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 enlarge | Author: Paul Shirley
Publisher: Villard
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $8.09
You Save: $6.91 (46%)
New (32) Used (8) from $7.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 12563
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0345495705
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780345495709
ASIN: 0345495705
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Beware of Hawkeye Fans April 11, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
While Paul's writing may not appeal to all readers, but he certainly appealed to me. His style is witty and honest (seems honest; heck he's from Kansas, must be honest). Loved the book; pay no head to any reviewer from Hawkeye land; they can't stand Cyclones. Paul Shirley is an Iowa State, engineering grad.
 No Meat April 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What can I say, I expected more. The only other book I read of this genre is Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season" (which I really enjoyed). After reading this book I walk away with very little that will stick with me. At times it was amusing, at times sad, at times I wished Paul had given some more details.
I guess it is typical of today's media... entertaining but not much substance. Perhaps it is perfect for our AD/HD society.
fan-tastic behind the scenes experience March 27, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is really great for all basketball fans who want to have a behind the scenes experience within the NBA and the life of a pro- basketball player.
Self-indulgent and disappointing February 18, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have just finished reading Paul Shirley's book. The verdict in one word? Disappointing.
To be fair, Shirley provides some great behind-the-scenes anecdotes from NBA life that are both interesting and amusing. For that he gets two stars. However, beyond that, it gets pretty ugly.
Firstly, the writing itself is poor. Shirley goes out of his way to use large words and convoluted sentences, presumably in an attempt to make himself seem intelligent. He fails. He simply comes off as a try-hard who needs to go cold turkey and discard his thesaurus once and for all. Bizarrely, despite all his efforts to sound smart, he still manages to frequently use words that are grammatically incorrect.
Secondly (and most annoying) are his long parethetical rants / observations. Somebody needs to tell Paul to go easy on the use of one line sentences followed by full paragraphs of bracketed comment. Used once or twice (e.g. Bill Simmons-style), it can be effective. Used time after time, it's just awful to read.
Thirdly, not only is the writing rubbish, but Shirley also appears to be an A-grade prat. For all his self-deprecation about being an arrogant jerk, it turns out that Shirley is simply that - an arrogant jerk.
If one was to delete all paragraphs which he spends needlessly denigrating or ridiculing other people, the book would be half the size it is. I find it particularly galling when he tees off on the fans who pay his wage. Perhaps if he spent a little less time focusing on how superior he thinks he is to other people, and a little more actually playing basketball (even if the location isn't quite up to his lofty standards), he wouldn't be yet another washed-up stiff.
I used to enjoy Paul Shirley's early columns, but having read his book, he now annoys me. The only thing that annoys me more is that I wasted $15 on his overrated, overhyped book.
Dribbling All Over the Map February 12, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
Sheesh, Shirley's memoir has received reader reviews that are all over the map. For my part, I enjoyed the book and I'm happy to give it five stars, but with the caveat that this book is a compendium of Shirley's blog entries. If you hunt up his current blogs on espn.com, you'll find the same quality as this book.
Other reviewers have noted Shirley's predilection for "whining," but I'd like to give him points for not varnishing his self image. Shirley turns out to be an excellent tour guide of both the NBA and professional basketball overseas. Most importantly, he is an intermittently gifted writer; Shirley can be outright hilarious describing Russian driving patterns, foreign basketball practices, or the lack of attention he pays to the actual game while sitting on the bench.
And while his complaints and acerbic humor apparently infuriate some readers, Shirley is willing to verge on bravery in his expressed opinions. While he pulls back from naming names regarding the biggest jerks in the NBA (though Baron Davis seems to qualify), he doesn't hesitate to excoriate his teammates who (he feels) tend to be the most hypocritical regarding beliefs vs. behavior. (They tend to be the most avowedly devout ones.)
Anyway, this book is WAY better than the last book I read by an NBA player: Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Time of Darryl Dawkins!
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