Fascinating and frequently funny overview of the place of enhancement drugs, good or bad, in mainstream entertainment and sports
591862
I have to admit that I was initially interested in this based on the cover, with the partial bodies of several childhood heroes, so I was curious enough to watch this and I'm glad I did.  Chris Bell has presented a very informative, entertaining and controversial documentary about the place of enhancement drugs in popular media and sports, and while the primary focus is on the ethics of the usage of anabolic steroids there is also attention given to the allowable means of enhancement used by events such as the Olympics, as well as beta blockers and amphetamines in various uses.  There's a lot of good material presented and I felt the approach was objective enough - perhaps a little heavy on the pro-steroid usage, but what I respected was hearing voices that included Bell's own parents, encouraging him, often from the Bible, to find contentment in being what they are and not having to reach approval and success with the assistance of drugs.
This was an interesting documentary with the only caution being strong language used throughout the video (surprsing this didn't earn an R, but who knows how the rating systems work these days.)
2028928
This is one of those books where most of the writing is straight transcription of edited conversations. Thus, when old time trainers like Eddie Futch or Ray Arcel start talking, you can almost smell the cigar smoke. Relative new-schoolers like Richie Giachetti and Emanuel Steward also unburden themselves of the craft of boxing, sharing their life experience, their theories on the 'sweet science', and some personal remembrances here and there.

There's a lot of "inside baseball" as they say, in this book. Everything is covered, from placing moles in enemy boxing camps (to scout the opposition) to having friends unofficially find out  the scores on judges' cards at ringside. The seamier side of boxing is also scrutinized, the Mafia fixes and backroom games that got played in the heyday of Blinky Palermo and other organized crime figures. The psychological aspects of the sport (especially the fear) are also dealt with, as is betrayal, drug addiction, racial tension, and the sport's long and storied history. The business end of the sport is also covered, as is the media savvy (or lack in some cases) of certain fighters. Training regimens, diets, and roadwork details are weaved seamlessly into reminiscences on childhood or years spent as teen hoodlums or devoted to other, non-boxing related pursuits. The book does a marvelous job of balancing the technical and intangible details of the game, showing that it's hard to define what greatness is, and that once achieved through rigorous discipline and training, it's nearly impossible to maintain.

There are a handful of photos, and short intros by the author Dave Anderson, but for the most part we hear directly from the men in the corner. That's as it should be. Recommended.
3149155
Marc Lewis has done a wonderful job of describing a very complex subject. Not only does he make it easy to understand but entertaining as well interweaving his drug experiences with the science behind his choices and motivations. ANYONE with an interest in addiction should read this book. The insight of how the brain reacts chemically to drugs, especially abuse, is invaluable.
1443925
The author has cleverly moved among the many components of addicting drugs-from prescription oxycontin to ilegal heroin entertaining and informing the reader. TMC
964287
When I read this book I found it to be a humorous and entertaining compilation of journalistic literature. What I found to be funny were the quirky antics of the competitors in the events that were reported on, also I found it even funnier that so many people were upset by the fishing articles. This is what I like to call "You Can't Handle The Truth!" journalism. It seems like some of the nutty fishermen that were reported on in these articles can't handle the truth about themselves. One thing I learned about interviewing people in my journalism class, is once the interview starts, everything they say is on the record unless they specifically tell you that what they are about to say is off the record. I got a real kick out of Lefty and how none of his fans and friends wanted to admit that he was a tough old man who had the vocabulary of a sailor. Then the we have the Christian Anglers Society who believed that the new age/buddhist types of Anglers were doing witchcraft and burning chickens at the stake to catch more bass, then they wanted to deny that they even believed it! I also got a kick out of the letter Randy Blaukat received from the fish spirit, not to mention this was all happening in the 1980's which makes it even funnier, I'm just thinking of what kinds of haircuts and clothes these people had. Then I read the article about the Shore Fishing and Casting Club. This article also offended some fans and players of the sport (Shore Fishing and Casting, google it later) and was also pretty funny. Even though the article made the sport of Shore Fishing and Casting seem like a boring sport that many spectators/friends of competitors found to be boring and monotonous, it did spark an interest for the sport in me. I say put it in the Olympics and let's see where we can go with it, we could let the sport evolve and see who can throw the heaviest sinker the farthest and bury it the deepest. I would rather watch people do Shore Fishing and Casting than watch a golf game, it's like golf but better because you get to make a new hole in the ground each time, it's good for the top soil. Speaking of dirty tops there is nothing like bikini and wet t-shirt contests down on Daytona Beach,Florida. Better yet there is nothing like reporting on bikini/wet t-shirt contests in Daytona Beach,Florida and getting to interview some of the hottest girls on the circuit. All in all this book read like an eccentric piece of comic fiction but it is one hundred percent true which makes it even funnier. If you like to read funny true stories I would check this out.
3403925
"Dean and Me" (2005) is Jerry Lewis' candid tell-all, pulling no punches, about his life with Dean Martin.  Through 340 pages (hardback) Jerry recalls fondly their early days on the nightclub circuit, the team's quick cashing-in on their growing fame, Dino's shyness except around the ladies, and Jerry's brief association with marijuana, to name only a few memories in this book.

