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Summary: Don't stick to tennis, but...
Review: If you're a tennis player and have been following McEnroe since he was a kid, you might enjoy this book. I am, I have, and I did. But for most people, the book may be slightly disappointing. It's pretty heavy on recounting the results of past matches, and doesn't have as many interesting insights as I would have expected, especially considering that I find McEnroe as a commentator to be uniquely insightful and compelling. I got the sense that, while McEnroe did write about some personal stuff, like his marriage to Tatum O'Neill, he was less open than he could have been. I don't blame him for wanting to hold back -- I wouldn't want my life to be an open book. But if you're writing a book about yourself and your life, that's sort of the point. So if you would share McEnroe's nostalgia about the Port Washington Tennis Academy and his various matches up and down the ranks of the tennis world, go ahead and get this book. But if you're not a serious McEnroe/tennis fan, you might be better off just listening to McEnroe on TV.
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Summary: GREAT PICTURES OF MAC WITH REAGAN, BUSH, AND CLINTON!
Review: YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS has some great pictures of John McEnroe with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton, and some interesting stories about Jimmy Connors and Vitas Gueralitas. Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING
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Summary: McEnroe, a complex and remarkable person.
Review: McEnroe is an enigma. He was certainly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, a joy to watch in his prime for his extraordinary skill. His behavior was abominable sometimes, just plain out-of-line by most standards. Many people have written him off as worthy of no respect for that reason, yet he really was a great player, is now the best male commentator on TV (in my opinion), and a very altruistic person, (he is one of the top charity fund raisers in the tennis world.) If I remember correctly, he was honored as father of the year in his native New York recently. In this book, he speaks for himself. He doesn't forgive his behavior or suggest it was appropriate, and he does apologize. Yet, it is easier to see his many sides. He talks about being so alone on the tennis court. He loved Davis Cup partly because it was a team sport. I've always thought he was such a strong person, able to take the unpopular stand on things, but reading his own words, he comes across as remarkably insecure and craving approval. The public adulation of being #1 was his motivation more than an innate love of playing tennis. I find that amazing. I am a tennis player and fan, and I try hard to separate great achievers from their personal beliefs and private lives. This book helped me to understand the man, the person, the little boy, the young adult with extraordinary skills who found himself pulled into a fantastic world where he was supremely successful but lacked the character to achieve greatness in all areas. At least he is open about that. This is his point of view, and he deserves his say. The book is well written, I feel like I just had a nice long conversation with this remarkable person.
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Summary: John McEnroe: Bad Boy of Professional Tennis
Review: John McEnroe is one of the all- time greats in the game of tennis. Bursting on the scene in the late 1970's, McEnroe brought a new dimension to the sport. He relives some of his greatest sports moments in this book, "You Cannot be Serious". McEnroe was known for his legendary temper, and he explains to readers how he got this way and why he continued to blow his top from time to time. He admits, in retrospect, that he went too far more than once, but he stops short of completely apologizing for his on- court antics. Among other reasons, he points out that the promoters of professional tennis quietly encouraged his behavior. They didn't necessarily think it was the best way to act, but they also knew that McEnroe's bad boy image helped increase the popularity of the sport. McEnroe talks about more than just tennis in this book. He also covers his tumultuous marriage with actress Tatum O'Neil; his encounters with rock and roll superstars; his second marriage to pop singer Patty Smythe; and his present- day occupation as a tennis announcer and commentator. McEnroe lays his heart on the line in this book, letting the reader know exactly how he felt about different players in the game and the women in his life. Even though I like John McEnroe, both the man and the player, there are a few negative points to make about this book. First of all, there's the editing job by James Kaplan. There are some poorly- worded sentences throughout the pages and there are too many exclamation marks and colons in places where they are not necessary. Second, McEnroe's ego could be hard for some readers to stomach. He brags on himself and always seems to have an excuse to explain why he lost certain key matches. Overall, this is still a fun book to read, in spite of its flaws. It could have been better with some more thought and effort, but it still makes for an enjoyable read. McEnroe lets you know exactly how he feels about the sport of tennis, the various personalities involved, and his own personal relationships. He's very serious, and he wants you to understand where he is coming from and where he is going.
