( 12 reviews )
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Posted: May 30 2009
I think everyone, especially parents or pastors or politicians, should have this book in their personal library for research. I envy author Christian Klemash. I actually thought of writing something similar to this book, in which I would interview various coaches and explore the common ground between being a coach and being a pastor. I would not have produced something as useful as this book. He included three of my five favorite coaches of all time (Tony Dungy, Bela Karolyi, and Mike Scossia, with Paul Westphal and Gerry DiNardo being the exceptions) as well as other honorable mentions (Anne Donavan, Joe Torre, Bobby Bowden). Klemash is credited as the author, but it is the 34 coaches interviewed that is the substance of the book. Klemash wrote an introduction prefacing the ten questions he asked the coaches from various sports, which also included great coaches like Red Auerbach, John Wooden, Bill Parcells, Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, and Angelo Dundee. The bulk of the book how each coach answered the questions. The eleventh chapter is a biography of the coaches. One might question whether that should have been the first chapter instead of the last, but that does not diminish from the great lessons in this book. While this book is by sports leaders, it is not a sports book. The answers these coaches give transcends the sports arena and reaches to practical everyday life. This would be great for parents to go through with their children (some of the coaches are women, so it is useful for daughters as well as sports-crazed sons). This also has great illustrations for a pastor, politician, or other professional speaker to have access to.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 20 2008
This book went through various questions about succeeding in life and listed all the responses from each coach. It was interesting but somewhat repetitive in that many said basically the same thing. I enjoyed reading this book because it had a lot of good advice from a lot of successful coaches. The advice I remember most is to work harder than anyone else, never quit, always be honest, do your best, failure is opportunity for a comeback, and be passionate about what you do. All of them agreed that making a lot of money does not mean you are successful, but money can be a by-product of being successful. The last chapter included short summaries about each coach. My favorite chapter was the one of their favorite quotes. I recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy, or who is looking for some advice or inspiration about success. Karen Arelttaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"
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Posted: Jan 9 2008
A thoroughly enjoyable and motivating read. This is a remarkable collection of exclusive interviews with the best American sports coaches of the last 40 years. The author has packed a voluminous amount of wisdom, inspiration and facts into what amounts to a road map to a good life. "How to Succeed in the Game of Life" is a brilliant compilation of advice that offers inspiration at every turn.
