and editing. The result is a book that sheds a good deal of light on a much more complex man than we thought we knew.



3. Great book. I feel sad for a man who peaked at 25.
   
   J!E!T!S! Jets Jets Jets



4. Namath, through his legal mouthpiece, refused to cooperate with the author of "Namath: A Biography." A terrific researcher and writer, Mark Kriegel didn't need him. Joe left enough bitter friends, teammates, and business partners who were willing to share the lowdown on Broadway Joe. Ain't a pretty picture, but neither is pro football.
   
   This was one of the most talented and courageous players ever to step onto a football field. The author pays due homage to Joe Namath, QB. Plenty of fascinating stuff on Beaver Falls, Alabama, and Jets heroics. His athleticism was a great gift; his grit in making the most of it was unyielding. If you utterly idolized him as #12, leave that as your only memory.
   
   What this book presents is Namath as man in full; which is to say, a user without peer, a smalltown pool hustler who brought that ethos to all that touched his life. There's me, and there are the suckers. When he was finished with you, you learned it this way: your phone calls were not returned. Out. Finis. A buddy for twenty years now dying? A teammate for a dozen years? Sorry. Your services in the lifelong promotion that remains Joe Willie "White Shoes" are no longer required. Perhaps the best example cited by the author of the crassness of Namath the man was when he wanted 60G to attend a charity golf tournament organized by his Jets teammates. Unfortunately that sum would drain the total funds earned by the event. So no Joe. Not that he wanted to go; that was the point of the exhorbitant fee--he didn't need them.
   
   When the primetime hustle that was Broadway Joe finally petered out, Namath decided it was family that mattered. He had always tried to take care of his natural family, which was a broken one. But he had no practice at real life. He waited too long. He soon married a user half his age who hustled him: she left him because she wanted to be a "serious actress" and "find herself," as Kriegel painfully quotes her. This she did by ditching Broadway Joe for her own personal Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. She took the two Namath daughters with her, leaving her husband shellshocked as to how such a thing could happen to The Man Himself. He quickly returned to that which best sustained him through his desultory off-field existence: booze.
   
   Kriegel throughout makes the point that the Namath con is all part of the Big Con: The Enteraintment and Sports Sell. The original power behind Namath as Broadway Joe was Sonny Werblin, New York TV superagent and hustler extraordinnaire when he became a minority Jets owner. At the time, pro football was bringing up the rear in the American sports pantheon. Its owners still labored under the delusion they were in the football business. Namath-Werblin changed that. It was the perfect marriage in Joe's life. Joe and Sonny, Football and Show Biz.
   
   Namath's latest promotion has been his autobiography, surprisingly titled, "Namath." This was the reason Joe risked an interview late last year with Sixty Minutes, notorious for slapping the self-satisfied smiles off its subjects. No problem: his attorney likely made sure he got what he wanted, a puff-piece where he charmingly skates Oprahesque across the wreckage of his life while walking a Florida beach. Trying to stay booze-free once again, moving on metal knees and arthritic hips, the man's hustle hasn't lost a step. And he may be alone, still devoted to his daughters, but he's certainly not lonely (wink, wink). Broadway Joe lives.
   
   If you want a well-written take on Namath that is as gritty as the man and his world, read the Kriegel book. It's all about Joe William Namath, who remains one of the most extraordinary football players I ever watched. And wish I could pay good U.S. money to go back and watch again in the autumn dust of Shea Stadium, New York.



5. Kriegel does a masterful job at covering Namath for the reader. That said, I found the book way too long for the subject matter. Definitely mainline skimming after Namath retires from the Jets. The author really covers Namath's flaws. He appears to have always been an industrial strength drinker with little regard for most of his teammates and others. Not an easy person to like. Consequently, I found myself asking why am I reading all of these words about such a person. The football parts are really good, especially I would think for old line Jets fans. However, other parts are less intriguing. I've noticed that authors who are also journalists tend to think we care as much about all the details as do they. I found Kriegel's book, Pistol, about Pete Maravich is a better read.

5 comments about Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words.

1. I've been looking for a Barry Sanders highlights DVD for years.... good news - there finally is one, it comes with the book. Bad news? It's only about 20 minutes long, and doesn't show many of his spectacular runs. The book is outstanding, as it's written pretty much by Barry himself, and has great comments from other players in the NFL, giving him the praise he deserves. Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, they have entire 60 minute DVD's (and more) on their lives.... if any player in the history of football should have one, it's Barry Sanders. All in all, if you like football at all, and appreciate magic, this is a must have, from the most talented running back in the history of the game.



