A debut book provides a practical sailing guide to world circumnavigation.
This is the volume that the authors wished they had before setting off on their around-the-world sailing adventure. It is, in essence, a way of inspiring and preparing other sailors to make a journey that many would consider overly daunting. The approach is positive from the outset, so much so that exclamation points litter the text: “Natural beauty is everywhere!” “Wildlife is outstanding!” “The Adventure of a Lifetime!” This is a motivational piece of writing that oozes enthusiasm throughout. But it also wastes no time in tackling the realities of an around-the-world trip in comparison to that of a “day sail on the bay”: rougher conditions, longer passages, and forays at night and farther from shore, among other new challenges. The opening eight pages offer a useful to-do list that covers selecting a route; honing certain skills, such as anchoring technique and electronic seamanship; organizing food and provisioning; and deciding whether to join a cruising rally. This is solid, avuncular advice, set out in a clear, accessible manner. The guide then offers a breakdown of the major ports of call, including detailed maps and color photography. The authors capture a vivid sense of each location with sections on shoreside services, things to do, expected conditions, and valuable nuggets of information that could prove lifesaving, such as “Beware of the risk of saltwater crocodiles (‘sal-ties’), which frequently attack and kill people swimming within their territory. Heed the warnings, and don’t swim in near-shore waters.” The remainder of the guide provides an itinerary sample and discusses choosing a route, navigating by Google Maps, understanding the dangers of piracy, and setting crew expectations. It finishes with suggested cruising guides and charts. The authors employ a buoyant and friendly writing style, often bordering on folksy: “As you can see, the enormous variety of experiences, the breathtaking vistas, and the wonder of wildlife keep us cruising.” This, however, does not mean that the prose should not be taken seriously, as it remains characterful, comprehensive, and professional. Holding the power to excite and inform, this densely packed and colorful book should prove inspirational for anyone with an interest in sailing and world travel.
A practical, accessible, and fun guide to planning the sailing adventure of a lifetime.Pub Date: May 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5304-9197-1
Page Count: 172
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: SPORTS & RECREATION
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NBA legends Bird and Johnson, fierce rivals during their playing days, team up on a mutual career retrospective.
With megastars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and international superstars like China’s Yao Ming pushing it to ever-greater heights of popularity today, it’s difficult to imagine the NBA in 1979, when financial problems, drug scandals and racial issues threatened to destroy the fledgling league. Fortunately, that year marked the coming of two young saviors—one a flashy, charismatic African-American and the other a cocky, blond, self-described “hick.” Arriving fresh off a showdown in the NCAA championship game in which Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores—still the highest-rated college basketball game ever—the duo changed the course of history not just for the league, but the sport itself. While the pair’s on-court accomplishments have been exhaustively chronicled, the narrative hook here is unprecedented insight and commentary from the stars themselves on their unique relationship, a compelling mixture of bitter rivalry and mutual admiration. This snapshot of their respective careers delves with varying degrees of depth into the lives of each man and their on- and off-court achievements, including the historic championship games between Johnson’s Lakers and Bird’s Celtics, their trailblazing endorsement deals and Johnson’s stunning announcement in 1991 that he had tested positive for HIV. Ironically, this nostalgic chronicle about the two men who, along with Michael Jordan, turned more fans onto NBA basketball than any other players, will likely appeal primarily to a narrow cross-section of readers: Bird/Magic fans and hardcore hoop-heads.
Doesn’t dig as deep as it could, but offers a captivating look at the NBA’s greatest era.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-547-22547-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
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BOOK REVIEW
A basketball legend reflects on his life in the game and a life lived in the “nightmare of endlessly repetitive and constant pain, agony, and guilt.”
Walton (Nothing but Net, 1994, etc.) begins this memoir on the floor—literally: “I have been living on the floor for most of the last two and a half years, unable to move.” In 2008, he suffered a catastrophic spinal collapse. “My spine will no longer hold me,” he writes. Thirty-seven orthopedic injuries, stemming from the fact that he had malformed feet, led to an endless string of stress fractures. As he notes, Walton is “the most injured athlete in the history of sports.” Over the years, he had ground his lower extremities “down to dust.” Walton’s memoir is two interwoven stories. The first is about his lifelong love of basketball, the second, his lifelong battle with injuries and pain. He had his first operation when he was 14, for a knee hurt in a basketball game. As he chronicles his distinguished career in the game, from high school to college to the NBA, he punctuates that story with a parallel one that chronicles at each juncture the injuries he suffered and overcame until he could no longer play, eventually turning to a successful broadcasting career (which helped his stuttering problem). Thanks to successful experimental spinal fusion surgery, he’s now pain-free. And then there’s the music he loves, especially the Grateful Dead’s; it accompanies both stories like a soundtrack playing off in the distance. Walton tends to get long-winded at times, but that won’t be news to anyone who watches his broadcasts, and those who have been afflicted with lifelong injuries will find the book uplifting and inspirational. Basketball fans will relish Walton’s acumen and insights into the game as well as his stories about players, coaches (especially John Wooden), and games, all told in Walton’s fervent, witty style.
One of the NBA’s 50 greatest players scores another basket—a deeply personal one.Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4767-1686-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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