To the Hoop: The Seasons of a Basketball Life

Rating:
Summary: Self-absorbed, with occasional interesting moments
Review: I bought this book on the strength of an
excerpt in the New York Times Magazine,
which detailed a pickup basketball game
Berkow played with Oscar Robertson.
Unfortunately, most of the book is a self-
absorbed account of the writer's basketball
career -- his opinions of his high school
coach, accounts of his best games in high
school and a Division III college. He even
went back and looked up his old press clips,
such as they were, in the Chicago papers.
He devotes a fair amount of space to
recounting, in detail that verges on parody,
his ability to make a shot when dared by
Magic Johnson.

The book does have some interesting passages,
but not enough, in my opinion, to make it
worth buying. The Robertson pick-up game
story is a good, short read, available in the
NYT Magazine. There is a genuinely amusing
story involving Bill Bradley and
Dave DeBusschere. That's about it.

Put this one low, low on the priority list,
unless the life and times of a New York Times
sportswriter interests you.

Dale Wetzel Bismarck ND [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Chicken Soup for Anyone Suffering with Hoop Junkie's Disease
Review: If you're addicted to "the greatest game ever invented," whether or not you play it well, you'll love "To the Hoop." It has insights and anecdotes from the famous and the unknown players Berkow has encountered in his checkered basketball career. Anyone who has played pickup basketball on a consistent and regular basis has their own memory bank of unusual characters and incidents. Berkow just packages and weaves his stories together in a way that grips the reader. Added to the mix is the emotional tale of alienation and reconciliation between brothers in the context of a life threatening illness. Aging baby boomers who are struggling to deal with the deterioration of whatever athletic talents they may have believed they once had, are the perfect audience for this autobiographical tale.