Product Description
Iron Mike collects the best writing on the tumultuous fifteen-year career of the most reviled and idolized athlete in the world, Michael Gerard Tyson. Since becoming, at age nineteen, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, Tyson's dramatic rise, fall, and continuing struggle has provoked more passionate writing, both in and out of the sports pages, than that of any other boxer since Muhammad Ali. Iron Mike is about more than boxing. Like no other athlete, Mike Tyson is at the nexus of America's cultural anxieties about race, class, masculinity, violence, and celebrity; like no other athlete his story of high drama and low comedy inspires writers to wrestle with these themes, with Tyson often no more than the occasion for the writer's own preoccupations. And Tyson has provided many such occasions: his rise to the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship at age twenty-one; his rocky marriage to Robin Givens; his controversial conviction for the rape of Desiree Washington; his return to boxing and reclamation of the WBC and WBA belts; his biting of Evander Holyfield. Iron Mike is a kaleidoscopic portrait of a man who, for better and worse, is one of the most recognizable, popular, and defining icons of our time. The book includes selections from Joyce Carol Oates, Pete Hamill, Jose Torres, Pete Dexter, Phil Berger, Christopher Hitchens, Robert Lipsyte, Dave Anderson, Jonathan Yardley, Richard Rodriguez, Katherine Dunn, Budd Schulberg, William Plummer, David Remnick, Keith Botsworth, and others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Well done
Great collection of Mike Tyson articles. The chronological order and different perspectives add to a nice well-rounded story. One article would pet Tyson's ego by favoring him for his rough childhood whereas the next article would slam him for being an animal. Recommended to those interested in different essays/aspects of Tyson but far from being a biography.

Wow this is a compilation of many Tyson prose and it's great.
Great job putting this together.
The only thing I would have liked is a little more details within the fighters life.

For The Tyson Fan, Hater & Everyone Interested
For The Tyson Fan, The Tyson Hater & Everyone Interested In The Tyson Story

Truly a great and encompassing book.

First - you should know that I am a big Mike Tyson enthusiast and supporter.

Iron Mike - A Mike Tyson Reader - is a compilation of stories written by different authors. The chapters go pretty much in chronological order of Tyson's life. From a touch on his childhood to the classic saga of Cus & The Kid to post Holyfield II.

You get different perspectives of Tyson from those that see him in different ways. You get the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.

I felt that a lot of what is covered in the book was pretty fair and balanced (to borrow a phrase). I really appreciated and got a lot out of the different views and different interpretations of Tyson from those who knew him in different avenues of his life.

I went into reading this with a sympathetic view of Mike and this view was reinforced and I was actually given more insight into the hardships that he has had to face as a kid and as an adult.

You would think that with his money and fame how could he have such a hard time, well this book does a good job in showing you how.

What stands out for me is the rape conviction. He had a horrible lawyer - Don King's tax attorney, certain witnesses weren't allowed to testify, certain evidence was not admitted and let's admit it - if he was a Kennedy (see William Kennedy Smith) he wouldn't have gone to jail.

There are some extremely interesting chapters in this that are genuinely eye opening into just how unfairly Mike Tyson has treated and taken advantage of.

Highly recommended to any boxing fan and especially recommended for anyone interested in the story of Tyson - fan or hater - you'll learn something.

Finally
Well, this book is the best all around book I have seen on Iron Mike, and believe me I have seen and read them all. It finally gives an extensive look on this complex individual. Mike is a genius whose greatness may never be understood for years to come. Every quote you you've ever read about him or interview you have ever seen has been doctored to portray him has a brutal, ignorant bully. But in truth he is a very introverted, intelligent, and compassionate human being. But, the media needs a villain so consequently we have an amazing misunderstanding of who the man really is. This book pulls no punches and shows both sides of this often troubled and victimized individual. Be Real Mike and never give up your goal of regaining your belts.

Peace,
Soldier ... Read more

Product Description
Handicapped members of the Very Special Arts organization discuss how they have been able to enrich their lives through painting, poetry, music, and other artistic pursuits. 10,000 first printing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

A Tossed Salad of Writing: Eat Your Greens
I picked this up because I admire the editors at the Paris Review (past and present) and I wanted to acquaint myself, and my family with the variety of authors and their writing in the near immediate way that an anthology affords. The book is divided into topics: heartbreak, madness, sex, love, betrayal, etc., and the contributers span living and dead, male and female, young and old writers. In point of fact some pieces are interviews of the author on the topic, some are essays, short stories and other formats by them. Even if you've read their novels, it's interesting to see how they handle a topic in short form. If you have a mental check-list of important writers and want to taste their particular style and craft -- this book is for you. It is especially interesting to examine how pieces can become dated or continue to feel timeless, regardless of the mastery. Take a forkfull of radicchio then a piece of endive, or consume the entire bowel in one sitting. You are sure to enjoy this literary meal.