2. THIS IS ABOUT FORMER DETROIT LION GREAT BARRY SANDERS. HE WROTE THIS HIMSELF WITH A LITTLE HELP. HIS STORY IS SHORT, SWEET AND VERY WELL WRITTEN. IT ALSO INCLUDES A DVD SHOWING SOME OF HIS RUNS. I THINK ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS HIS REASONS FOR RETIRING WHEN HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING THE TOP RUSHER OF ALL TIME. BARRY IS A CHRISTIAN AND IS HIS OWN MAN. THE BOOK IS FOR ALL LION AND FOOTBALL FANS. ENJOY.



3. The greatest back of all time writes a pretty boring book. some things are interesting. I wish the DVD was better...but you could make a 10 disc set with his highlights.



4. I was so glad to see this book and DVD come out. The story of Barry Sanders the NFL's legendary running back who played for the Detroit Lions for his entire NFL career. Barry Sanders didn't break the biggest records but, his name is mentioned as a runner up for all of them. This was mainly because Barry didn't play the game to break records. He played the game to the best of his abilities..... and his best, for those of us lucky enough to see him play, was nothing short of jaw-dropping! I know that Sanders could have broke all the records but, his modest and humble personality and upbringing would not permit any showboating. In many games where his team had a good lead he would take himself out of the game rather than pile on the garbage yards like so many others. Sanders also was able to produce a staggering amount of yards behind a mediocre front line. The Superbowl would elude him for his entire career and his sudden retirement was almost brilliant as we will never know what he could have accomplished if he played a few more years. Still if you look at his stats you will see he did break many records and left an impressive mark on the game. I don't think football has been as exciting since he retired. I know that many of today's players could take a lesson from this man in class,loyalty and good sportmanship. Even if you don't agree he was the greatest running back to play the game, he was certainly the most unique! The book is interesting and the DVD is very good but, I would have loved more footage of great runs from old "20 Blue", I'm sure they could fill a hefty DVD box set with just classic Barry runs. If your a fan it's worth picking up.



5. What a great Back. Rather booring book. Not too interesting at all. Very blah.

5 comments about Power, Money & Sex.

1. I've always dug Deion Sanders.To Me he has been the Most Complete Athlete of His Time.cuz He is a Good Baseball Player&A Great Football Player.but More Importantly The Brother is Very Honest with Himself&His Surroundings.he has come full circle&has Inner Peace.this is a Great Book.



2. Overall, I really enjoy Deion and I was looking forward to reading his autobiography, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. It wasn't as 'thorough' as I thought - and his cockiness and self-centeredness really showed. I still enjoy him, and I wish him the best on his journey with Jesus.. I just pray that he's sincere.



3. Let me start off by saying I like Deion Sanders, otherwise I never would have purchased his book. And I admire the fact that the man has come a LONG way and overcome many obstacles to accept Christ into his life.
   However, I do have a major complaint - well, two to be totally honest.
   One, Deion seems to blame all his past problems on others. Even though Deion admits he was hell on wheels and self destructive for a time, he still doesn't take responsibility for many of his actions in this book. The time in Cincinnati, when he played for the Reds, when he got into an altercation with a security guard while he was riding around in a golf cart. Everyone knows Deion made that situation worse than it ever could have been, but in Deion's retelling of the story, the security guard provoked him. There are several more stories like this one, where Deion was involved in something that escalated because the other party in the dispute was out to "get him". I'm not going to say that everything that has happened to Deion is his fault, but let's be real - a lot of it is. I'm surprised, as a christian, that Deion hasn't stepped up to the plate and taken a little more responsibility for his past actions. I'm not judging Deion, but I must admit my disappointment.
   The other problem I had with the book, and this is most likely not Deion's fault but rather the authors, is that his "escapades" are glamourized, instead of downplayed. I've read several biographies written by famous people - athletes, politicians, actors, etc - and they all are guilty of this. I understand the risk you take as a writer, explaining the past deed and attempting to unfold what happened, but doing so in a manor that is interesting to the reader. When this happens, it's every easy to glamourize the story, instead of exposing it for the bad thing that it was.
   Overall, an entertaining read, albeit somewhat short to my surprise.



4. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE QUITE INTERESTING AND WRITTEN WITH HONESTY. DEION HAS ALWAYS BEEN FLASHY AND FLAMBOYANT. HE PRESENTED HIMSELF AS BEING THIS WAY ALL THE TIME. HIS "PRIME TIME" PERSONALITY IS NOT WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A MODEL CITIZEN ON HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF. HE SAYS UNDERNEATH HE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HUMBLE, I HOPE HE IS. I HAD HOPED HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN MORE DETAIL TO HIS CAREER. THIS IS WORTH READING AND ENJOYABLE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DEION AND PLEASE WRITE ANOTHER BOOK WITH MORE DETAIL AND INSIGHT INTO HOW TO LIVE LIFE.



