Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | LP 921 PATERNO | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
By America's premier sportswriter, written with full cooperation of Joe Paterno and his family, this account defines the epic life of America's winningest college football coach. Published to coincide with Penn State football's first season without their legendary leader.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The controversy surrounding the recently deceased, legendary Penn State football coach and his role in the cover-up of a child sex abuse case involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is the focus of Posnanski's biography-though the book traces Joe Paterno's entire life and career. Narrator Joe Mantegna turns in a fine performance, capturing the unique vocal mannerisms of JoePa, while steering clear of caricature. In giving voice to Paterno's wife, Sue, Mantegna evokes no-nonsense determination and loyalty. The narrator adds a fitting dose of pathos to Paterno's intimate conversations with friends and family, as the coach simultaneously battles the scandal and a fast-growing cancer. Among the other highlights is Mantegna's animated portrayal of the University of Alabama's iconic coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Sensitively shaded portrait of the late Penn State football coach, an ethical man who failed to "go to the ball" when it really meant something. When former Sports Illustrated reporter Posnanski, now a senior writer for the website Sports on Earth, set out to write Paterno's biography, it looked like a dream assignment: The author would be in intimate contact with Paterno and his family, with access to his files about the Penn State football program. This book does have that intimate, backstage feel, and Posnanski tells a story no one else is ever going to get. His voice is warm, but frequently touched by melancholy, because it recounts Paterno's shattering fall from grace after Jerry Sandusky, the team's defensive coordinator, was convicted on 45 counts of child molestation. Posnanski offers a number of scenarios to contextualize Paterno's failure to investigate the allegations that led to Sandusky's conviction, most persuasively his protectiveness of the program and conviction that the problem could be dealt with in-house. Posnanski draws for readers a man who had a passion for education and saw his players as students first; Penn State athletes had a terrific graduation rate. He would pepper pep talks with Shakespeare; Virgil was his guide. "You have to listen for the divine word that tells you your destiny," Paterno said to Posnanski. The author charts the many highs and lows of a 61-year career in the voices of both friends and foes. He also traces the dwindling scope of Paterno's idealism, as the coach grew more crotchety and remote in later years. Despite Posnanski's sympathy for his Ivy-educated, Brooklyn street-fighting subject, the book never escapes from the pall of the debacle that ended Paterno's career.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Joe Paterno was the head football coach at Penn State for 45 years. He built a legacy of success, integrity, and honor, but it all came crashing down when it was revealed that he did virtually nothing after learning a former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was a probable child molester. In the decade that followed Paterno's inaction, Sandusky molested many other children and was subsequently convicted of more than 40 counts of child molestation. Posnanski, an award-winning journalist formerly with Sports Illustrated, had virtually unfettered access to Paterno, his family, and Paterno's papers during the last year of Paterno's life, as the scandal rolled out. Sadly, there are no answers in the book. Posnanski instead chooses to write mostly of the good deeds in Paterno's life. No one is denying the positives in Paterno's life, The question that remains unanswered at least in this book is what combination of hubris, greed, and self-aggrandizement led Paterno and the Penn State administration to look the other way for more than a decade. There have been millions of words written about the scandal and subsequent trial of Sandusky. Posnanski has added to the total without offering much substance.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2010 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
Paterno {{ Aria }} Joe Paterno speech to high school coaches February 5, 1993, Hershey, Pennsylvania What is a coach? We are teachers. Educators. We have the same obligations as all teachers, except we probably have more influence over young people than anybody but their families. And, in a lot of cases, more than their families. To teach an academic subject is certainly not easy, but compared to coaching, it is. We can say two plus two is four to every kid and be sure that we are right. But in coaching, we have to literally get to the soul of the people we are dealing with. We have to work with emotion, commitment, discipline, loyalty, pride. The things that make the difference in a person's life. They look to us for examples. A boy wants to be a man. But he doesn't know what a man is. They look to us for poise. Everybody doesn't get a fair shake in life. They look to us for values. You must relate athletic experiences to life. You are role models. They look to us for consistency. We have to realize a kid will love us one day and hate us the next. That cannot change who we are and what we are about. We are there to help them reach for excellence . . . and not just win games. We have to be understanding but tough. Firm. Real firmness is always helpful. Bill Clinton said, "I feel for you." Vince Lombardi said, "The pain is in your head." Tom Boswell of the Washington Post wrote about the difference beween excellence and success. He wrote: "Many people, particularly in sports, believe that success and excellence are the same. They are not. No distinction in the realm of games is more important. Success is tricky, perishable, and often outside our control. On the other hand, excellence is dependable, lasting, and largely within our control. Let me emphasize at once that nobody is all one way or another. The desire for success and love of excellence coexist in all of us. The question is: Where does the balance lie? In a pinch, what guides us?" I think we all have to ask ourselves that question. In a pinch, what guides us--success or excellence? Which will give us shelter when the storm clouds gather? Excerpted from Paterno by Joe Posnanski All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
