To the Hoop: The Seasons of a Basketball Life

I had first read the great chapter on Oscar Robertson's Cincy pickup game excerpted in the Sunday NY TIMES Magazine and eagerly awaited the book's arrival. I was NOT disappointed in the rest of the author's work here. Ira Berkow weaves a moving portrayal of his own physical "autumn" and of his late awakening to what truly are the most important things in life. Given his life has revolved around basketball, as both journalist and participant, he easily relates why continuing to play such a physically demanding game remains such a pure joy and a worthy life pursuit for so many. "To The Hoop" always strikes the right tone, whether relating events of the great '70s Knick teams of Bradley, et al or Berkow's families' stories from mid-century Chicago. If you play sports, enjoy the athletes who do or find yourself looking back longingly at your athletic life highlight reel, there's much you'll connect with here. In the end, this is a very moving and very inspiring book I can easily recommend.

If you're addicted to "the greatest game ever invented," whether or not you play it well, you'll love "To the Hoop." It has insights and anecdotes from the famous and the unknown players Berkow has encountered in his checkered basketball career. Anyone who has played pickup basketball on a consistent and regular basis has their own memory bank of unusual characters and incidents. Berkow just packages and weaves his stories together in a way that grips the reader. Added to the mix is the emotional tale of alienation and reconciliation between brothers in the context of a life threatening illness. Aging baby boomers who are struggling to deal with the deterioration of whatever athletic talents they may have believed they once had, are the perfect audience for this autobiographical tale.