OYENTE

LSmith

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Very good account of a deadly day on K2

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-27-25

August 1, 2008 is believed to be the deadliest single day on the mountain K2, which is sometimes called the “savage mountain.” It is considered the most dangerous mountain for climbers, even more so than Mt. Everest. As noted in this book, 1 in 4 climbers eventually die in their expedition to reach the summit of K2 compared to 1 in 11 climbers on Everest. This book tells about the tragedy of that day from interviews and also the stories of one of the Sherpas on the mountain that day, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa.
This is the second book I have read on this tragedy – the other one was an account from a survivor of the American team attempting to summit K2. At that time, there were several nations with teams attempting to climb the second highest mountain in the world. In addition to the Americans, there was a Norwegian husband and wife part of a larger team from that country, as well as teams from the United Kingdom, Serbia and South Korea.
This many climbers led to many issues that the climbers and Sherpas had to address, the biggest of which was that in the short window of good weather to get to the summit, there was a logjam in the bottleneck on the safest path to the top. While there was a very good account of the attempt so set the fixed ropes in the proper place, that did not go as planned and was just one of the many issues that resulted in the deaths of the 11 people.
Why I chose this particular part of the book for illustration purposes is that I felt it was the best example of the full picture the listener will get while listening to the book (or reading it if that is your preference). While it does take a little bit into the book to fully understand Falvey’s narration, once that is done, the accident and what led to it will be described in full with excellent observations by Pemba. It is a little more technical than the other book I read on this disaster, but nonetheless it is still an excellent account of the deadliest day on the savage mountain.

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Very good book on why baseball is a great game

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-18-25

Sometimes the best view of a topic, be it sports, occupations or anything else, comes from someone who has actually experienced it and has done so in many different ways and levels. This short book by Joe Kelly, a relief pitcher who has been with 4 teams, most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, tells readers and listeners why baseball is such a great game and also the ways it can fix itself.
This isn’t a complete criticism of those today who feel the game is boring , too slow for today’s younger generations or similar well-worn reasons published on why baseball is not as popular as other sports. Instead, Kelly approaches this two sided. Yes, he does give suggestions on how the game can improve its appeal to younger people. The best part of this approach (and of the entire book for me) was his very productive interview with current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. That was very enlightening and not at all what I expected.
The other way that Kelly approaches the task is what one would expect from the title. He extols all the aspects of the game that he believes makes it so good. There are far too many individual points made about this to list them all, but we’ll just say that any reason that fans have said why they like the game is covered in some way in the book. This can come from Kelly or from one of the many famous and not-so-famous people who share their stories on the game.
Speaking of stories, Kelly shares many of his own. There is a little bit of autobiographical material when he tells his rise to the major leagues. But the best is early in the book when he made his famous “pouty face” At Carlos Correa in a 2020 game between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Strange as it may seem, he uses this story to tell of his love for the game and why it is so good.
Listening to the audio version of this book, I not only enjoyed L.J. Ganser’s narration, but I felt I was able to connect with the stories told. While I am not one this book seemed to be trying to reach, it is one that any level of baseball fan should enjoy and who knows, it just might convince some that baseball truly is a damn near perfect game.

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Interesting book on the 1973 baseball season.

