Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference

by Andrew Blauner, Bill Bradley, Various Authors Narrated by Robin Bloodworth, Brian Troxell, Marianne Fraulo, Susan Larkin, Various Narrators

Overview

Twenty-five celebrated writers share the inspiring words and timeless wisdom of the athletic coaches who changed and influenced their lives and pass on the sage advice they received.

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

An often stellar anthology examining the impact of coaches, with contributors Francine Prose, John Irving and John McPhee, among others. Sportswriter Frank Deford profiles Marquette basketball coach Al Maguire, a man of extraordinary color and velocity who works a grand con of madman/fool to get the most out of his squad. Irving honors the wrestling coach who counseled him to become a student of the sport to compensate for his shortcomings. "Talent is overrated," he told Irving. "[T]hat you're not very talented needn't be the end of it." Charles McGrath, former editor of the New York Times Book Review, writes that Aunt Gert was his best golfing coach. On the green, she kicked his butt with short drives while teaching him that calm and humility go a long way, even if he was too testosterone-laden to listen. (He listens now, and Aunt Gert still hits the ball square.) McPhee offers a cool, elegant portrait of Princeton's Willem van Breda Kolff, who felt "that mere winning is far less important than winning with style." And it is not surprising that Buzz Bissinger was asked to weigh in on the subject, with the recent success of his book-turned-movie Friday Night Lights, though here it is a tribute to his baseball coach, and a backhanded one at that: "I remember him in the way that memory is most useful, through my own psychological needs, which is also to say that much of what I do remember may not even be accurate." Novelist Prose, in a superb, subversive entry about the gym coach she couldn't stand, reminds us that not all coaches are heroes. "Most of my early teachers were helpful," she concludes, "but Miss G. was not." Other contributors-John Edgar Wideman, George Plimpton, RobertLipsyte-share equally memorable stories. A solid, entertaining collection recognizing great coaches, and a Beelzebub or two.

Coach and Athletic Director Magazine

If you [coaches] ever had any reservations about what you do for a living, Andrew Blauner and 25 of the best writers in America have dispelled them. Blauner has assembled an incredible cast, including novelists, sportswriters, broadcasters, and commentators, who look back at their lives and identify coaches who’ve influenced their lives.

The Boston Globe

Instead of boondoggles and bromides, what we have here are essays about real sports and the characters who left lifelong marks in their attempts to make something of these writers.

USA Today

Perfect ... refreshing ... makes a true connection with the reader ... Sweet and often funny vulnerability, revealing the part of the writer that is willing to be coached. The collection has perfect ‘pitch.’ Writers pay tribute to coaches in the purest sense, showing their lasting influences.

Los Angeles Times

Compelling … rich … an all-star squad of scribblers. You don’t have to be an ex-jock with a trophy case to find someone you can relate to here.

Sports Illustrated

What happens when twenty-five wonderful writers meet twenty-five unforgettable coaches? The twenty-five life lessons you are holding in your hands.—Gary Smith

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170033867
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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