usbsticky's review against another edition
5.0
This is a short book at 279 pages and written in a manner that's easy to read and follow. I picked it because it seemed interesting and the only bio available at the time though I was never a UCLA or Bucks/Lakers fan and didn't follow KAJ.
This book is part KAJ bio and part John Wooden bio but it's mostly a book about their relationship. I loved the book because of the author's frank and unassuming prose. He didn't write it to push anything, only to tell us his relationship with John Wooden and what kind of a man he was.
It's also about other things. There some basketball; the chapter headings are a good description of the contents. KAJ touches on race, politics and religion but the biggest take away for me from this book are Coach Wooden's lessons and life philosophies, and the little anecdotes. These little anecdotes can only come from someone who's had a close and long relationship with John Wooden and we've been privileged to them by KAJ. No one else could have written this book but him. I only wish that this book had been twice as long and KAJ could have shared even more with us. I also appreciate that KAJ didn't just give us the good stuff, he described the bad times as well.
And after reading this book, I know now why John Wooden is so respected and such a legend. I feel this is mandatory reading for coaches and players everywhere. His training and coaching philosophies make so much sense, if coaches are not already following them, they should be doing it immediately. And some of those philosophies also translate to life in general. In fact, I wrote a couple of them up and posted them on the wall. Thanks to KAJ for sharing them which I am sure Coach Wooden would have approved.
Overall, I really loved this book and was touched by it. I highly recommend this to not only fans of KAJ, basketball or John Wooden but to anyone. I will be reading this book again and again for sure.
I got this book as a free review copy.
This book is part KAJ bio and part John Wooden bio but it's mostly a book about their relationship. I loved the book because of the author's frank and unassuming prose. He didn't write it to push anything, only to tell us his relationship with John Wooden and what kind of a man he was.
It's also about other things. There some basketball; the chapter headings are a good description of the contents. KAJ touches on race, politics and religion but the biggest take away for me from this book are Coach Wooden's lessons and life philosophies, and the little anecdotes. These little anecdotes can only come from someone who's had a close and long relationship with John Wooden and we've been privileged to them by KAJ. No one else could have written this book but him. I only wish that this book had been twice as long and KAJ could have shared even more with us. I also appreciate that KAJ didn't just give us the good stuff, he described the bad times as well.
And after reading this book, I know now why John Wooden is so respected and such a legend. I feel this is mandatory reading for coaches and players everywhere. His training and coaching philosophies make so much sense, if coaches are not already following them, they should be doing it immediately. And some of those philosophies also translate to life in general. In fact, I wrote a couple of them up and posted them on the wall. Thanks to KAJ for sharing them which I am sure Coach Wooden would have approved.
Overall, I really loved this book and was touched by it. I highly recommend this to not only fans of KAJ, basketball or John Wooden but to anyone. I will be reading this book again and again for sure.
I got this book as a free review copy.
sojourner82's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great story of how lives are affected by others investing in them.
bjt1977's review against another edition
2.0
This book never really hits its stride. It was repetitive and the feelings shared felt superficial at best.
gstone899's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook. Wow, this book is great! I thought it would be interesting but not this interesting and inspiring. What an amazing relationship these two giants of their sport had.
tesshuelskamp's review against another edition
5.0
Long time basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jamar details his 50 year friendship with his mentor and father figure Coach Wooden of UCLA.
Some thoughts:
* Coach Wooden's cute Midwestern/English teacher anachronisms -- "Is this lightning or a lightning bug?"- were fun to read about. They reminded me of a few of my own teachers, directors, and coaches :) which was heartwarming.
* Racism, religion, family, and death were respectfully and tactfully covered here.
* This book is clearly written with a great amount of love and respect which was so refreshing to read.
* Kareem did a responsible job portraying both the positive and negative aspects of Coach Wooden.
* Not very much technical talk of basketball here. Those interested in sports would still like this book but I would also recommend it to those who only had a glancing interest in basketball.
* I picked this book up after seeing it on Obama's 2017 booklist and forgot about it until I saw a copy last weekend at the library. I didn't have any expectations going into reading this book but was glad to be sobbing at the end.
Highly recommend.
Some thoughts:
* Coach Wooden's cute Midwestern/English teacher anachronisms -- "Is this lightning or a lightning bug?"- were fun to read about. They reminded me of a few of my own teachers, directors, and coaches :) which was heartwarming.
* Racism, religion, family, and death were respectfully and tactfully covered here.
* This book is clearly written with a great amount of love and respect which was so refreshing to read.
* Kareem did a responsible job portraying both the positive and negative aspects of Coach Wooden.
* Not very much technical talk of basketball here. Those interested in sports would still like this book but I would also recommend it to those who only had a glancing interest in basketball.
* I picked this book up after seeing it on Obama's 2017 booklist and forgot about it until I saw a copy last weekend at the library. I didn't have any expectations going into reading this book but was glad to be sobbing at the end.
Highly recommend.
avolyn's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this read. Perhaps I felt some disconnect having not grown up in the same time period, or having never played basketball. But there were definitely times that tugged at my heart strings and I could feel the connection Coach Wooden and Kareem had, through the pages.
sb1999's review
4.0
I enjoyed learning more about the greatest coach of all time, despite knowing nothing about basketball. I was impressed with Kareem’s writing as well.
pershie13's review against another edition
5.0
Coach Wooden and Me is a book written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about his experiences on and off the basketball court with his mentor, John Wooden. The book teaches many powerful lessons, not just on success in basketball, but also on fulfillment in life. Learning about Coach Wooden through the eyes of one of his most accomplished students was fascinating and gave a perspective of just how influential Wooden was in the lives of so many people. This book was very well-written, and the stories that Kareem told throughout the book gave insight into the lives of both of these individuals. This is a must-read for any sports fan, but also for those who want to learn life lessons taught by a basketball legend.