edited by Mary Pilon & Louisa Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2020
In the introduction the editors write, “this book is for the losers—which is to say, for all of us.” They deliver.
Essays from the realm of competitive sports focusing on losing, which “reveals something raw about what it means to be human.”
A few of the bylines are well known, especially Gay Talese (his oft-anthologized 1964 Esquire profile of Floyd Patterson) and Arthur Conan Doyle (1908 Olympic marathon). Refreshingly, though, most of the contributors are less well known to general readers, and their subjects range from obscure to famous. Some of the essays were previously unpublished while others appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the Believer, and other venues. As a collection, the book holds together well even for non–sports fans, though some readers may wish for value-added material such as postscripts or updates. Pilon and Thomas, who both write for the New Yorker and other publications, each contribute an essay. In her piece for that magazine, Thomas focuses on the pressures of the professional tennis tour via a profile of Nick Kyrgios, the volatile Australian who cannot seem to reach his potential in front of tournament crowds. “At some point in every match,” she writes, “he tends to do something brilliant—or he snaps.” Pilon’s piece, published in 2013 in the Times, is set in the world of low-level mixed martial arts, “shadow fighting circuits” that are “far from the bright lights of professional matches.” For basketball fans, Charles Bock offers “The Sporting House,” about an ill-fated star in 1980s Las Vegas, a time when UNLV was the best show in town. Baseball fans will enjoy Bob Sullivan’s “Yankee Strike” and Abby Ellin’s “Larry and the Ball.” In “Banderillero,” Barry Newman writes about bullfighting, an endeavor relatively unknown to American readers. Mike Pesca investigates the many faces of losing and how many “come so close they can taste it, only to be left lapping at the dust of their rivals.”
In the introduction the editors write, “this book is for the losers—which is to say, for all of us.” They deliver.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-14-313383-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Kara Goucher
BOOK REVIEW
by Kara Goucher with Mary Pilon
BOOK REVIEW
by Mary Pilon
BOOK REVIEW
by Mary Pilon
by David McIntyre ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
For golfers only. (Fiction. YA)
This rarity, a YA book about golf, has a sweet swing but a stiff delivery.
Because family money is tight, Bobby takes on too many jobs while trying to help his Mom make ends meet. He’ll need a golf scholarship to go to college. Unfortunately, he must face Blake, a superior but insufferable player, in the Junior Golf Championship. But with the help of the greenskeeper, good friends and an attractive female golfer, Bobby learns how to break the cycle of constant failure. The well-meaning author manages a bit of suspense as Bobby faces down seemingly insurmountable obstacles and strives for victory, but the novel and its characters remain simple and, usually, dry. Most of the sentences are short and lifeless, delivering one fact each. Much of the story is only slightly more interesting than a textbook on golf–though the reader’s desire to see the villain vanquished may pique curiosity. Even then, McIntyre describes the course of play shot by shot, with the resulting scorecards as illustrations. Readers unfamiliar with golf will be lost almost immediately. Nevertheless, there is a sweetness to the book, perhaps arising from its simplicity, that may appeal to those resolute enough to continue after the opening chapters.
For golfers only. (Fiction. YA)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-4116-9298-5
Page Count: 142
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
edited by David Joy & Eric Rickstad ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
Anglers of all stripes will relish these delectable morsels of love.
A gathering of writers expound on their love for fishing.
Editors Joy (The Line that Held Us, 2018, etc.) and Rickstad (The Names of Dead Girls, 2017, etc.) invited 25 authors to contribute pieces about their love of fishing (four were previously published). In his introduction, Joy writes, “all I know of beauty I learned with a fishing rod in my hand.” These delightful and sprightly essays are “about friendship, family, love and loss, and everything in between.” Throughout the anthology, nature and nostalgia run deep, as the contributors reflect on when they fell in love with the sport while fishing with relatives, friends, or alone. Ron Rash writes about fishing in North Carolina’s Goshen Creek as a 14-year-old boy and almost snagging the “biggest fish of his life.” Jill McCorkle, who loved fishing with her father, was proud to be the “daughter who could touch anything stinky and slimy without flinching.” As J. Todd Scott writes, “angling for catfish” with night crawlers and mealworms “isn’t hard. They’re always hungry and not particularly canny.” Ray McManus confesses that “much of what I understand about writing was shaped from fishing.” He can work as hard as he can and “still end up with an empty hook.” Some writers discuss fly-fishing. Scott Gould recalls his father casting “gorgeous giant perfect loops spooling off the water.” Near Georgia’s Saint Simon’s Island, Taylor Brown fearfully recounts hooking a shark in the surf. There are lovely pieces about Massachusetts lobstering and night swimming in the Great Barrier Reef when the “coral release trillions of eggs and sperm sacs simultaneously.” Natalie Baszile loved frogging in the Louisiana “bayou-dark—which is more like the darkness of deep space.” As Silas House reminds us, “fishing stories are among the best kind.” Other contributors include C.J. Box, Jim Minick, and Rebecca Gayle Howell.
Anglers of all stripes will relish these delectable morsels of love.Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-938235-52-8
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Hub City Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More by David Joy
BOOK REVIEW
by David Joy
BOOK REVIEW
by David Joy
BOOK REVIEW
by David Joy
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.