5. I was wandering around a Gold Beach, Oregon book store last week and just happened to pick up Deion Sanders' book. I vaguely knew who he was. For some strange reason, I purchased it. Although, riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, I found his message very compelling. I am just new to the world of Jesus and have had many folks in my life talk to me about living a Christian life, but I have to say that Deion's book really TALKED to me about this issue. More than anyone else. He just broke it down in plain terms and related his story in a way that spoke to me loud and clear. Thanks Deion.

5 comments about Brian Piccolo: A Short Season.

1. jan/10/01 I am also an athlete who has suffered many career threating injuries. Unlike Brian Piccalo i do not have a terminal disease. I can understand his determination of never wanting to quit playing the game no matter how bad he felt or how bad the news was. This goes to show one how great mind over matter really is. This book also reflects how important frienship and family really are, who will stand by you when the chips all come falling down.

   I recommend this book to any athlete who suffers an injury or illness that causes one to be removed from the game. One cannot ever forget where they came from , how many lives they have touched, and who you can rely on .. Death plays a big issue in this book although it is depressing you know with cancer it is coming Brian piccalo also shares his love of the game and his friends and family.

   I am too young to remember Brian Piccalo he died before i was born, he wasn't an outstanding player, no super bowl hero, just an average good athlete like me.

   In books like these his memory doesn't die, but his life will be remembered in books.




2. Brian Piccolo: A Short Season was marvelously written by Brian's close friend, Jeannie Morris. This book gives the readers a detailed view into his existence while still being discrete enough for the Piccolo family to remain happy with the biography/autobiography. Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo lived to be only 26 years of age, dying on June 16, 1970, from liver cancer. While his stay on this Earth was a brief and trying one, Piccolo made it count every single day. His story is of highs and lows, heroics and disappointments, comedy and despair, and, ultimately, tragedy. However, Piccolo lived his life ideally, paying tributes to various foundations while enjoying and loving life to the fullest. The book includes the entirety of this great man's life, from his young baseball-playing childhood to his record-setting career at Wake Forest College to his last days as a father, husband, and Chicago Bear. Piccolo was a spirit-lifting person among those he spent time with, before and after he was diagnosed with the fatal cancerous disease. His charm and wit grabbed his fellow players, his coaches, and, most importantly, the general public. While `Pic' started only a handful of games for the Bears, he rarely if ever complained despite a burning desire to play the game he loved so dearly. Piccolo was a favorite among Chicago Bears fans, and although he backed up the legendary Gale Sayers, his team-first attitude and love for the game kept him afloat until that day when the prospect of a lifetime would arise and give him the opportunity to start. Even on his deathbed, Piccolo never gave up his hope for a miraculous recovery and return to the football field. After all, Brian Piccolo's heart was never the question; it was his liver which was diagnosed with cancer. Former Bears-teammate and close friend Johnny Morris summed up Pic's life in the foreword, remarking "Brian Piccolo made it to the top at 26."



3. This book was great, althouhg Brian had a short seson he did much with his life and the story of his firendship with Gal Sayers was great. I loved the movie, Brians song, the book, I am Third, and this book, A short Seson. Every1 should buy this book. i find his life very important on reading about.



4. This book enables the reader to empathize for Brian. He was a pro football player who battled with cancer at a time when there wasn't a lot known about cancer. Even if you don't like football you can appreciate the book for what it is. It is good for lots of ages as well. The book is good about explaining what was known about cancer at the time. It includes medical analysis of his hospital visits as well as interactions with his family and teammates.



5. This book is the basis for the fantastic movie 'Brian's Song', about Brian Piccolo and his battle with cancer and his friendship with Gale Sayers. Jeannie Morris was the wife of Johnny Morris, a teammate of Brian Piccolo's. She does a splendid job of balancing the football aspect, with the friendship part, with the cancer battle.
   This is the story of love, of enduring, of battling. Morris tells it all in heart-warming and heart-breaking detail.
   I have never met anyone who was able to watch 'Brian's Song' without crying and this book has the same effect.

5 comments about Manning.

1. This is an excellent book, written by Archie and Peyton Manning. It starts of with a really painful experience for Archie, and it goes through Archie's entire life and career, and it talks about the begining of Peyton's career and most of his childhood. I would recomend this book to anyone, and to everybody who loves the Manning family, like I do.



2. 
   Manning is an ideal read for any fan of football, and sets a high bar for other autobiographies by athletes to follow. Manning is about the lives and football careers of father Archie Manning and son Peyton Manning. Archie starts off the book describing his childhood in the quiet, peaceful, but hard life in the small town of Drew, Mississippi. Archie continues chronologically by talking about his career in high school for Drew, college for the University of Mississippi, and finally his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.
   Peyton begins his segment at the end of Archie's by starting straight off with his high school career at Newman. Peyton describes his time in high school, playing with his brother Cooper, by saying "1991 was like no other." Peyton then follows in suit by talking about his time in college at Tennessee and about his continuing career in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.
   While Manning can easily entertain any fan of football or fan of the Mannings, someone who is not interested in either should not spend their time reading this book. On the other hand, fans of football or the Mannings would love every page of this book. In my opinion, the beginning of this book is very slow because of Archie's lackluster life in Drew. Although, once Archie begins to talk more about high school, the book begins to pick up by a lot. So in conclusion, any fan of football or admirer of the work of these two great football players will find this book as a very good read.