Having been born in the early 1960s, I am one of those who Jerry Lewis says did not realize "Martin and Lewis" as a big hit.  I first saw them in different solo roles well after the comedy team's 1956 split up.  The book proves that many of us were insulated, by their celebrity, from Dino's and Jerry's gruff and hard-living life styles.

Lewis fills in many of the details of their 10-year collaboration on stage, in the movies, and amid the public.  It's a fascinating read in the world of entertainment, organized crime, and two people's personal odyssey into alcohol, sex, wealth, and celebrity.  The journey almost ruined them.

This book is an interesting and valuable study in American celebrity self-discovery and individual self-destruction.  Although Lewis provides many funny and interesting anecdotes, this book is not for the timid or faint hearted.  Jerry uses gruff street-language and recalls adult situations throughout.  We hear of broken relationships, adulterous trysts, drunken parties, mob boss interventions, movie set shouting matches, fist fights, and various stages of affluence addictions all of which lead to Lewis' points about why he and Dean Martin split- pride, jealousy, and greed.

This book is recommended to those who are able to set aside the nastiness of Martin's and Lewis' lives and listen for what made them great- friendship, comedy, and love.
737072
Steve Martin magnificently explains through the various odd jobs, the making of a celebrity-status comedian. His interesting transformation from a magician to a stand up comedian is both funny and insightful. In the explanation of his story, he reveals truths in which everyone can relate. Martin holds nothing back in his views on fame and the myths of a celebrity status. Though serious for the most part, this blends in humor to lighten the mood at the perfect times. The only problem I have is that it jumps around to quickly. That maybe more time could be spent on each subject because the book is continuously interesting. His professional life is summed up in a mere 204 pages. This, I believe, is not enough for a story like his.
1881834
I read this book for a class required by my undergrad, so I may have a different mindset than one who read it for fun.
Pascoe spent several weeks in a NorCal high school, studying the impact and influence of gender and sexuality with these kids. Their personal interviews are surprisingly insightful and self-reflective. The big, stereotypical star football player is very aware of gender roles and double standards. There is another popular female athlete who dresses as a drag queen for halloween, and finds it riotously funny. Many parts of this book are less-than objective, which is understandable when dealing with this part of anthropology.
But, the setting (public high school) and the layman's language makes this book something a person from any area of study can read to help open his mind to new ideas (or even just the study of them).
603597
Confessions from the Comments Section is a funny and biting look at the personalities that make up the crazy culture of online commentators.  Kieran breaks down the types of typical online behavior you might come across, digging into the overly PC crusaders, the self conscious trolls, the downside of teaching everyone they are smart/incapable of being wrong, etc etc.  Most of the takedowns are quite funny, and the comics interspersed throughout provide even more humor and silliness.

