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Title: A Season on the Reservation: My Soujourn With the White Mountain Apaches by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Stephen Singular ISBN: 0-688-17077-3 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: February, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.83 (12 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A decent read
Comment: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has proven to be not only a great athlete, but a very intelligent and thoughtful writer. His book "Black Profiles In Courage" is outstanding. This book, while not in the same genre as "Black Profiles...", doesn't quite meet up to expectations, even though in its own right, it is a good read.
The story of Abdul-Jabbar going to the White Mountain Apache reservation to be an assistant high school basketball coach was truly one of the more compelling sports stories of the last several years. It was only fitting that with all the media attention that followed, he should write an account from his perspective.
However, in the attempt to document his experience, I think Abdul-Jabbar got caught in a literary crossroads of sorts. It seemed to me that he couldn't quite decide whether this was to be a social-historical book about the Apache as a whole, or a work about the sport end of it. In places, he managed to weave the two perspectives well, because some of his coaching experiences did indeed warrant historical perspective. However, in other places, the historical and social background seemed more of a disjointed distraction from the central theme of the book.
While the specific theme of his coaching experience made for a good read, it seemed that he could have fleshed it out some more. I would have liked to see more description of his work with the big men he kept referring to as vital pieces of the team. I would have also liked to have seen some more of what he contributed to the team as far as philosophies and coaching. Instead, he only highlighted about a half-dozen games, and kept repeating some of the same things over and over. Granted, coaching is a repetitive activity, and many things could have been repeated in a more detailed work. But, what we got seemed to be more like another story by a reporter who had only seen a handful of games rather than an assistant coach who had been with the team the whole season.
This is a good read, adequate for addressing some of his experiences on the reservation. However, I don't think it warrants more than three stars because more could have been done with the book. I would hope that at some point, Abdul-Jabbar would write a deeper social-historical book on the Apache people, because it seems that was his ultimate motive here.
Rating: 4
Summary: An Honest Look at the Man and his Passions
Comment: The honesty with which Kareem Abdul-Jabar's "A Season On The Reservation" is written is quite refreshing. In this age of spin control, especially when it comes to athletes and other public figures, it's nice to see a high-profile individual such as Mr. Abdul-Jabar share his insights and interactions with no noticeable smoke or mirrors. He begins his journey to an Apache reservation with hopes of uncovering some history (Mr. Abdul-Jabar has a fascination with Native-American history) and of sharing his wealth of basketball knowledge with the resident high school basketball squad. There are many bumps in the road, though, and "A Season On The Reservation" speaks eloquently about the cultural differences Mr. Abdul-Jabar encounters when dealing with the Native-American basketball players. They are not comfortable being singled out for criticism and they are not necesarily open to learning techniques that may make them better players. Over the course of the book, however, they learn from Mr. Abdul-Jabar and he, in turn, learns from them. One scene in particular, a confrontation with a player named Tony, is amazingly honest. "A Season On The Reservation" paints Mr. Abul-Jabar as a fellow human being, not a sculpture standing on a pedestal. The history lessons in the book, often drawing a parallel between Native Americans and African Americans, get a bit cumbersome occassionally, but "A Season On The Reservation" is well worth the cover price thank to its honest approach.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very good book!
Comment: This book was very interesting and was filled with a lot of information in many ways. Abdul-Jabbar told us the history of the surroundings, the Apache tribe, and also told of his daily challenges and joys.
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Title: Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor On the Little Big Horn by Larry Colton ISBN: 0446677558 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Black Profiles in Courage : A Legacy of African-American Achievement by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alan Steinberg ISBN: 0380813416 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: MUHAMMAD ALI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES by Thomas Hauser ISBN: 0671779710 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 15 June, 1992 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: King of the World : Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero by David Remnick ISBN: 0375702296 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 05 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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