New reading list

Summer is going to be here very soon, and many of us will have a lot of time on our hands. This writer would like to recommend some books that are very insightful, eye-opening, touching and historically rich to help pass the time.

Let Me Tell You a Story, by John Feinstein. This is a very personal and very fascinating first-hand semibiographical story of Red Auerbach, the architect of the Boston Celtics’ rich dynasty professional basketball. The story starts with the author, known for his keen insights and very thorough research into all his subjects, chancing upon the irascible former Celtics coach in a network dressing room. After a while, the two develop a tentative friendship, and soon, the author learns that Auerbach is the central figure in a tradition of Tuesday lunches at the China Doll restaurant in Washington. The group is made of basketball legends, college coaches, former Celtics players, and even a couple of Secret Service men befriended by Red in the last twenty years.

Feinstein discovers how Auerbach’s family came to America in the wave of European immigrants (mostly persecuted Russian Jews) who flooded New York from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. What is extremely interesting is the clarity and strength of conviction Red provides in narrating his experiences from even before basketball was formally organized into the leagues that exist today. Red has an opinion on everything, and makes sure you know it.

The humbled author leans into many of the legendary NBA coach’s conversations, and learns about why he became a pioneer in breaking the racial barrier (hiring the NBA’s first black players and head coach "Bill Russell" simply because they were the best people for the job), and didn’t think Bob Cousy would make a good point guard. To this day, the Boston Celtics are the only NBA team without cheerleaders, thanks largely to Red’s resistance (he thinks they’re a distraction).

The most poignant vignettes come from the moments when the aging Red loses the two most important people in his life, his wife and brother. There, we see the old school restraint of emotion, accompanied by a deep, unspoken understanding by his legion of friends. There, you see the awe, sympathy and reverence for the many whom many hated, many more loved, and all respected.

She’s Got Next, a Story of Getting In, Staying Open, and Taking a Shot, by Melissa King. A diary of the most marginalized demographic in American basketball: single, working women looking for a game as they approach middle age. Written in a very fluid style, it tells the personal story of a woman discovering a love for the game amidst indifference to her job, and impermanence in her life.

Occasionally disturbing, lightly amusing, it recounts all her observations about the weekend warriors she has played with, against, and even fallen in love with in recreation centers and gyms from the cities to farmlands in the US. She deals with discrimination, self-discovery, fear of being hurt emotionally, and homelessness in a figurative sense. Everyone is described by how they look and behave on the basketball court. It gives us a chance to chuckle at the immature things people do on a basketball court, coupled with the realization that we do it, too.

Often filled with the awkwardness that permeates real life, this stream of consciousness tale also holds up a mirror to us to things we may not really like about ourselves, things people around us see, but don’t have the nerve to tell us, or think it’s none of their business. Many times, we see encounters we wish we didn’t, and feel the pangs of self-discovery that perhaps make our own personal journeys easier.

The Gospel According to ESPN: The Saints, Saviors and Sinners of Sports, edited by Jay Lovinger. The biggest selling point of this book is the roster of writers gathered for this surprising historical-personal story of many great athletes and personalities who helped shape the identity of modern sport. From the introduction by the late Hunter Thompson to essays by Peter Carlson, Le Anne Schreiber, Ralph Wiley and George Plimpton, ESPN went out of its way to solicit the thoughts of heavyweights who are not really sportswriters.

The book is thoughtful, inventive, and eye-opening, although it occasionally tries to carry the religious connection with sports a little too much, and too far. There are many interesting figures for younger fans: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Pete Rose, Muhammad Ali, and others. But there are also people like Jack Johnson, who flaunted his power outside the ring as a black man hated by millions, consorting with white women; and Billie Jean King, who not only became the first major tennis player to be revealed to be gay, but also organized tournaments and gave players a voice against the establishment; and others who caused uproar because that was the only way they knew how to live.

Ironically, ESPN, the master of the shortcut and highlight, has produced a lengthy, substantial and significant account not only of people who changed the game, but made us think about it. A great read, as the others are.

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Catch this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. over RPN 9.