By: Johan Cruyff
Pages: 302
Biography, Sports
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: 30th Oct'2018
Brief review: The International Federation of Football History & Statistics voted Johan Cryuff as the 2nd best footballer of the century, only after Pele. Not only was he one of the greatest players who played football, he also went on to become a highly successful coach. Famous for his 'TURN' on the field, the book is an inspiring account of his life in his own words. A good read for all football lovers.
By: Rafael Nadal
Pages: 297
Sports
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: 11th Oct'2018
Brief review: Rafael Nadal is arguably the best tennis player of his times and definitely among the best of all times. He has won 18 grand slam singles title including a record 11 French Open singles title. In this autobiography, written around year 2011, Rafa talks about his childhood, his growth as a player, his career threatening injuries and his win over Roger Federer in the epic 2008 Wimbledon finals which John McEnroe called 'the greatest game of tennis ever played'. It's a great book for every tennis fan and otherwise.
By: David Epstein
Pages: 353
Sports
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: 19th Jun'18
Brief review: In this path breaking and award winning researched book, David Epstein thread bares the secret of success of athletes and goes on to suggest that human genes has a lot to do with why they excel. While hard work, dedication and practice definitely yield results, having a special gene makes an athletes job much easier. So much so that sometimes, less practice is good. It is surprising but being a descendant of certain tribe, living in a certain environment or being blessed with specific genetics can help you skip the queue to become a champion. Endless examples from the real world of sports will keep you engaged, though at times, the author gets into too much detail. A long book which can be read by skipping the part where it gets too deep to understand the composition of human body.
By: Josh Waitzkin
Pages: 266
Biography, Sports
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: 29th Apr'18
Brief review: It's a remarkable story of Josh Waitzkin won the U.S. Junior Chess championship in 1993 and 1994 and also went on to become the world champion in Tai Chi Push Hands within two years of starting to learn martial arts. While many top athlete struggle to be on top of their game consistently, Waitzkin achieved excellence by his sheer dedication and practice. The book is about his art of learning. One of the things he talks about is 'investment in loss' meaning to learn by 'going down first and knowing your weakness' as an effective way to master new skills. The book is a journey of an extraordinary champion and his constant introspection and search for peace. The movie 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' is based on the book written by his father on his life as a chess player.
By: Sam Walker
Pages: 352
Sports
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: 4th Mar'18
Brief review: A brilliant book. It's a result of an extensive study and research done by Sam Walker, founding editor of The Wall Street Journal’s sports section, on 'what is the single most important factor in building a successful team?'. He analysed thousands of teams across various sports and shortlisted 16 teams which fitted in his carefully devised formula of most successful teams in the history of sports. Some of names included were - Barcelona and Brazil (Football), All Blacks (Rugby), Yankees (Baseball), Cuba Women's team (Volleyball), France (Handball), beside others. The singular factor that emerged to be the reason for success of these teams was their captains. The book gives an account of these captains - their personality, action and perseverance. It will motivate you to the core. A must read, specially if you are a leader or into sports.
