A Christian perspective with a wider appeal.
Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Tebow pens a guide aimed at helping young people find a better way to live, adapted from his book for adults of the same name.
Using examples from his own tumultuous career, Tebow encourages readers to stay focused on their dreams, fight negativity, and stand up for what is right. And while the resource is focused on Christian principles, the lessons concentrating on hard work, determination, and kindness hold universal appeal. Tebow additionally draws upon examples of other young people who have faced adversity—cancer, limb amputation, and organ failure—as cases of how even in the most desperate situations, one can refuse to fall into self-pity, anger, and depression. Tebow’s easy, plainspoken style will give young fans the feeling that he is speaking directly to them. Biblical examples range from the steadfast endurance of Job to the selfless courage of David facing Goliath. Other stories include references to Michael Jordan and Albert Einstein. Tebow’s candid talk of his struggles with dyslexia and anger further humanize him. Notes include references for more reading and Biblical verses. While this resource will largely appeal to the young football fan, the inspirational stories will resonate with anyone willing to approach it with an open mind.
A Christian perspective with a wider appeal. (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7352-8996-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Hank Greenberg was an anomaly who challenged the stereotypes of his era. He was a Jewish boy from New York City who was neither weak nor small nor academically inclined. He was well over 6 feet tall, strong and healthy, and he could hit a baseball as well as or better than most major leaguers. He played with the Detroit Tigers, leading his team to several pennants and World Series. Throughout his career there were cheers, but he also had to endure endless, vitriolic anti-Semitic curses. His decision to miss a season-ending game in a tight pennant race in order to observe Yom Kippur became a national issue. At the end of his own career, with customary grace and integrity, he openly empathized with rookie Jackie Robinson, encouraging him to persevere. In many ways this is a typical baseball biography, covering Greenberg’s accomplishments season by season, as well as his family life and military service in World War II. Sommer ably puts it all in perspective for young readers. Employing straightforward, accessible language, she carefully incorporates historic events, well illustrated with personal and archival photographs and laced with copious quotes from Greenberg and his contemporaries. The result is a multilayered portrait of a man who was content being remembered as a great Jewish ballplayer. (source notes, bibliography, resources) (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59078-452-5
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
A fascinating and memorable account of a life and times difficult to imagine today.
In 1978, an 11-year-old girl fights poverty and prejudice with gutsy perseverance and talent to fulfill her dream of studying at the Beijing Dance Academy.
Faithful Plum, or Zhongmei, lives in a remote area of China near Siberia. The standard of living is so low that she and her siblings eat one egg a year on their birthdays. She loves to dance, though, and upon hearing that the Academy is holding national auditions she sets her mind on going. And go she does, when a hunger strike and the kindness of her community overcome her parents’ initial refusal. After a horrific three-day journey by trains and buses, Zhongmei comes through the difficult audition only to face an extreme daily regimen of exercise and instruction, an appallingly rigid dormitory supervisor and a ballet teacher scarred by the Cultural Revolution. Fortunately, a wise and kindly administrator recognizes her extraordinary talent. Bernstein, a noted columnist and author of books on China, is married to Zhongmei, who enjoyed a noteworthy career. In his first book for children, he has taken her voice as his own and written a riveting account of her first year at the Academy. The conversations ring true, albeit “imagined,” and events have been compressed to keep the pace flowing.
A fascinating and memorable account of a life and times difficult to imagine today. (glossary) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-375-86960-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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