I recently checked out Andre Agassi's autobiography from the library. Since it is considered a new book, it can only be checked out for two weeks instead of the usual four. This concerned me; I wasn't sure that I would have enough free time to read it. These concerns turned out to be unfounded - I was finished in less than a week. It was a well-written and unflinching account of his life and career.
I'm not a big tennis fan; I pay a little attention during the Grand Slam events, but that's it. Agassi was one player that I did root for, even though sometimes his image as an anti-establishment punk was a bit much. I often root for underdogs, and since Agassi was often in Pete Sampras' shadow, I think he seemed like one. Of course, Andre won eight Grand Slam tournaments and was ranked number one in the world more than once; making him perhaps the most successful underdog ever.
But back to the book. Agassi goes into a lot of detail about his childhood as well what seems like every tournament he ever played. Throughout the book, he is brutally honest about his behavior and feelings. He goes into detail about his drug use, his marriage and divorce to Brooke Shields, and the physical pain he endured towards the end of his career. Multiple times he mentions always hating tennis; having been forced into it by his father. He comes across as now being at peace with everyone in his life. He reserves most of his criticism for himself. The book is refreshingly free of anger and cheap shots at others - with one exception.
One story did seem out of place, given the overall tone of the book. Agassi mentions that Pete Sampras once tipped a valet parking attendant only one dollar. This story seemed quite unnecessary. There were a couple of other passages that were critical of Sampras as a player and rival, but this was the only story in the book that was really mean. A few weeks ago, Agassi and Sampras were playing an exhibition match for charity. It was supposed to be a fun event, with players wearing microphones. After Sampras imitated Agassi's pigeon-toes walking style, Agassi made reference to the tipping story. This led to Sampras directly aiming a serve at Agassi's head, then some tense moments between them.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the book. It was a fast, though at times uncomfortable, read. I would recommend it to anyone who had even a passing interest in tennis in the late 1980s or 1990s.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Top 9 Books Read in 2009
In 2009, I made an effort to spend more time reading and less time watching television. For the most part, I was successful, and also made good use of our town's library. I read about 30 books during the year. Here are mini-reviews of my nine favorites:
1. "American Lion" by Jon Meacham.
This is a biography of President Andrew Jackson, focusing mostly on his presidency and also his time as a general in the War of 1812. This book really made the time period come alive.
2. "A Great Day in Cooperstown" by Jim Reisler.
The story of how the Baseball Hall of Fame came to be. Goes into detail about the first induction in 1939 and also has "flashbacks" to the careers of those first players to be enshrined.
3. "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.
I never read this book before. It was an interesting tale of how society can break down when we're left without rules. (A good story, even though the ending felt like a bit of cop-out).
4. "The Naked Olympics" by Tony Perrottet.
This book describes what it was like at the original Olympics in ancient Greece - for the athletes and for the spectators. I learned a lot - in a way, sports and our fandom haven't changed all that much in thousands of years.
5. "The Audacity of Hope" by Barrack Obama.
This book was written in 2006, when President Obama was still in his first term as senator. He claimed to want a government without fighting along party lines, but took a bunch of little cheap shots at the Bush Administration. I found the book a bit disappointing and the author came across as petty.
6. "Manhunt - the Twelve Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson.
Detailed hour-by-hour the day leading up the the assassination, and also the following days when Booth and his co-conspirators were on the run in Maryland. Excellent story-telling.
7. "Rutherford B. Hayes" by Hans Louis Trefousse.
Shortly before Presidents' Day last year, I lamented that we spend the holiday focusing on Washington and Lincoln, completely ignoring Rutherford Hayes. This led to me joining and then becoming president of the Hayes fan club on Facebook. I felt that I should get to know more about this president, so I read this short biography. An easy read, and I learned a lot.
8. "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs.
The author spent a year trying to follow every law laid out in the Bible, while living in the modern world. This includes laws regarding diet, clothing, and interpersonal relationships; many of which are completely ignored by all but the most devout. It was quite thought-provoking - why, for example, is it okay for Christians to wear clothing with two different fibers together?
9. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
This is the original Jane Austen story, with the addition of zombies wandering the countryside, and the need to fight off attacks. I never read the original (non-zombie) version, but I would imagine it is not as exciting.
Other books of note that I read in 2009:
"Street Gang" by Michael Davis. Tells the story of how "Sesame Street" came into being. I had high hopes for this book, but found that it focused a lot more on network politics and little on the on-air personalities.
"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. A professor in his 40s with a wife and young children finds out that he has terminal cancer. The book is a series of reflections and memories that he wants to pass on. Very moving.
"The Murder of King Tut" by James Patterson. This is Patterson's first non-fiction book. He tells the story of how Tut's tomb was discovered, and also flashes back to Tut's life. The book also lays out a theory that Tut and his wife were murdered by a trusted advisor who had political ambitions of his own.
"Outliers", "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. Each of these books attempts to explain how we think, and how life works, but with a twist. I didn't always agree with his conclusions, but they were all interesting reads.
I plan to continue reading more and posting reviews in 2010. Stay tuned...
1. "American Lion" by Jon Meacham.
This is a biography of President Andrew Jackson, focusing mostly on his presidency and also his time as a general in the War of 1812. This book really made the time period come alive.
2. "A Great Day in Cooperstown" by Jim Reisler.
The story of how the Baseball Hall of Fame came to be. Goes into detail about the first induction in 1939 and also has "flashbacks" to the careers of those first players to be enshrined.
3. "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.
I never read this book before. It was an interesting tale of how society can break down when we're left without rules. (A good story, even though the ending felt like a bit of cop-out).
4. "The Naked Olympics" by Tony Perrottet.
This book describes what it was like at the original Olympics in ancient Greece - for the athletes and for the spectators. I learned a lot - in a way, sports and our fandom haven't changed all that much in thousands of years.
5. "The Audacity of Hope" by Barrack Obama.
This book was written in 2006, when President Obama was still in his first term as senator. He claimed to want a government without fighting along party lines, but took a bunch of little cheap shots at the Bush Administration. I found the book a bit disappointing and the author came across as petty.
6. "Manhunt - the Twelve Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson.
Detailed hour-by-hour the day leading up the the assassination, and also the following days when Booth and his co-conspirators were on the run in Maryland. Excellent story-telling.
7. "Rutherford B. Hayes" by Hans Louis Trefousse.
Shortly before Presidents' Day last year, I lamented that we spend the holiday focusing on Washington and Lincoln, completely ignoring Rutherford Hayes. This led to me joining and then becoming president of the Hayes fan club on Facebook. I felt that I should get to know more about this president, so I read this short biography. An easy read, and I learned a lot.
8. "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs.
The author spent a year trying to follow every law laid out in the Bible, while living in the modern world. This includes laws regarding diet, clothing, and interpersonal relationships; many of which are completely ignored by all but the most devout. It was quite thought-provoking - why, for example, is it okay for Christians to wear clothing with two different fibers together?
9. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
This is the original Jane Austen story, with the addition of zombies wandering the countryside, and the need to fight off attacks. I never read the original (non-zombie) version, but I would imagine it is not as exciting.
Other books of note that I read in 2009:
"Street Gang" by Michael Davis. Tells the story of how "Sesame Street" came into being. I had high hopes for this book, but found that it focused a lot more on network politics and little on the on-air personalities.
"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. A professor in his 40s with a wife and young children finds out that he has terminal cancer. The book is a series of reflections and memories that he wants to pass on. Very moving.
"The Murder of King Tut" by James Patterson. This is Patterson's first non-fiction book. He tells the story of how Tut's tomb was discovered, and also flashes back to Tut's life. The book also lays out a theory that Tut and his wife were murdered by a trusted advisor who had political ambitions of his own.
"Outliers", "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. Each of these books attempts to explain how we think, and how life works, but with a twist. I didn't always agree with his conclusions, but they were all interesting reads.
I plan to continue reading more and posting reviews in 2010. Stay tuned...
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