Popular Culture November 2007

Home / Catalog / Online Databases / Reading Lists

Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Click Here

Popular Culture November 2007

"Anybody can win unless there happens to be a second entry."
~ George Ade (1866-1944), American writer

New and Recently Released!

Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL - by Tedy Bruschi with Michael Holley

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/17/2007
ISBN: 9780470108697
ISBN-10: 047010869X

Less than two weeks after helping the New England Patriots win the 2005 Super Bowl, linebacker Tedy Bruschi suffered a stroke that took him off the football field. Not permanently, however--in October of the same year the Patriots reactivated him. In Never Give Up, Bruschi describes the physical and emotional challenges of dealing with his stroke, including his rehabilitation and his initial plan to retire from football before deciding to return to the sport. Still a linebacker, he's now also a spokesman for the American Stroke Association, and his story is nothing less than inspiring.

Table of Contents  

King's Gambit - by Paul Hoffman

Publisher: Hyperion Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/11/2007
ISBN: 9781401300975
ISBN-10: 1401300979

Part history, part memoir, and part travel narrative, Paul Hoffman's account of the fiercely competitive world of professional chess describes his own experiences playing the game as a child as well as his observations of his fellow players. As he accompanies chess grandmasters preparing for--and playing in--chess matches around the world, Hoffman shows just why chess continues to draw players. Readers who play chess or those who appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the addictive world of competitive Scrabble in Stefan Fatsis' Word Freak are sure to enjoy King's Gambit.

Inside Inside - by James Lipton

Publisher: Dutton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/18/2007
ISBN: 9780525950356
ISBN-10: 0525950354

James Lipton has interviewed hundreds of actors and actresses, written for and acted on TV, and been caricatured by Al Hirschfeld and parodied on shows from Saturday Night Live to Chapelle's Show. Now it's time for him to share his life's story, in particular his experiences on Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio, a program he created and has hosted since its premiere in 1994. As he traces his own personal and professional history, he also drops tantalizing anecdotes and interview transcripts from his interactions with guests, which makes this read "doubly enjoyable" (Publishers Weekly).

Schulz and Peanuts - by David Michaelis

Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2007
ISBN: 9780066213934
ISBN-10: 0066213932

Charlie Brown and his friends are as popular today as they were when they first appeared 50 years ago, drawn by a man who went on to pour much of his life into his comic strip. This portrait of Charles Schulz, the late creator of Peanuts, evaluates how his career was shaped by his midwestern working-class origins, his personal losses, and his wartime experiences. In the end, this biography offers insight not only into how Peanuts storylines closely reflected Schulz's private life, but also into how the comic strip touched his readers (Schulz is, after all, credited with coining the term "security blanket").

Coltrane: The Story of a Sound - by Ben Ratliff

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/18/2007
ISBN: 9780374126063
ISBN-10: 0374126062

Coltrane is more--or maybe less--than a biography, for it focuses on jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's sound and its development rather than the man. In addition to studying Coltrane's evolving sound, jazz critic Ben Ratliff also looks for the ways in which Coltrane influenced others and shaped the course of modern jazz as he passed from be-bop to free jazz. "This is popular, nontechnical music analysis at its best," says Booklist, so if you're interested in Coltrane, his music, or the history of jazz, you'll enjoy this thoughtful discourse on a jazz icon.

Diana Ross: An Unauthorized Biography - by Randy J. Taraborrelli

Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/2007
ISBN: 9780806528496
ISBN-10: 0806528494

Chock-full of never-before-published photos, this fascinating biography of the legendary icon, temperamental superstar, Civil Rights trailblazer, and mother of five delves into all aspects of Diana Ross' life, including her family, her romances, and her career. Author Randy Taraborrelli, who made his name as a celebrity biographer on an earlier book about Ross, updates her story to the present and includes an analysis of each of her records as well as interviews with those closest to her. A "riveting page-turner," says Publishers Weekly.

Table of Contents  

Focus on: Sports Rivalries

The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova: Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship - by Johnette Howard

Publisher: Broadway Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/7/2005
ISBN: 9780767918848
ISBN-10: 0767918843

Tennis champs Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played against each other 80 times (60 of those 80 were in finals). Each won 18 Grand Slam singles titles. Though friends off the court, it's clear that on the court they were well-respected and well-matched opponents. In The Rivals, sports columnist Johnette Howard follows the careers of these two tennis greats from their first match in 1973 through the ensuing years of professional rivalry, detailing their differences in playing style as well as in personality. Tennis supporters and female athletes--as well as fans of sportsmanship--will appreciate this look at the Evert-Navratilova match-up.

First Chapter  Table of Contents  

Ghosts of Manila: The Fateful Blood Feud Between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier - by Mark Kram

Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/1/2002
ISBN: 9780060954802
ISBN-10: 0060954809

Of the many individual rivalries found in competitive sports, one of the most memorable is the intense rivalry between two great boxers who started out as friends but were ultimately divided both by professional competition and their views on race. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's final fight, the "Thrilla in Manila," is carefully depicted in this compelling piece of sportswriting, as are the boxers' lives in retirement and their personal stories. Publishers Weekly notes that Ghosts of Manila is "daring, intelligent and well-observed," though Ali fans may be put off by author Mark Kram's unflattering portrait of him.

First Chapter  

Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling and a World on the Brink - by David Margolick

Publisher: A.A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/20/2005
ISBN: 9780375411922
ISBN-10: 0375411925

This study of the two fights between heavyweight boxers Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, in 1936 and 1938, examines the significance of the sporting events in terms of a world that was on the brink of war, and focuses especially on the racial struggles of the day. Though they met only twice in the ring, the Louis-Schmeling bouts held a significance that resonated throughout the various communities who held a stake--American Jews, African-Americans, and Germany's Nazi party. Author David Margolick tells their story "so vividly that you almost feel you were there sharing in the joy of sweet revenge" (The New York Times).

Table of Contents  First Chapter  

The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball - by John Taylor

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/26/2006
ISBN: 9780812970302
ISBN-10: 0812970306

Set against the backdrop of professional basketball's golden age of the 1950s and 60s, the rivalry between centers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain signified more than just personal differences--Chamberlain was a natural star who played for several teams, while Russell was a hard-working and exemplary team player for the Boston Celtics. Though the games the two men played against each other form the crux of the book, author John Taylor also addresses the early years of the NBA (when fights between players were common) and the racial tensions of the time. "Top-notch sports history," says Kirkus Reviews.

First Chapter  

UCLA vs. USC - White, Lonnie

Publisher: Los Angeles Times Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004
ISBN: 9781883792275
ISBN-10: 1883792274

UCLA vs. USC covers the rivalry between the schools in all sports since their first competition in the late 1920s. The stories march through the decades telling the tales of great athletes and great achievements.  Women's sports, too! Full color throughout with more than 400 photos, many rarely seen.

Contact your librarian for more great books!

Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend | Update settings | View HTML newsletter

If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact NextReads at 919-489-3713, 3710 Mayfair Street, Durham, NC 27707

© 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM