Stephen Brunt

Stephen Brunt interviewed 15 men, most of whom knew they were most likely to lose of the two men in the ring. They did it for the money, and to show that if Ali hadn't been there, they would have been champions. And at the End, we have the interview with Larry Holmes, perhaps Ali's greatest fan, who had to go in there, and finish him. There's some comedy, Chuck Wepner's wife being a hoot, and a great deal of pathos. Mr. Brunt, has given these men their spaces and their dignity. One of the show more best boxing books. show less

I liked that it was mostly an admiring portrayal, but Brunt showed some of Orr's warts as well. This book assumes a knowledge of some things that I thought was a little unrealistic(this is probably aimed toward a Canadian audience, with intimate knowledge of the Summit Series, the inaugural Canada Cup, and the misdeeds of Alan Eagleson), and I found myself wanting more background in some points.

Mostly a good book. Bobby Orr has always been someone I admired, despite having been too young to show more see him play. I would recommend this to other hockey fans, but probably those with more interest and knowledge of the roots of the game. show less

Although there are a lot of sidebars and inserts that interrupt the story, which is not chronological in any case, this still makes for an interesting history of the sport and of Canada. Brunt is able to bring out the excitement of the game in his writing.

My best friend knows nothing about hockey. She does know who Bobby Orr is though.

The author comes right out and say it, “Bobby Orr did not give his blessing on this book.” But he is of the opinion that Bobby might have if he hadn’t been writing his own book about his life. The author honored Bobby’s request to not talk to his family. The information in this book is taken from published accounts and people who know Bobby. Some of Bobby’s friends refused to talk, others talked on show more condition of anonymity, this is all detailed in the book. There is information about Bobby’s life growing up in Parry Sound, how he got into hockey, his style of play etc. There is almost no information about his personal life after he got married. Bobby kept that part of his life private.

One of the reasons I like reading sports bios is there is usually information about the sport. This book does not disappoint in this area. We learn the history of hockey from when there were only 6 teams. Mr. Brunt talks about how hard it was to get new teams. He talks about the difference in the game then and now. We learn about agents and junior league, too many things for me to mention here. But its all there. Told in a compelling narrative that grabs and doesn’t let go.

This book was so compelling I bought my own copy. I recommend this book. show less