3. PEYTON AND ARCHIE AND COOPER AND ELI. THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER! ARCHIE AND OLIVIA SHOWED HOW BEING GREAT PARENTS CAN BREED GREAT CHILDREN! THIS BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF FAITH , FAMILY ,FOOTBALL, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE AND PURSUIT OF EDUCATION. PEYTON MANNING SAID THIS BEST!



4. What a great insight to the lives of a close-knit family, who never let fame or fortune change who they are! Excellent book!



5. Excellent reading for anyone of all ages who's interested in football; especially the football family of "Mannings". This book gives us a very human side of the Manning family; their triumphs and tragedies become very real while reading this book; your heart will go out to them as just another family who's gone through so much and yet they have triumphed and given so much back to the communities in which they live. What an honorable family!

5 comments about Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond.

1. I picked up this book with mixed feelings. Around the NY area, there are Tiki-lovers and Tiki-haters. I neither loved nor hated Tiki, I am just a Giants fan who wishes he had stayed, but understands why he left. It is his own decision, and I respect it. Sometimes I think fans want to control players lives, like they are some sort of commodity and we are on the board of directors. Life doesn't work like that.
   
   Enough preaching, and on to my review: I loved this book. It is the type where you cannot put it down; you say to yourself, "One more chapter and I'll go to sleep," and the next thing you know it is an hour later and you've read 5 more chapters. So you keep on reading.
   
   I think in this book the reader can really get to know Tiki. The style, pace, is as if Tiki is narrating all of this. I am not sure how much his ghost-writer contributed to this, but of all sports biographies, this seems to me the one most likely to have been penned by the athlete, with minimal editing.
   
   Reading about Tiki's childhood, relationship with his twin Ronde, his wife Ginny, members of the team, his masseuse in the city (strictly therapy) and especially his trip to Israel and meeting Shimon Peres, it was just incredibly engaging.
   
   I recommend this book not only to Giants fans, but to anyone who wants to read a biography of someone who has a positive attitude, isn't scared to speak his mind, and wants to better himself and society. I respect Tiki a lot more, and to me he is no longer #21 hiding under a helmet, or the stud runningback on my fantasy team, he is a real person about whom I really know something.



2. I have been giants fan all my life ...Tiki was self serving on the field .... althouth successful ... he obviously was not a team player ... Tiki is now part of the drive by media ... will say whatever it takes to sell !!!!



3. It was an excellent book, but after I finnished reading the book it left me with alot of questions. Which some you just can't bare not to find the answer and you keep searching and searching, but still can't find the answer. That was one of the things that bothered me in this book. One thing that you mite enjoy it as much as I did, at the end of the book there is a section of the book with all of his stats and records. He is one of the best running backs ever to play the game. He is compared to Barry Snders,and alot more of the famous or to be famous running backs. One thing you mite not like is that he criticizes Tom Coughlin because of his practice style that every body should have th same drills as every other player if tour a rokie, bench warmer, star, or hall of famer you have the same practice as every body else.



4. Dear Tiki, the reviewers on this site who labeled your book as self-serving could not be more spot-on. All I had to read were a few pages of your book, starting on page 59, where you talk about a dear friend of mine from college (yes, I went to Virginia and was in the class of '97 with you). If you were trying to prove that you've faced adversity in your life, this was not the appropriate way to accomplish this. You exploited a short-lived relationship with my friend and as a result completely disrespected her. If you want anyone to believe that you grieved after her death, you should have first spelled her name correctly. This was one of a few inaccuracies I quickly discovered. I always thought you were a very nice person in college but now, I unfortunately can't look at you on TV without feeling a little ill. Next time, do your homework. Better yet, consider the lives and feelings of others before your own. These few pages in your book were disgraceful.



5. I was born and raised in Vinton, VA, just outside Roanoke. I have always followed the careers of both Ronde and Tiki Barber. I am proud that two local guys have done well for themselves--they deserve it! I enjoyed the book, even though I admit to skimming the detailed football games! My problem with Tiki's book is how he made Roanoke, Va seem in the country. He calls it rural and semi-rural a couple of times. He even says at one point that he wasn't sure that Roanoke had a limo service when he graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1993! You've got to be kidding!!! I graduated from smaller William Byrd High in Vinton in 1991 and I am sure we had limos for prom. Please, Tiki, don't act like you came from the sticks. This is Roanoke, not far southwest Virginia!!!