Book mentions in this thread

  • Votes: 100

    The Mamba Mentality

    by Kobe Bryant

  • Votes: 93

    Range

    by David Epstein

    Many experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists, and discovered that in most fields-- especially those that are complex and unpredictable-- generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists juggle many interests rather than focusing on one-- but they're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see. -- adapted from jacket
  • Votes: 91

    Can't Hurt Me

    by David Goggins

  • Votes: 83

    Shoe Dog

    by Phil Knight

    In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, in a memoir that is candid, humble, gutsy, and wry, he tells his story, beginning with his crossroads moment. At 24, after backpacking around the world, he decided to take the unconventional path, to start his own business—a business that would be dynamic, different. Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream—along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits and seekers who became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything.
  • Votes: 73

    Open

    by Andre Agassi

  • Votes: 70

    Relentless

    by Tim S. Grover

  • Votes: 63

    Eleven Rings

    by Phil Jackson

  • Votes: 62

    Moneyball

    by Michael Lewis

  • Votes: 62

    Peak

    by Anders Ericsson

  • Votes: 59

    Why We Sleep

    by Matthew Walker

    "Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity ... An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now ... neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming"--Amazon.com.
  • Votes: 58

    The Boys in the Boat

    by Daniel James Brown

    Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past. What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home. Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive. 'The Boys in the Boat is not only a great and inspiring true story; it is a fascinating work of history' Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea 'I really can't rave enough about this book . . . I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes' David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home 'A thrilling, heart-thumping tale of a most remarkable band of rowing brothers' Timothy Egan, author of The Worst Hard Time
  • Votes: 52

    Born to Run

    by Christopher McDougall

    At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long. With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.
  • Votes: 50

    Harvey Penick's Little Red Book

    by Harvey Penick

  • Votes: 50

    Unbroken

    by Laura Hillenbrand

    Tells the gripping true story of a U.S. airman who was the soul surviver when his bomber crashed into the sea during World War II and had to face thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. By the #1 best-selling author of Seabiscuit. 200,000 first printing.
  • Votes: 48

    Leading

    by Alex Ferguson

  • Votes: 40

    Friday Night Lights

    by H.G. Bissinger

  • Votes: 36

    The Captain Class

    by Sam Walker

  • Votes: 27

    All In

    by Billie Jean King

  • Votes: 23

    I Came As a Shadow

    by John Thompson

  • Votes: 11

    Wooden

    by John Wooden

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER "I am just a common man who is true to his beliefs."--John Wooden Evoking days gone by when coaches were respected as much for their off-court performances as for their success on the court, Wooden presents the timeless wisdom of legendary basketball coach John Wooden. In honest and telling passages about virtually every aspect of life, Coach shares his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence. Raised on a small farm in south-central Indiana, he offers lessons and wisdom learned throughout his career at UCLA, and life as a dedicated husband, father, and teacher. These lessons, along with personal letters from Bill Walton, Denny Crum, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bob Costas, among others, have made Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court an inspirational classic.
  • Votes: 5

    The Breaks of the Game

    by David Halberstam

  • Votes: 4

    The Cubs Way

    by Tom Verducci

  • Votes: 4

    The Inner Game of Tennis

    by W. Timothy Gallwey

    Concentrates upon overcoming mental attitudes that adversely affect tennis performance, including learning to relax, effectively concentrating, and discarding bad habits
  • Votes: 4

    Top Dog

    by Po Bronson

  • Votes: 3

    Beartown

    by Fredrik Backman

  • Votes: 3

    Legacy

    by James Kerr

  • Votes: 3

    South of the Color Barrier

    by John Virtue

  • Votes: 3

    Trading Bases

    by Joe Peta

  • Votes: 2

    Find a Way

    by Merril Hoge

  • Votes: 2

    Ball Four

    by Jim Bouton

  • Votes: 2

    Driving Mr. Yogi

    by Harvey Araton

  • Votes: 2

    Paper Lion

    by George Plimpton

  • Votes: 2

    The Amateurs

    by David Halberstam

  • Votes: 2

    The Cost of These Dreams

    by Wright Thompson

  • Votes: 2

    The Education of a Coach

    by David Halderstam

  • Votes: 2

    The Miracle of Castel di Sangro

    by Joe McGinniss

  • Votes: 2

    The Push

    by Tommy Caldwell

  • Votes: 2

    The Teammates

    by David Halberstam

  • Votes: 1

    Once a Runner

    by John L. Parker

  • Votes: 1

    The Messiah Method

    by Michael A. Zigarelli

  • Votes: 1

    The Sports Gene

    by David J. Epstein

    A Sports Illustrated senior writer's controversial exploration of the genetic underpinnings of athletic success explores the roles of both biology and training, arguing that nature and training are equally necessary components of athletic achievement while considering such topics as race, gender and genetic testing.