What I think I liked most, though, is that many of the views have a great deal of insight and tie back to modern culture as a whole, not just to what we see on the internet.  Also, as someone who tends to read comments on my favorite sites but never comments, having some perspective on the crazier things I read is useful as Kieran shows how to treat such things as the absurdities that they are.
3687848
America the Anxious is an informative and frequently comical look at American's pursuit of happiness as seen through the eyes of a transplanted Britian. Whippman explores explores America's relentless infatuation with happiness and the various means through which we try to achieve happiness.  A diverse range of topics are discussed; from the billion dollar motivational, self-help and positive psychology industries to the teachings and lifestyle of the Mormon church.  Even Facebook and social media are addressed.  The social media chapter was actually my favorite because I believe so many of us can easily relate to it. How many of us know people who constantly bicker with their spouse or always complain about being financially strapped when face to face, yet always appear as the world's happiest couple or projecting a 1% lifestyle on social media?  I also love how Whippman takes the happiness pushers to task at times like pointing out how many make ridiculous claims that 10% of our happiness is from circumstance, factors outside our control like socio-economic factors, race, gender, disabilities, etc. yet, 40% is attributed to factors we can control, like our state of mind.  Not surprisingly, most of the "Big Happiness" pundits preaching this 40% model also have plenty of books and other happiness aids for sale to help people shape that 40%.  Kudos to Ruth Whippman for coming over the pond and offering a straight talk eye opener on the pursuit of happiness.  I found the frank honesty of this book to be more enlightening and informative than a run of the mill self-help book.
1870490
This wonderful new volume is a very readable and informative condensation of and expansion on Escohotado own previous publication, the lengthy three-volume 'Historia General de las Drogas'.  Here, in a text finely balanced with history and science, he traces humanity's affair with drugs  and intoxicants beginning with the third millenium B.C., and leading up to  the modern hi-tech psycheledics.  He traces some of the most popular drugs  like caffeine and hemp back to their surprisingly early origins.  Taking  into account the involvement of drugs in early religious festivities, he  offers an analysis how they've made an easy move from there to a more  secular, pleasure-seeking culture, accompanied by the parallel  villification of drugs by religion, the institution that played a leading  role in their introduction to society.  This concise book will make  readers aware of the extent of the spread of drugs through history, and of  the hopelessness of all attempts to make them disappear from future history  as well.
3198825
It was a great pleasure to read and learn from "Athletic Forever. The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Plan for Lifetime Fitness." Dr. Frank Jobe et al have taken on an interesting, contemporary subject in a most  timely manner. The glowing forwards from Tommy Lasorda and Magic Johnson  illustrate the tremndous respect that professional sports celebrities have  for Dr. Jobe and "Athletic Forever." The text is formatted in a  logical, concise manner and explores anatomy, injuries and treatment  protocol without getting bogged down in needless detail. The KJ facts and  closeups clearly add a new dimension to the body of knowlege regarding  lifetime fitness. I especially enjoyed the insights with regards to  diagnosing the cause of back pain. It is very refreshing to hear from  the  experts that high tech and costly imaging methods such as MRI's are in many  cases unrelated to a patient's back pain. The section on stregthening and  flexibility exercises is presented in a straight forward manner yet  provides exceedingly valuable information in a refreshingly "low  tech" appearance. Perhaps it is beyond the scope of the text, but it  may have been useful to discuss 1 or 2 of the Kerlan-Jobe innovations in  the field of sports medicine (For example, I would have been extremely  interested in the story of Tommy John and the procedures and rehabilitation  used in the "rebuilding of his pitcher's arm.") I would highly  reccomend "Athletic Forever" to all athletes and health  professionals!
3693022
If you have enjoyed the web site (TheQuackDoctor.com) you will have fun reading the book. There are 25 self-contained chapters each with a story to tell: some amusing and a few sad, even depressing. The subjects are peddlers of quack remedies of the 19th and early 20th century Britain and their customers (victims). Unlike similar collections of tales of quackery, each chapter is documented by contemporary (primary) sources listed in a separate section. There is also a handy index. Well written and sprinkled with reproductions of antique advertisements from British archives and the authors collection.
From the flyleaf: From the harangues of charlatans to the sophisticated advertising of the Victorian era, quackery sports a colourful history.  Theres the Methodist minister and his museum of intestinal worms, the obesity cure that turned fat into sweat, and the device that brought the fresh air of Italy into British homes. The story of quack advertising is bawdy, gruesome, funny and sometimes moving  a fascinating part of the history of medicine.
As a fan of quackery I bought this book (hardback) as soon as it was published!
3372665
The book is really entertaining. All the deviance that are said about Wall Street is thoroughly pictures here. I did some research on the author and found some articles where they had done fact checks and interviews with his colleagues. Looks like fiction and exaggeration played a major role during the writing process. For example, one debunked story was the fight with Manchester United squad in Hong Kong. Based on the information the author provides about the deal he was working on when the fight happened, the timeline would suggest 2006. Apparently Manchester United never had any Hong Kong tour in 05, 06 or 07.
But all in all, it's a very funny and entertaining read, which would probably make a good movie too.
2013321
The information contained in this book is as astounding as it is fascinating. Everything you ever wanted to know about the relationship between diet and athletic performance is spelled out in detail. I've bought several sports nutrition books through Amazon. Com, read them all, but this is the one i continue to reference whenever a question arises.
One caveat though. Michael Colgan seems to have a very close connection to TwinLab, whose products he (at least openly) endorses every chance he gets. The book is published by ARP, which is owned by Twinlab, as is the magazine AN Muscular Development in which Dr. Colgans brilliant articles appear every month.
1429996
It's a commonplace that many artists have questionable private lives. What Mr Allen does or doesn't do in his private life is of passing interest to me. That he likes younger women doesn't make him much different, maybe unfortunately, from millions of other men (is Rupert Murdoch a classic  example or what?) If I want gossip I read a magazine. Mr Allen's work on  the other hand interests me very much. This bio by Mr Lax is good for  excerpts from Mr Allen's comedy routines and in revealing the movie making  experience from the editting point of view, shooting, casting, writing and  rewriting. I don't think the prose skill of Mr Lax is especially high but  the book's subject matter is interesting enough, and Woody Allen's writing  amusing enough, to carry it along.
2861610
It's a very interesting book that delves into the serious issues in not only the godawful woo peddling that is "alternative medicine", but also the research issues and bias in big pharmaceutical companies and the failure of the media to communicate science effectively. Goldacre conveys these complex subjects in an easy to read and interesting way. I'd recommend this book to almost everyone.