Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Red and Me - By Bill Russell with Alan Sternberg

Bill Russell is the greatest champion in the history of Sports. Red Auerbach is the greatest coach in NBA history. The two of them came together to form one of the most dominant dynasties the sporting world has ever seen. Along the way, they formed a legendary friendship that went beyond coach and player, or GM and coach. This book dives into that relationship as seen through the eyes of Russell.

This was an interesting read, because it's not really a sports book. Russell and Auerbach could well have been accountants, and the stories this book told would still ring true. This book is more suited for the "self-help" or "relationships" section of the bookstore. At times, I found that jarring, and wished it would go back to the biography of Russell. But, that wasn't fair to the book. That wasn't the point of writing it. Once I reminded myself of that, I was able to really enjoy the lessons the book was trying to teach me about friendship and how to stay an individual. Oh, sure, like any book written by an athlete, you can tell this book was written by an athlete. But, that was part of its charm. If some professor of philosophy wrote this book, the tales would ring more hollow. As it was, it was a great book about what one man thought it meant to be a friend. It was well worth the read. 

Rating: 3 Quarters

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