Looking forward to a summer of learning and reading as we head back to normal…or at least some form of normal, I wanted to flag a few on the shelf or already done. All worth your time and the lessons, and storytelling, therein.
When we did our podcast a few weeks ago with Will Leitch, he mentioned that he and John Grisham share an agent and little else. While not entirely true, both are master storytellers from different genres, this summer they share spots on the nonfiction list, and are part of my summer reads.
Ironically, Leitch’s latest effort How Lucky is not about sports, it is an easy and interesting narrative about a young man in and around Athens, Georgia. Daniel has a few close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair, and there is some great side stories about a missing student, and the interesting way someone with such a tough disease deals with the gifts we take for granted.
Grisham’s book, Sooley, is about sports mixed with life, following a young basketball player from Africa to his American experience. Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams—and even bigger challenges off the court. Interested in seeing if it as much fun as his story about playing semi-pro football in Italy, “Playing For Pizza.”
Also on the hoops list this summer is Kevin Garnett’s bio, “KG A to Z,” another easy read with fun tidbits from Garnett’s life about growing up in places like Chicago, his encounters on and off the court, the lessons he has learned in life and now in business, and all those who helped shape a Hall of Fame career along the way.
Another fun read came along on Father’s Day, which is more about failure than success. It is called “Here and Gone,” by John Rust, and it tracks the rise and falloff hundreds of teams, and leagues, no longer around. Amazingly, well maybe not, I tracked at least four teams, and at least two leagues, I have worked with up the ladder that are no longer around, and saw many of these teams play at some point. All for the “It seemed like a good idea at the time” file.
Also as we return to stadia and arenas, Best selling author Larry Olmstead has a book on the value of fandom called “Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding.” It’s a good mix of data and anecdotes that is on the list.
We would also be remiss in not including longtime friend and colleague Scott O’Neil’s book, “Be Where Your Feet Are,” on the list. It is a solid advice book on work-life balance and lessons learned along the way in the business of sports.
That’s just a small list so far…I’m sure Scottie Pippen’s bio will find its way in later this summer, as well as Bill Cowher’s Heart and Steel, but these five are on the shelf and nightstand as we get closer to July, all worthy of a pick up at your local bookstore.
