In Reply to: Let's not get carried away. Kareem the baller is one of the... posted by Born2BBruin on September 18, 2025 at 16:44:19
a great writer. I was thinking more of his writing on UCLA basketball, or basketball, in general. I would say he is below John Feinstein, Roland Lazenby, and Phil Jackson. I've read Wooden, of course, Jim Valvano, Jack McCallum, Sam Smith, etc. I also enjoyed books on UCLA Basketball the 1995 season. A number of one-&-done writers had books on that season. I recently read "The Great Nowitzki" by Thomas Pletzinger, a German author. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I have not read David Halberstam, but I've heard great things about him.
As for books on sports, Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air), Michael Lewis (The Blind Side), and H.G. Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) are high up on my list.
Looks like you are a Lit or English major. Definitely did not mean to imply that Kareem is up there with the luminaries you mentioned. I have heard of almost all of those writers, but honestly, I have only read through Salinger and Steinbeck, all the way through. I get bored easily. Only books on basketball, extreme mountaineering, a few other sports, science/medicine, are what have been able to hold my attention.
I love Nordic mysteries, too (Henning Mankell comes to mind). My ADHD/OCD self likes the slow-burning pace and the frequent summaries of the storyline in strategic spots of the book.
But I digress...