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writesdave's Reviews (364)
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Stunningly beautiful sports memoir (four words that don't often appear in succession) by a guy best known for Southern Fiction™, this book is not your average sports memoir in that you'll find few bombshells and a unique devotion to getting it right, manifested in hours of interviews with the principals.
You know Conroy's story—raised in a brutally abusive home, educated at a brutally abusive fake-military academy, emerged as the late 20th century's premier Southern Novelist™. But you probably didn't know he started at point guard for a sorry excuse for a basketball team, coached by a tyrant on a level with his abusive dad. That said, he mined those memories for lessons learned from losing, not least his decision to write for a living, reached on an interminable bus trip from a game and cultivated by a pleasant surprise of a mentor.
The prose is amazing and the memories crystal-clear. Plus, the indelible connection between Conroy's basketball and his writing life emerges early on, giving connoisseurs of the literature-sports interplay a mountaintop experience. I can't explain how enjoyable this book was beyond the word salad I've offered; maybe it just hit right at this point in my life. I can't explain any more clearly than the word salad I've offered here. As an frustrated writer and athlete myself, I offer a nod to Conroy as he sits the bench in the great beyond—he got it right.
You know Conroy's story—raised in a brutally abusive home, educated at a brutally abusive fake-military academy, emerged as the late 20th century's premier Southern Novelist™. But you probably didn't know he started at point guard for a sorry excuse for a basketball team, coached by a tyrant on a level with his abusive dad. That said, he mined those memories for lessons learned from losing, not least his decision to write for a living, reached on an interminable bus trip from a game and cultivated by a pleasant surprise of a mentor.
The prose is amazing and the memories crystal-clear. Plus, the indelible connection between Conroy's basketball and his writing life emerges early on, giving connoisseurs of the literature-sports interplay a mountaintop experience. I can't explain how enjoyable this book was beyond the word salad I've offered; maybe it just hit right at this point in my life. I can't explain any more clearly than the word salad I've offered here. As an frustrated writer and athlete myself, I offer a nod to Conroy as he sits the bench in the great beyond—he got it right.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
In this moment of quarantine, isolation and sheltering, with nothing on the horizon, this book had what I needed. Goodwin put me in a different time and place, sparing no detail and painting an idyllic if unrealistic picture of life in 1950s suburbia. I don't deny that her reality probably doesn't reflect reality at large in that time period, and she addresses that toward the end. Again, I read this for the details of life back then, viewed through the lens of her and her father's love for the Dodgers, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Her neighborhood and the people living in it come alive on the page—again, just what I needed right now.
informative
slow-paced
This was a slog, which is disappointing given the lively subject matter. The second part went better than the first (not surprising given that I'd actually heard most of that music), but I found myself skimming a lot of it. As I writer I hate to give anything less than three stars without some suggestions. He could have done without a lot of the anecdotes, but I couldn't begin to tell you which ones.
I will say this—since the music of that period relied heavily on production, he went deep on that process, which I found illuminating. While I gained a lot of knowledge from the book, it left me wanting. Check it out if your a huge fan of Duran Duran, Human League, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, etc.
I will say this—since the music of that period relied heavily on production, he went deep on that process, which I found illuminating. While I gained a lot of knowledge from the book, it left me wanting. Check it out if your a huge fan of Duran Duran, Human League, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, etc.
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found this book far tamer than the movie and a decent bit tamer than even the TV show. It’s hard to take the book on its own merits without constantly running ever character and action through that filter, but it was entertaining. Knowing the book took 11 years of collaboration between “Richard Hooker” and WC Heinz brings home the difficulty of writing a war book when you’ve participated in said war.