![]() In this book, Wooden shares his life story from his farm beginnings through his retirement from coaching at UCLA. He tells a bit about his philosophy but even more about the individuals he has worked with over the years who helped him develop that belief system. This book was recommended to me by a colleague and accomplished coach after I brought up my interest in sports psychology. I borrowed They Call Me Coach and two others of Wooden's books from the library. Honestly, this first one was a bit dull because I didn't know almost any of the players Wooden references nor have I seen the seasons he details so closely. However, Wooden seems like a cool guy and I am already enjoying this next book much more.
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![]() This memoir from Patricia Lockwood tells the story of the author and her husband moving back in with her parents due to some financial struggles. Uniquely, Lockwood's father is a Catholic priest who was ordained after marriage and five kids, but even more peculiar is his personality. Lockwood writes with the scathing love of a feminist daughter to her conservative father, sprinkles her stories with her mother's adorable -isms, and includes tales of her childhood and even larger issues of Catholicism she has pondered. A friend recommended this book to me and told me it was funny. So I got it from the library and promptly did not laugh through the first third of the book, followed by some chuckles in middle the third and some serious consideration in the final section. Lockwood's voice is clear and odd. She does revels in the outlandish and wholeheartedly loves to write. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend. ![]() Bryan Stephenson is a lawyer working in and near Alabama. He and his nonprofit, Equal Justice Initiative, work to provide legal representation for individuals who have been wrongly sentenced to death or to life in prison. Stephenson structures the book around a single case, that of Walter McMillian, but includes many other stories as he goes. The sweeping connection between the cases in this book is that the people who are incarcerated should not be there. Walter McMillian's case alone is mind-boggling in how he was ever imprisoned to begin with. This book was recommended by a colleague when I said I wasn't too jazzed about starting the year with Reginald Rose's *totally important* Twelve Angry Men. She shared how Just Mercy had recently energized her regarding the play, so I had to give it a read. And by golly, this book is riveting. Stephenson's work is so important and his narrative is so clear that I could not help but recommend this book to more people than I have fingers. Give it a go. ![]() Jeremiah and Ellie are star-crossed lovers in the big apple, struggling to navigate their relationship, high school, and their parents. In this modern-day Romeo and Juliet, Woodson weaves in several 21st century hot topics to bring the story up to date. I got this book from the district (Thanks, Sarah!) and I already have a few other books by Woodson in my classroom library, so I gave this one a read. While Jeremiah and Ellie are lovable and relatable, I personally love stories that go a bit deeper than this one. Definitely recommend for a little romance and a little heartbreak. ![]() In this book, Shawn Achor proposes seven concepts to help people be flourishing humans. He supports them by citing studies, both his own and others, and including anecdotal evidence. I watched Achor's TedTalk on this topic in the last couple years and have talked with others who are big fans of his, but I was not compelled to actually pick up the text until my mother handed it to me. Interestingly, it was assigned summer reading for all staff at Dexter Community Schools. What a provocative concept: That the most beneficial text to put in the hands of educators is a psychology book about happiness. While I was primed to appreciate this book, Achor was the one to drive the nail home. His writing is conversational and his research is solid. I definitely recommend this book, to those happy and not-happy-yet. ![]() Former First Lady Michelle Obama's memoir starts with her life in South Chicago and takes the reader all the way to her last days in the White House. She tells vivid stories with tremendous heart. While there may still be some secrecy and discretion about some things political, this memoir feels wholeheartedly authentic. This book is on everyone's radar. After a few people told me they read it, I got on that AADL waiting list in the 400th position. Thankfully, my cousin-in-law had a copy I could read so I didn't have to wait a year at the library. I loved this book. I loved the first two sections about Michelle Obama's childhood-young adulthood and then the early years married to Barack Obama. I found her so relatable, inspiring, and powerful. She nearly brought me to tears a number of times throughout the book and I know I will be thinking and talking about this one for quite some time. ![]() In this book, legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt details her Definite Dozen beliefs for success. Those beliefs are:
I knew I wanted to read something from Coach Summitt in this sports psychology independent study. I first learned about this incredible woman from Jane Nixon back when I was on the PFH team. Jane would share Summitt's words with us to help guide our thinking, and so I just had to go to the source. It was quite the experience to read this book twenty years after its publication, as well. Definitely recommend! ![]() In this book, Walker identifies the seventeen most elite teams in sports history and details his theory of why they were great. SPOILER ALERT: it was the captains that made the teams so elite. Walker approaches this topic with respect, scientific research, and illustrative anecdotes that had me googling all kinds of sporting history. After determining the seventeen most elite teams, a process that was itself breath-taking, Walker structures his theory around The Seven Traits of Elite Captains (Extreme doggedness and focus in competition; Aggressive play that tests the limits of the rules; A willingness to do thankless jobs in the shadows; A low-key, practical, and democratic communication style; Motivates others with passionate nonverbal displays; Strong convictions and the courage to stand apart; Ironclad emotional control). This was Book 3 in my independent study of sports psychology and I am pretty sure it was recommended to me by Pioneer's own Jane Nixon. Wherever it came from, this book was great. I'm pretty sure Sam Walker grew up in Ann Arbor, since he references his baseball career with the Burns Park Bombers early on. His theory and explanation were solid and I recommend this book to athletes and coaches alike. 10-Minute Toughness: The Mental-Training Program for Winning Before the Game Begins (Jason Selk)7/1/2019 ![]() In this overly-anecdotal guide to mental fortitude, Self outlines the tenants of his program in what feels like an infomercial. Highlights include: deep breathing, mantras, visualization, and personal identity statements. This book was tough to take in after Zeiger's The Champion Mindset. That book was like a upper-level college class while Selk's 10-Minute Toughness was like the trailer for The Rock's next movie (no diss for The Rock). This book had too much name-dropping and baseball jargon for me to enjoy. I basically skimmed the pages and pulled a few key ideas. ![]() Joanna Zeiger is an endurance athlete. She has competed and coached at the highest level of swim, run, and triathlon. This book melds her personal experience building mental fortitude with the scientific evidence to support her claims. Highlights include: failure, self-talk, visualization, goal-setting, motivation, mantras, competition anxiety, and leadership and integrity. This book was the first in my independent study of sports psychology and mental toughness this summer. And let me tell you, it was a winner! Most of Zeiger's points were affirmative, while others were informative. She is present on each page of the book but does not skimp on the scientific or the anecdotal evidence. Great read, highly recommend for people who compete. |
J. HiEBERBibliophile Archives
June 2020
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