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Summary: Mac tells all
Review: McEnroe takes you on a chronilogical tour of his career starting from childhood all the way to the early 2000's. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who is a lover of tennis, especially tennis from the 70's and 80's. Even without knowing about a lot about his competitors, I still enjoyed the dialogue and Mac's opinions of some of his older matches. He certainly wasn't afraid to let the reader know exactly what he felt about refs, calls, and his opponents. The story of his 'Hollywood' life during his tennis career was also a very enjoyable read. He takes you through the story with his two wives, his kids, and his parties and activites with celebrities. He also talks briefly of some of his other career endeavors including his art gallery and his dream of having his own band and being a famous musician. The only thing I thought he should have talked more about was some of his more recent activities. The last 5 years or so seemed to be quick even though a lot had happened. Besides the missing detail there, the book was a good read. Even without being a huge tennis fan, I enjoyed the book. I imagine that a real tennis fan would love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great player, Great book
Review: Well written with a sense of honesty all the way through. McEnroe acknowledges his faults both on and off the court in such a way that makes you admire him even more. He "soars over" his marriage with O'Neil in a gentlemenly manner and, unlike her, takes responsibility for his actions.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read
Review: Howdy,
I really enjoyed reading this book from the very beginning. Very well written and it gave a lot of insight to the man behind the headband.
I had been wanting to read this for quite some time and found it hard to put down.
All in all I enjoyed it a lot.
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Summary: You cannot be serious!!!
Review: If you call yourself a tennis enthusiast, suffice to say you're not one in my book if you haven't read You Cannot Be Serious. The always irreverent Johnny Mac takes the reader behind the scenes of his meteoric and sudden rise to the top of the tennis world as a teenager as well as his difficult, if not tumultuous, ride down when he was married to Tatum O'Neal. McEnroe recounts many amusing anecdotes from his tennis days that make for an entertaining read. He tells the stories behing his not so secret disdain for the enigmatic Jimmy Connors(beginning with Connors' refusal to shake his hand prior to their first Wimbledon meeting in 1977 when McEnroe was an 18 year-old unseeded juniors player). McEnroe reveals his propensity for smoking marijuana during his self-imposed hiatus from tennis in the mid 80's, the wild partying with the amiable Vitas Gerulaitis, the mutual camaraderie, unparalleled competition, and respect, of his nemesis and friend Bjorn Borg, the infamous longstanding feud with Connors, and his passion for, and unprecedented success, with Davis Cup. Johnny Mac tells of an offer of $1 Million from Donald Trump to play Venus that Venus turned down based on the somewhat dubious claim that she didn't want to play "an old man." McEnroe, ever the competitor, tells of his anger over Steffi's notorious default of their Wimbledon mixed doubles semi that left him calling her a rather choice name(female dog is a hint) in the locker room - strangely enough in the company of her future hubby Andre Agassi and his then coach Brad Gilbert. Good stuff.
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Summary: Unique Mac!
Review: This book is so much fun to read. McEnroe is a unique individual. He is incredibly arrogant, neurotic, rude, self centered, and narcissic. He is also insightful, brilliant, artistic. He understands the game like few others. He also plays the game like few others. It all comes through perfectly well in this biography. Nothing in this book was surprising. It was all expectable Mac in your face stuff. And, it was so much fun. On a more serious tone, Mac has a lot of smart wisdom to impart about the game, and the game's direction. He makes a lot of recommendation that make a lot of sense, but unfortunately are utopic. The most noteworthy of them, is that tennis should go back to wood racquets. I fully agree. Mac feels that the character of the game, and the associated skill requirement completely changed after that. I don't know if anyone remembers the artistic, versatile styles of Adriano Panata, Ilie Nastase, Tom Okker, Manuel Santana. They all played with wood racquets. Their style of finesse and unpredictability is gone from the game. John McEnroe also emulated that style. Today, our only hope is Roger Federer who shows the versatility and talent of the past. Unfortunately, he rarely passes the first round in any Gran Slam tournaments, and gets worn down by some anonymous grunter.
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