"League of Denial" by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru--Must Read for NFL Fans

League of Denial by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru tells the story about the lasting effects that constantly getting hit in the head have on NFL players and how the NFL continues to ignore this problem.  The best parts of this book are the ones that center on specific players.

Being a diehard NFL fan, I knew this stuff but this book gives great background on why these players took their own lives in some cases.  I waited a long time to read this book, but it was worth the wait!  If you love football, you should read this book.  You might get a new outlook next time you see a player get knocked out!  
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"When Saturday Mattered Most" by Mark Beech

The Last Golden Season of Army Football

When Saturday Mattered Most--The Last Golden Season of Army Football by Mark Beech is a really good non-fiction account about the 1958 football season that Army had.  They went undefeated and finished as high as No. 3 in the final poll.  They haven't even come close since. I enjoyed the off-the-field accounts of the coach and players as much as the game by game recap.  If you love football, then it's a no-brainer that you should read this book!
(Gerard's review, rating 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Prophet" by Michael Koryta

The Prophet by Michael Koryta is a novel about two brothers--one is a bail bondsman and the other coaches the local high school football team. When a young girl is killed, a girlfriend of one of the star football players, it brings back the night the sister of the two brothers was killed.

This is a really good "who done it?" The interaction between the two brothers held my interest and the ending was very good too with a great twist! I think if you read this book, you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, rating 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"That's Why I'm Here--The Chris and Stephanie Spielman Story"

That's Why I'm Here--The Chris and Stefanie Spielman Story by Chris Spielman with Bruce Hooley details the story of how Chris dealt with his wife's cancer. The part of the book that focuses on Stephanie's battle was very captivating but the first half about football I mostly knew already. Stephanie was some woman! Thanks for telling her story, Chris. God's blessing to you and your children always.
(Gerard's review)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Through My Eyes" by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker

A book for Football Lovers

I enjoyed the first half of Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow about his background. I learned that he was homeschooled and didn't know that homeschoolers could still play on school teams, but he did. I liked reading about his training and his work ethic. He has two older brothers and lived on a farm. About halfway through the book though, he goes into specific games and gives a play-by-play narrative which I found boring after awhile and quit reading it to move to something more interesting. I suppose if you are really into the nuts and bolts of football, you would enjoy it. I expected to read more about his off the field experiences, but there was only a little about that.
(Karen's review 2/8/12)

I knew about Tim Tebow, the football player. Now after reading Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow, I feel I know about the person. I enjoyed this book some; really liked the parts when he told about growing up and sharing his faith in God, which he is very strong about doing. I enjoyed his family stories and his thoughts on football and game situations. The only drawback was the game-to-game stuff in his college career was kind of boring, but overall, a pretty good read.
(Gerard's review 7/10/11)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the second book in the Dairy Queen series about a family who owns a small Dairy farm in Wisconsin.  The story is told through the eyes of D.J., a 16-yr.-old girl who leaves the farm to be with her older brother, Win, who gets a spinal cord injury playing college football.  The story involves being friends with people no matter what others think and not letting the opinions of others stop you from living.

My favorite part of the book is when D.J. gets through to Win to make him care about getting better by letting him coach her in basketball at the gym and the rehab center.  I look forward to reading the last book of this trilogy, Front and Center.  
(Karen's review:  My rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Dairy Queen" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a story about D.J., a 15-yr.-old girl who helps with the family Dairy Farm in Red Bend, Wisconsin, and has a love for football. She used to play with her two older brothers and gets sucked into helping Brian Nelson, the good-looking quarterback of her school's arch rival team, train over the summer. As she gets to know him, she gets to like him. He is shocked and feels betrayed though when he finds out she will be playing against him!

Teaser: But if I made the Red Bend football team, it would mean I wasn't a cow. That's what I'd been struggling with ever since Brian showed up. p. 131

This is a fun read about a girl and her self-esteem issues. I enjoyed learning some about Dairy farming, the whole football aspect of the book, and how D.J. learns that communication is so important. There is enough included about her family and friends to make this realistic fiction. I look forward to reading the sequel.
(Karen's review:  My rating: 4 of 5 starxs)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Love Lifted Me" by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

This Christian fiction book is about the marriage of Jade and Max.  When Max wants to go and coach a high school football team, Jade goes along, but things don't go very well.  I liked this book some but was not riveted to it.  It's worth a try. 

