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Rating: 
Summary: "Simply the best"
Review: "A Season on the Mat" is simply the best book about the greatest wrestler and coach ever to grace the the mat. You will lose yourself as you read about Gable's struggles in pursuing yet another NCAA title. Read about how Gable sucked up the pain for one final season and set an example for the 1996 Hawks. Buying this book is the best way a fan can remember DG's final year on the sidelines.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, not great
Review: As an ex-wrestler turned journalist (and someone who has interviewed Dan Gable), Zavoral's book is a decent look into Gable and the Iowa program. However, the writer at times tries to be bigger than his subject(s) using silly similies(describing Lincoln McIlravy's wrestling style as a man probing an ear or corn) and far flung analogies. The book also lacks logic in some areas, but does a good job of explaining the nuances of amateur wrestling to the uninitiated -- which is no easy task. Typos are also pretty prevalent, but that's the editor's job to catch it.
Rating:
Summary: A good read, not great
Review: I could not have been more excited to read this book. I'm fascinated by wrestling, the lore that surrounds it and the legend of Dan Gable. I only wish there was more access to coverage of wrestling. As such, I enjoyed the book for what it was - a sort of play-by-play review of the season. The book did not, however, give any sort of insight or analysis of any real depth into the culture of wrestling, or the effects of the absolute sacrifice made by its participants. No real effort was made to fully characterize the wrestlers (or even Dan Gable for that matter), and they remained somewhat thin (no pun intended) throughout the book. I came away thinking "Wrestling at Iowa sounds tough" - I should have been lead to shake my head in wonder at the trip to hell and back that such a season must be.
Rating:
Summary: Book was both great & mediocre
Review: I grew a Dan Gable fan (as did any other Iowa kid who touched the mat in the last 30 years). I have studied much about him. This author did a great job in two areas: 1)analyzing the murder of his sister and the implications for the Gable family. Very detailed (such as Dan told his father who probably (and Dan was right)killed his sister on the ride back to Waterloo and that his father struck him for not telling him sooner. 2) Dan's only collegiate loss to Larry Owings. In depth and probing. You feel some of the pain Dan was bearing.However, the author was very weak on his ability to convey the wrestling spirit during the Hawks tremendous season. At times it was liking reading a $2 romance novel. Overall, this would have been a better book if it was just a Dan Gable biograghy. It should be noted that Dan was not happy about a lot that was in the book. It exposed alot of his (and his Parents)flaws. Dan has an enormous ego and has been treated with kid gloves by reporters and authors up until this point. I doubt the author would have been given this much access if Dan knew that the dirty laundry was going to get mixed in. Anyway, with the lack of books on Dan Gable/wrestling - this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: The best book a wrestling coach can get their hands on.
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It went through all the problems that can happen in a season. Even if it was Dan Gable last stand as coach the history and reputation of hawkeye wrestling will always be the one to beat. No other divison 1 coach can match what coach Gable as done for his wrestlers. And that program.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but shallow
Review: I'm a high school wrestler and avid Dan Gable fan. I could not have been more thrilled to get this book. It was a good book if you're an avid wrestling fan. The only problem was, like many people said, it was shallow and neglected to convey the emotion and the blood, sweat, and tears all these wrestlers have put in their whole lifes for this sport. It also neglected to talk much about Gable's wrestling career, just giving quick stats here and there. I think it would have been a lot better if a wrestler wrote it (Nolan Zavoral is obviously not). Other, than that it was a page turner and I finished it in about 4 days. Pretty good for a guy who had never previously read a book all the way through.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but shallow
Review: I'm a high school wrestler and avid Dan Gable fan. I could not have been more thrilled to get this book. It was a good book if you're an avid wrestling fan. The only problem was, like many people said, it was shallow and neglected to convey the emotion and the blood, sweat, and tears all these wrestlers have put in their whole lifes for this sport. It also neglected to talk much about Gable's wrestling career, just giving quick stats here and there. I think it would have been a lot better if a wrestler wrote it (Nolan Zavoral is obviously not). Other, than that it was a page turner and I finished it in about 4 days. Pretty good for a guy who had never previously read a book all the way through.
Rating:
Summary: "Simply the best"
Review: This book is a must for the hardcore wrestling fan. I am not a fan, but was won over by the dedication and intensity it takes to excel. Gable is a complex man, but he loved his kids and pushed them to do their best. I would have loved to compete for him.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: This book is a must for the hardcore wrestling fan. I am not a fan, but was won over by the dedication and intensity it takes to excel. Gable is a complex man, but he loved his kids and pushed them to do their best. I would have loved to compete for him.
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