March Madness

Rating:
Summary: An intensely personal story in a setting of campus politics.
Review: March Madness first struck me as a exceptionally well written book. It kept my attention from the start. I couldn't put it down until I had completed it. It was especially interesting to me since I work at a university and I am familiar with some of the conflicts that can develop between athletics and academics in a university setting. The two main characters, Dr. Ann Strand and Dr. Ed Edwards, are faculty members of Old South University who develop a romance amidst a swirl of intrigue and murder on the campus. The conflict revolves around a power struggle between athletics and academics after Dr. Strand fails a potential Heisman trophy candidate. I would highly recommend March Madness for interesting, riveting reading.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting reading. Excellent writing style.
Review: March Madness first struck me as a exceptionally well written book. It kept my attention from the start. I couldn't put it down until I had completed it. It was especially interesting to me since I work at a university and I am familiar with some of the conflicts that can develop between athletics and academics in a university setting. The two main characters, Dr. Ann Strand and Dr. Ed Edwards, are faculty members of Old South University who develop a romance amidst a swirl of intrigue and murder on the campus. The conflict revolves around a power struggle between athletics and academics after Dr. Strand fails a potential Heisman trophy candidate. I would highly recommend March Madness for interesting, riveting reading.

Rating:
Summary: The inside story on athletics and academics.
Review: This book is an insider's view of academics and athletics at the University level. On the surface, the story is about the conflict a talented young faculty woman experiences when she finds a premier student-athlete guilty of cheating on an exam, and the subsequent resolution of that situation. However, the real story is about the behind-the-scenes politics that take place in the administration. Written by an insider, it reveals just how administrators and trustees view the AAUP, faculty, and the business of athletics. As a faculty member myself, it is eye-opening reading. However, this is not a dry treatise. The politics of sport is embedded in the context of a moving love story between the new faculty woman and an older, established distinguished professor. The characters are complex and genuine and the story has a feel of authenticity. Furthermore, the writing style is such that I could hardly put the book down. It is an exciting story, quick-moving, and reveals a great deal about the inherent conflict between athletics and academics, and the impact that conflict is having on our educational system and on our national competitive edge.

Rating:
Summary: An intensely personal story in a setting of campus politics.
Review: This is a fast-paced, gripping account of a distinguished professor in midlife crises - personal and professional. Easily read, it is difficult to lay aside until finished.

Characters are well developed and the story unfolds flawlessly. Enjoyable and enlightening!