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-06-25

1973 was an eventful year in both baseball and America. For the latter, several important events that would affect the nation took place. The withdrawal of American troops in Vietnam, the Watergate hearings, and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision were among the most notable of these. In baseball, the New York Yankees were purchased by a Cleveland shipping company owner named George Steinbrenner, a legendary player played his last season while another chased a hallowed record and a team that frequently fought amongst itself was trying to repeat as champions. That is the setting for this book by John Rosengren.
Having listened to the audio version, the narration by Barry Abrams is definitely one of the strengths of this book. His telling of some of the major stories in both America and baseball was excellent. Whichever topic was discussed, Abrams did so in a no-nonsense manner that came across much like the news anchors at that time (though non of them were ever mentioned in the book).
The title seems a little hyperbolic as while there were some excellent storylines in that 1973 baseball season, they didn’t feel to be so much better than other years. To his credit, Rosenberg doesn’t compare them to big stories in other years. He sticks with a few topics and covers them thoroughly. These would be the ending of Willie Mays’ career with the New York Mets, Hank Aaron’s pursuit of the all time home run record of 714 by Babe Ruth, the introduction of the designated hitter in the American with a focus on Orlando Cepeda of the Boston Red Sox, and the new Yankee owner who immediately let it be known it was his way or else.
On this last topic, this was the best mix of sports and social or political events of a year or era that I have read in a book of this type. Steinbrenner’s eventual conviction of illegal campaign contributions, especially to President Nixon’s 1972 re-election bid, tied in nicely with the writing on that summer’s Watergate hearings. While not quite as easily done, there are good connections between baseball and these events throughout the book.
As with any book on a baseball season, this climaxes with the World Series. The Mets and the Oakland Athletics played an exciting seven game series won by Oakland to give them back to back championships. The many storylines made by the Athletics, their star Reggie Jackson, and their universally disliked owner Charlie Finley are covered well, as was the unbelievable comeback by the Mets who were left for dead in August only to win the National League East title, then upset the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. Of course, the Willie Mays saga is included and overall, the coverage of the baseball is very good, even if it is a bit repetitive on some facts and descriptions.
Any reader who enjoys books on certain years or seasons in baseball with plenty of social or political commentary will want to check this book out. Highly recommend the audio version.

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Excellent coming of age story

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-10-24

It’s not often I’ll read or listen to a story about gangs, but this coming of age story of a young man named East had my attention from the start. Excellent writing and very good narration make this a good one to pick up on either audio or print.

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Very good account of an F1 season

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-01-24

Buoyed by the popularity of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive”, Formula 1 (F1) racing has enjoyed a surge in popularity and one of the personalities who fans both old and young alike is Guenther Steiner. This audiobook written and narrated by Steiner is a very good recap of his 2022 F1 season with the Haas team.

Haas is one of the smaller teams in F1 and doesn’t have the same amount of money, resources, or personnel that some of the bigger teams do like McLaren or Red Bull Racing. Nonetheless, they make do with what they have in order to compete and earn points each week on the circuit and Steiner’s stories give the reader/listener great insight into the workings and issues faced by a team of this size.

There is plenty of material on the two main drivers for Haas that year, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher (son of legendary driver Michael Schumacher), as well as Haas and of course, Steiner himself. His unfiltered recall of the races, trials and tribulations of his team are great reading. The audio version, which I listened to, was even better as you can tell through Guenther’s voice when he was elated, or he was frustrated.

His insight and language (not the accent, but also the colorful words he used which are not safe for children) make the stories even better. This is especially true about the days between races. Whether it was a story about the travel, the amount of work to get the cars ready or just venting, Steiner made the recollection of a F1 season very entertaining.

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Excellent memoir by one of the best swimmers ever

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-19-24

It isn’t often that I want to get a book immediately on the date of publication as I usually prefer to wait at least a couple weeks and see what the initial reviews look like. But when it came time to get this memoir by Olympic and world swimming champion Katie Ledecky, something told me that I needed to read or listen to this ASAP. And I am glad I did as it was a very enjoyable listen.

Something to note is that this memoir follows the tried-and-true format of talking about the author’s youth, their family and those who inspire them and their rise to the top of their sport or profession. Ledecky talks in great detail about her family, especially in the early chapters. Her brother Michael and she were both attracted to swimming early and while Michael hit the proverbial “wall” in his teens, Katie kept on swimming. There are also chapters about her parents and grandparents. The story of her grandfather who was from the Czech Republic was especially inspiring.