(Gerard's review:  3 stars)
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Sweetness--Life of Walter Payton" by Jeff Pearlman

I enjoyed Sweetness--The Enigmatic Life Of Walter Payton a lot!  It tells the story of the life of Walter Payton aka Sweetness, a football player.  I especially liked hearing from all the players he played with and against as well as the details of his life off the field were fantastic and enjoyable.  It must have taken a lot of research to write such a book.  It seemed he left nothing out!  If you are a football fan, I think you will love this book!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"Growing Up Colt" by Colt and Brad McCoy

I am a Cleveland Browns fan so when I heard our Quarterback is a Christian and wrote a book about his life, I wanted to read it. I was surprised to find that his dad wrote some of it as well. This was an interesting read because Colt and his dad share very personal experiences from Colt's childhood and also how his training growing up helped him to become the leader and the role model that he is today. Brad, his dad, shared four main principles of parenting while balancing discipline and love:


 1. Prepare the kid for the path, not the path for the kid.
2. Prepare your children to do their best.
3. Prepare your children to be leaders.
4. Prepare your children for open and closed doors.

I also thought the lessons Colt said he learned were very good, such as always finish what you start, treat everyone with respect, listen to advice from those more experienced than you and relax because "the hay is in the barn."  He used this phrase in his first NFL start as a Cleveland Brown and the guys asked him what it meant.  It means they practiced and put in the work, so now they can relax and go out and play.  (He grew up on a farm in Texas.)

It was nice to read about someone who walks with God and didn't make a lot of bad choices that messed up their life. I think the book balances his childhood training, football games, and his walk with the Lord well. I enjoyed learning so much about Colt through this book. He's definitely a leader with character and I am happy he is our Quarterback! I recommend it to parents, all Browns fans and anyone who is interested in football.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"In A Hearbeat" Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy

If you read The Blind Side and saw the movie, then you have to read In A Hearbeat by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy.  What I loved about In A Hearbeat is that each member of the family told their story and the actors who played their parts in the movie told their story too.  The true stories are very interesting!  It is a fast read and an amazing story about an ordinary family who helped out Michael Oher, a homeless teenage boy who became an NFL football player, by letting him live with them.  An example of Christianity in action!


Here's our thoughts about the movie, "The Blind Side" about Michael Oher.

Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina" by Neal Thompson

I can't say enough good things about Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson!! This book is remarkable!! It tells the story about how people dealt with Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath and a remarkable man, J. T. Curtis, Head football coach and principal of the John Curtis Christian School. How he and his family brought together a school and the football team is an unbelievable story. Their story will make you cry, laugh and cheer!! I really enjoyed this book A LOT!!!
(Gerard's review 4/08)

Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson is a true story about triumph through hardship for a private Christian school's football team in New Orleans overcoming the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. This book takes a personal look at the devastation that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita caused within six weeks. It's about a High School football coach's and his players’ commitment to their school and team in midst of chaos and turmoil. It's about how football can pull a community together.

I particularly liked reading how the coach motivated his players and how he taught them to be men. It was heartwarming to see how much the coach loved his players and cared about their personal lives and not just how they played football.

The ending of Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina is very moving and emotional when the team finally gets to play football after it looked like they wouldn't even have a season. As I read about the games, it felt like I was right there in the stands watching and cheering for them. This book started out slow and was pretty sad, but is definitely worth reading to get an inside look at what the people of New Orleans went through during Katrina and how a football team really jelled. It certainly made my few problems look totally insignificant in comparison.
(Karen's review 4/08)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Bleachers" by John Grisham

Bleachers by John Grisham is a good book about a high school football coach’s impact on town and players. It was all about the coach but coach was never actually in the story—dying and the players came back to the town for the funeral and all talked about him with each other.  I liked it all right but not as much as his legal thrillers.
(Karen's review 12/03)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy

Quiet Strength is Tony Dungy’s autobiography (Colts head coach). I was very impressed with Tony Dungy's definition of success:

God gives each one of us unique gifts, abilities, and passions. How well we use those qualities to have an impact on the world around us determines how “successful” we really are.

I liked this book because it was about so much more than football, although he did include some coaching techniques and philosophy. 

Two of his teaching/coaching principles that stood out to me were:
1) Treat everyone fairly but not necessarily equal. What motivates one, doesn’t work for everyone.
2) Focus on those behind or who struggle and help them succeed.




Quiet Strength is an inspirational book that I highly recommend.  He shares how he relies on God in his daily life.  If you wonder where the role models are in sports, Tony is definitely one of them.  I enjoyed this book very much but couldn't get Gerard to read it because he just doesn't like the Colts.



(Karen's review 1/08)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Playing For Pizza" by John Grisham

I guess I've been spoiled by Grisham.  "Playing For Pizza" by John Grisham disappointed me.  The football parts were okay, but the rest was not.  The only character I really cared about was the main one.  The other characters are not really brought out much.  I cannot recommend this book.
(Gerard's review)

Here is a little fun quiz that goes along with pizza so I thought I'd toss it in here just to break things up a little.

