Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Sports
Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
A recent
college graduate, Phillip Hines works for an event management company. He self
published this book as well as one on event management. Simon & Schuster
recently released another books by Hines, Mitt Romney in His Own
Words.
Description:
“LeBron
James is the world’s most talked-about active basketball player, stirring
adoration—and intense criticism. Sports fans and journalists see the polarizing
player as either the most exciting basketball player of his generation—or a
selfish underachiever, and sometimes both. This book sets aside the controversy
to let James speak for himself in his own words. Culling over 200 quotes on
over 100 subjects drawn from print and electronic media—press conferences,
magazines, newspapers, websites, television appearances, and Twitter
posts—starting with his early years as a promising basketball star in high
school—this timely compilation shows the world LeBron James’ unique perspective
on life on, and off, court.”
Appraisal:
With the exception
of one minor issue (two sections that discuss the same subject, James' starting his
own sports marketing company, with different headings), the setup of this book is
done well, with an active table of contents and quotes grouped in several
different subject areas. If you want to know what LeBron James has said about
his hometown of Akron, Ohio, or how he feels about Barack Obama, you’ll be able
to quickly find the answer. If you feel a sudden need for James’ thoughts on
voting, success, or Nike, you’re covered.
But after
reading this book I was left wondering, “why?” I could see two ways to approach
this book. The first, to get a sense for LeBron James as a person. How he
views life, both on and off the court. This book could do that, to a small
degree, but if that is your goal, you’d get a much better sense picking up one of
the many biographies available.
The logical
method to evaluate this book is as I would typically look at any book of
quotations. If the book only includes quotes from one person, I would expect it
to be someone considered an expert on the subject of the quotes, whose
thoughts and ideas are insightful, or who is especially entertaining in their
outlook. George Carlin or, if you want a sports star, Yogi Berra, I could
understand. The author’s book with quotes from Mitt Romney might have appeal
to some. But the quotes here didn’t seem especially enlightening. Many fell
into what I’d call the “generic sports quote” category – they could, and
probably have, been said in basically the same way by other sports stars. I
didn’t read something and think, “that is a great way to put that” or “I wish
I’d said that,” both reactions I’d like to see in a book of quotes. For rabid
LeBron James fans who feel a need to have what their favorite star said at
their fingertips, this might be worthwhile. For others, I think it’s a pass.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues
Rating: *** Three stars
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