What made this memoir so good was the positivity expressed by Ledecky throughout the book. This was quite refreshing when she talked about her experiences during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led to the postponement of that year’s Olympic games in Tokyo. Any disruption like that will lead to issues for Olympic athletes but between good fortune, good luck and a positive attitude, Ledecky was able to continue her training. No matter the subject, even when it is a very hard training session, she keeps an upbeat vibe to the book. One part of this attitude that I really enjoyed is when she was questioning why so many reporters were asking her about “disappointed” she was when winning a sliver medal in Tokyo instead of gold. She asks how can one be disappointed when you realize you are the second-best athlete in this race in the world?

I am glad that I listened to the audio version of this book instead of reading the physical copy or the e-book. Hearing Ledecky’s story in her own voice was powerful, energizing and meant a great deal more than simply reading the text. One will even learn more about the sport of swimming – great material for those who only follow the sport during Olympic years.

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Good but VERY detailed.

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-25-24

Overall, this is a decent book. Very detailed and well researched, Sally Jacobs’ portrayal of Althea Gibson goes beyond her tennis and golf achievements and fully explains her part of helping Blacks achieve more equality in both the world and in sports. However, at times the details get too thick and it was a difficult book for concentration. I did switch back and forth between the ebook and the audio version to see which one would allow me to concentrate better, but neither version worked. I feel bad that I couldn’t finish this but I just couldn’t keep up with all the minute details.

I wish to thank the publisher for offering a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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Good but VERY detailed

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-25-24

Overall, this is a decent book. Very detailed and well researched, Sally Jacobs’ portrayal of Althea Gibson goes beyond her tennis and golf achievements and fully explains her part of helping Blacks achieve more equality in both the world and in sports. However, at times the details get too thick and it was a difficult book for concentration. I did switch back and forth between the ebook and the audio version to see which one would allow me to concentrate better, but neither version worked. I feel bad that I couldn’t finish this but I just couldn’t keep up with all the minute details.

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Excellent biography of Richmond.

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-11-24

I felt this was a very good account of the career of the short career and untimely death of Tim Richmond. What impressed me the most was the fairness of the dialogue about Richmond’s failed drug test that led to the end of his career. Richmond was always dreaming of his driving career and when he got his first win at Pocono (his best track) it was a thrill for him. It made the discovery that he had AIDS, which was still deadly at the time, all the more painful. As good as the story was, the narrator was even better as she was excellent. Highly recommend for NASCAR fans.

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Such a great story

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-18-23

2019, WNBA all-star Maya Moore shocked the sports world by announcing she would step away from basketball to concentrate on other part of her life that were important to her – her faith and justice for a man that was wrongly imprisoned. That man, Jonathan Irons, was released from prison about a year later and the two of them were married. Their remarkable journey to come together from two very different sets of circumstances is shared in this wonderful book written by the two of them

I listened to the audiobook and that was a fantastic experience. Hearing their stories brought out many emotions – whether Maya’s road to becoming one of the greatest female basketball players of all time to the injustice of Jonathan’s conviction of a crime committed in an area where he was not located was time well spent. While a reader of the print or e-book may have the same experience, I felt that hearing their voices made their messages more powerful. This was especially true for Jonathan’s story of his conviction on incorrect eyewitness testimony and his means of surviving in prison, especially at the start when he was still a minor incarcerated with grown men.

Throughout the book, both Maya and Jonathan talk about their Christian faith and at times also quote Bible passages. They both give credit to the strength of their faith for helping achieve their goals, whether it is championships for Maya’s basketball teams or making it through another day in solitary confinement (“the hole”) for Jonathan. If nothing else, his strength and determination to prove his innocence should be an inspiration for all. That is not to discount the importance of Maya’s work or her love for Jonathan in this journey. But already knowing most of Maya’s story and learning about Jonathan’s brough me so much respect for that man that I believe he is a role model any man, of any race or creed, can look upon as a role model.

Many romance stories, especially those with a sports theme, tend to have a happily ever after ending. This one, that happened in real life, is certainly more satisfying and any reader of any genre will enjoy this.

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