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Summary: A story that compelled me to train harder for cross country.
Review: Steve Prefontaine is my idol. He was not only a great runner but a role model in every way. He convinced me to train hard and be one of the best runners on my team.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book - Go Pre!
Review: Steve Prefontaine truly was the greatest American distance runner ever. I bought this book and I loved it. If you care at all about Pre, I highly recomend it. It's got a lot of good pictures, too.
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Summary: Legendary athlete's life captured well
Review: Steve Prefontaine was and will always be my favorite athlete in any sport. His charisma, guts, and athletic ability were beyond compare. I had the wonderful opportunity of seeing him race twice as a youngster and I'll never forget it.Tom Jordan does a fine job of capturing Pre's life, and the new addition has even more exciting photographs (I have the earlier edition, the green book). In the follow-up edition, I wished Jordan could've extended the book. My only complaint is it is a tad short, but it's still an excellent read. Prefontaine was a fascinating person, and anyone interested in reading about a complex, charasimatic, and passionate personality -- whether they like running or not -- should read this book.
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Summary: Pre, There Was Only One
Review: The book "Pre" by Tom Jordan is an unbelievable life story of the famous distance runner Steve Roland Prefontaine. The book starts in chronological order from the birth of Prefontaine to his death. This 162 page book is based on his track career. He was unlike any other man because he had such a strong passion to be the best and he was not afraid to share this passion with the world. He brought attention to the distance part of Track that nobody cared about. He was and still is a Track legend even after his death 28 years ago. My opinion on this book is biased because I liked the book before I read it. This is because I saw the movie "Without Limits", which depicted the life of Prefontaine, before I read the book. I thought the movie was wonderful and I fell in love with Prefontaine's personality and attitude. As I was reading the book I noticed that the book progressed like the movie. It showed his track career from his early high school races to his international races. I think that the movie gave me a better understanding of the book because when I was reading it I thought of scenes from the movie. In some cases I think the movie did a better job of explaining what happened than the book. I don't mean that the author is a bad writer but certain emotions can't be explained through writing. For example, his 1972 Olympic 5000 meter race, the movie shows through facial expressions and body motions the anxiety and hope that the competitors were going through unlike the book. What I like most about this book is the way the author uses quotes from people who were there to describe what was going on at a particular event. For example, to show that Prefontaine was always the crowd's favorite runner; At the AAU Championships Stageberg another runner that raced Prefontaine that day jokes, "We were both from Oregon, I from Eugene, he from Coos Bay, and yet he was the favorite of the Eugene crowd -I was the outsider." It shows his popularity even among his opponent's fanes. I thought that was very funny. The book described him as brash, charismatic, rebellious, big-hearted and principled. The one characteristic that captivated me was his devotion. He did not the physique of a runner because he was short. Yet he believed and strived to be nothing less than the best. He drew large crowds to his races because he was the ideal athlete always hard working and was optimistic about the future. This book is great because it describes the legacy he left behind which is so momentous that it is still alive in the hearts of runners everywhere. I think to understand the book you need to have some experience in Track because it uses a lot of track terminology. I feel that distance runners will like his story better than anyone else because they can comprehend with Prefontaine racing mentality. All in all I think that whether you see the movie or read any of the books on Steve Prefontaine you will get the message he was trying to deliver to the world. To find out what his message read this book "Pre" by Tom Jordan, you won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Athlete is Compelling, The Writing Isn't
Review: The fact that so many people love this book, and yet the writing is so ordinary must mean something. Prefontaine was such a compelling, complex, and inspirational figure, that even the weakest effort to chronicle his life would be loved. It isn't going to make me very popular here when I say this is a pretty weak effort. The biography is mostly a series of facts about races, competitors, and results from high school to his last race. His origins in Coos Bay, OR, or anything in his life outside of running are barely touched upon. In the hands of a better writer, we would more about his life before his running career, which would flesh out the steady drumbeat of race results. A few sentences throughout the text are poorly written. Prefontaine was a very complex character, but here, all we learn that he was a mentally tough runner who won a bunch of races, and little else. There are people who knew Prefontaine at the height of his running career, who claim that he was hardly a modest individual and could be unpleasent. Alcohol problems have been rumored enough that they can't be ignored. It is possible alcohol contributed to his death. How did this typical brash, cocky, talented kid rise to become the legendary, charismatic runner we know today, separating himself from a number brash, cocky, talented American distance runners of his era? Prefontaine's life raised all sorts of interesting questions, but Jordan's too busy sifting through the press clippings to consider any of them. It would complicate the "mentally tough, inspiring runner dies tragically at his peak" story, but should result in a far more unique biography. Jordan either purposely ignores the additional details, or simply wasn't aware of them. Either way, Jordan has no excuse for such a bland and simpleminded portrayal. Runners will find this book inspiring because of who Prefontaine was, but non-runners will wonder what all the fuss is about. And those who know about Pre outside of this book will be dissappointed at how poorly Jordan describes an intensely compelling and complex person.