What are you like? You are conscientious You are real You are curious You are well grounded You are confident Your ideal pizza has: High quality cheese A killer sauce Lots of meat Interesting flavors Fresh toppings If you won a trip to an American city, you'd choose: New Orleans New York City San Francisco Chicago Los Angeles When you eat pizza, how many slices do you eat? Two slices Three slices Four slices Practically whole pie One slice The best pizza places are: Little hole in the wall restaurants Generous with the portions Locally run Simple and old fashioned Gourmet   I Am Tomatoes

You are kind hearted and open minded. You're always up for something new. You like to experiment. You are easy going, and you pride yourself on not being judgmental. You can see the good in almost every situation. You prefer to keep things light and fun. You don't like heavy topics or pessimistic people. You believe that there's so much to celebrate. You're happy to just celebrate being alive! Click the link below to take the quiz:

What Pizza Topping Are You?

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer tells the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave it all up to join the fight in Afghanistan.  The two best parts of this book to me were the early years of his life, which I knew nothing about, and when he got to Afghanistan.  The author really gives great insight into Pat.  His thoughts especially make for very fascinating reading.

(Gerard's review 11/7/09)

"Season of Life--A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey To Manhood" by Jeffrey Marx

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx is about Joe Ehrmann, an ex-football player who became a minister and a high school football coach.  The author was a ball boy for the football team when he met Joe.  They lost contact but then got back in touch when the author, who grew up to be a journalist, decided to track down the former players and write about what they were doing.  Jeffrey Marx followed Joe's high school team for a year and found out that winning and losing is not the only things that Joe teaches them.  He taught them life lessons on how to be a man by being focused on others and not themselves.  With High School football coming up soon, this is a good book to read.  I enjoyed it a lot!
 (Gerard's review)

Season Of Life by Jeffrey Marx is a inspirational book that I highly recommend to any man, teen boy, parent, coach or teacher. It does not read like a text book at all.  I really enjoyed following the High School Football team through the eyes of the author.  Joe Erhmann is an example of a Godly man putting God’s Word into practice.   Season of Life is all about teaching boys to become men.  The author learns to improve his relationship with his father through watching Joe Erhmann model the basic strategic masculinity principles he learned from God’s Word as he teaches them to the high school football team he coaches. 

Jeffrey Marx looked up to Joe as a football player when Jeffrey was just a kid and connected with him again as a man.  Joe had a father who was always telling him to “be a man” and would punch him and tell him to be tough, that real men don’t cry.  He was into the “false masculinity” mindset of athletic ability, sexual conquest and economic success until his brother died.  While waiting at the hospital during his brother’s illness, he came across a poem that impacted his life by Edwin Markhm:

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;
None goes his way alone:
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

Then he searched for some real meaning to life and through talking to the team’s unofficial Chaplain and studying the Bible God transformed him into a devout Christian.  Joe became a minister and a high school football coach whose program included “building men for others.” 

He came to the realization that masculinity is all about relationships, being focused on others, and a code of conduct that includes accepting responsibility, leading courageously, enacting justice on behalf of others and empathy.  From here on he not only models these principles but also teaches them to the boys on his football team. 

The book that Joe gave to Jeffrey Marx that helped him get to actually know his father better is Questions For My Father—Finding The Man Behind Your Dad.  It’s just a collection of questions to ask to get communication flowing on a deeper level.  This may be helpful to someone so just thought I’d mention it.
(Karen's review)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Between Sundays" by Karen Kingsbury

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury is Christian fiction about how God works in the lives of two NFL players, a low-income foster mom and her foster son. Each of them has their own issues which they turn over to God. I liked this book very much because it is about relationships and how God works in our lives. Although predictable, it is a fun and interesting read. I liked how it focused more on the private lives of the football players and their interaction with each other off the field between Sundays although the game coverage was interesting too. It pointed out some shortcomings of the foster care system and gives the website of www.AlexSmithFoundation.org where you can go to find out how you can help through the Guardian Scholars program. 

I rate this book 4 stars instead of 5, just because of its predictability. Even though I knew the end early on, I enjoyed seeing how it all unfolded and reviewing the discussion questions at the end. It's a quick, enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who likes football or stories about families or the working of God in lives. The message for the readers is what we do between our Sunday "huddles" at church is what matters most.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Fading Echoes" by Mike Sielski

Fading Echoes tells the story of Bryan Buckley and Colby Umbell.  They both played high school football against each other in Pennsylvania.  Then both made the decision to join the service.  The first half of the book deals with their high school careers and the second half with their military careers.  I enjoyed it!

(Gerard's review 12/05/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Our Boys: A Perfect Season On The Plains With The Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape

I really enjoyed Our Boys: A Perfect Season On The Plains With The Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape.  It is about the Smith Center Redmen led by their coach, Roger Barta.  It is located in a small town of Kansas, but this book is so much more.  You see how the whole town gets behind "Our Boys" and you get to know the players and the assistant coaches as well.  You will get caught up in this book right from the start and feel the excitement all the way to the end!  It's a good read and I recommend it.

(Gerard's review 10/8/09)