Rating:
Summary: The Athlete is Compelling, The Writing Isn't
Review: The fact that so many people love this book, and yet the writing is so ordinary must mean something. Prefontaine was such a compelling, complex, and inspirational figure, that even the weakest effort to chronicle his life would be loved. It isn't going to make me very popular here when I say this is a pretty weak effort. The biography is mostly a series of facts about races, competitors, and results from high school to his last race. His origins in Coos Bay, OR, or anything in his life outside of running are barely touched upon. In the hands of a better writer, we would more about his life before his running career, which would flesh out the steady drumbeat of race results. A few sentences throughout the text are poorly written. Prefontaine was a very complex character, but here, all we learn that he was a mentally tough runner who won a bunch of races, and little else. There are people who knew Prefontaine at the height of his running career, who claim that he was hardly a modest individual and could be unpleasent. Alcohol problems have been rumored enough that they can't be ignored. It is possible alcohol contributed to his death. How did this typical brash, cocky, talented kid rise to become the legendary, charismatic runner we know today, separating himself from a number brash, cocky, talented American distance runners of his era? Prefontaine's life raised all sorts of interesting questions, but Jordan's too busy sifting through the press clippings to consider any of them. It would complicate the "mentally tough, inspiring runner dies tragically at his peak" story, but should result in a far more unique biography. Jordan either purposely ignores the additional details, or simply wasn't aware of them. Either way, Jordan has no excuse for such a bland and simpleminded portrayal. Runners will find this book inspiring because of who Prefontaine was, but non-runners will wonder what all the fuss is about. And those who know about Pre outside of this book will be dissappointed at how poorly Jordan describes an intensely compelling and complex person.
Rating:
Summary: ONCE IN A LIFETIME
Review: THE SPIRIT OF STEVE PREFONTAINE CONTINUES TO CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION OF AMERICA'S YOUTH. IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 25 YEARS SINCE PRE DIED TRAGICALLY BUT HE IS STILL THE HERO TO NEARLY EVERY HIGH SCHOOL DISTANCE RUNNER. TOM JORDAN'S BOOK HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. THE STORY OF PRE'S LIFE READS LIKE A WELL CONSTRUCTED NOVEL. THE TRACK GEEK'S LIKE MYSELF ENJOY THE WORKOUT AND RACE RECREATIONS. MR. JORDAN'S BOOK IS A TREASURE.
Rating: 
Summary: A biography of the U.S's Greatest running legend
Review: The Tragic tale of America's greatest running legend is told in this detailed biographical sketch. If you have seen either of the movies, this book will fascinate you enough to read the whole thing in one night. If you are a track and field athlete, or a spectator, this book will give you a better grasp on the magnificent, short lived life of Steve.
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Summary: Authoritative Pre
Review: This biography is special not because it is a literary masterpiece or because it explores its character in a unique way, but rather because Prefontaine is such a dynamic character. He is arguably the best distance runner in American history, but certainly is the most famous and charismatic American to take the track. Jordan concentrates on the facts of his life--specific races, events and people in Pre's life--without getting bogged down in analysis of who he was. There are plenty of first hand accounts from Pre's contemporaries and quotes from his friends and competitors, but Jordan realizes that Pre's actions usually spoke for themselves. He was a runner who gave his entire being to racing hard against the best competition in the world and gave equally to the Eugene, running and amateur athelete communities. His early death may have been what cemented him in America's collective memory--everyone remembers the athlete dying young--but he did so much in his short life that he is well worth the recollection. This is a must read for every runner and will also be appreciated by lovers of sport. It is a very readable book and goes quickly, so anyone can handle it. I would highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Steve Prefontaine's Racing Career
Review: This book delves more into Steve's racing career than his life. You have to understand that before you pick it up and start reading. Never-theless, there are smatterings of anecdotes from family, friends and former competitors of his; and also words from his contemporaries. I found myself much more interested in what they had to say than with the details of his races. What he had to say intrigued me and gave me an understanding of his personality.
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