Love to read?
Reading anything can be a little time consuming if you're not into it, but this book strives to break-away from that by dividing up sections anyone can find interesting and paramount to their own lives as well as favorite authors interviews and intriguing samplings of written work.Read a lot or a little at time, but read it, its worth it!

750 pages of good writing is a bargain
Well I have never read a copy of the magazine The Paris Review but have subscribed to Granta since it started and subscribe to The New Yorker. The first story in the anthology "Terrific Mother" by Lorrrie Moore was enough for me to give this five stars - let's face it, where can you get such a thrill for $21?There may be some stories, poems, interviews, that don't grab me with the same electric immediacy as that first story, but I don't have to read it from cover to cover.It's one of those terrific bedside books as far as I'm concerned and an absolute joy to explore.

Probably an impossible task
I bought this book mainly for the interviews the magazine has had over the years, and some of them with notoriously reticent figures like Nabokov and Hemingway.But I was disappointed, because what really distinguishes a Paris Review interview from those of other magazines is how well they're edited, and how beautifully and naturally the conversations flow.All we get here is single paragraphs, usually just anecdotes, funny stories, little opinions: sometimes they're profound (see Edmund White's page) or just convey the author's personality well (Faulkner, Hemingway), but all of them just made me upset about not being able to read the rest of the interview.

Of course there's not enough space.But I would have thrown out most of the other material.I doubt there was any way to make this collection totally succesful: if you pick only the famous stuff that the magazine has published over the years, it's sort of a waste, since most people would either have read the selection already or wouldn't want to read just an excerpt.A first chapter is useful to get you excited about an upcoming book, but unnecessary if the book's already been published.If you limit yourself to the more obscure material, well, it'll be good, but there's a reason that some people remain obscure.

Not that I didn't get a lot of pleasure out of this book.Heather McHugh's poem, for example, is beautiful, and I never would have run across it if I hadn't picked this up.There are little wonders sprinkled throughout, but too much of the rest is familiar, just okay, or an unsatisfying little piece of something larger.

I hesitate to put forward this criticism, since I have no idea how I could do it better - but I do know what book I would rather have read.If anyone down at the magazine (which I hope will rebound from the sad loss of Plimpton) can put together a big volume of complete, untruncated interviews, I would pay a princely sum for it.I've seen earlier collections, but nothing that covers the entire Plimpton era, and I think it would be easier to pick just the great interviews than to squeeze thirty plus years of wonderful material into this enjoyable but probably ill-advised collection.

Best Anthology, Longest Title Award
This book makes a perfect gift for both serious literature junkies and those who have blown off reading for the past fifty years. If the former applies to you, here's the best from the best. If you're in the latter category, this book will catch you up to speed. The Paris Review published the first chapter of Kerouac's ON THE ROAD, the first chapter of McInerney's BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, the first chapter of Franzan's THE CORRECTIONS, etc., etc., etc.Obviously, they've been able to spot new talent from the day they started even to today. And of course, their fantastic interviews with writers themselves are legendary. A must for the collector and the neophyte alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Update it, bring it back
The question:can a ten-year-old topical reference still be relevant?The answer:in the case of 50 Ways to Fight Censorship, you bet.This slim, plain-speaking book by former Rolling Stone editor Dave Marsh, with several contributors who range from author and Paris Review editor George Plimpton to poet Allen Ginsberg and a television writer, has very sound, constitutional advice that remains current, even if it was around before the Internet.Now that the Supreme Court has conferred the presidential tiara on George W. Bush, we are seeing the return of the right-wing censors of the Reagan-Bush era, like Dick Cheney and James Baker.We already have been hearing proposals for limiting speech on the Internet.We need a manual like this to make sure we act, not just react, to preserve our first and most fundamental right as Americans, to speak freely and to decide for ourselves what is appropriate to read, hear and view.

An M.O. to First Ammendment freedom fighters
For all those people out there who want to stand up, who want to make their voices heard in the ongoing battle against censorship, but just don't know what to do:Dave Marsh has your answer."50 Ways to Fight Censorship..." is packed with ideas of how you can join in the fight, be it locally or nationally.Marsh provides lists of oranizations you can get in touch with to help get you started, and his suggestions are practical enough for just about anybody to make an impact.

What you can do!
Have you ever walked into a library and not been able to get the book you wanted? Or walk into a movie store, but the title had been banned? Perhaps you aked yourself why? Or what you could do to stop the government frompulling titles simply because they dont like it. The first thing that youcould do, is read this book. This book talks about numerous things you cando to stop the censors for taking away your first amendment right.Everytime you are denied anything because of censorship, your freedom ofspeech is being violated. Authors, artists, musicians, and directors areall being halted from showing the world their thoughts due to censorship,and we have to stop it now!

Short, Fun, and very informative.
Finally, a book that tells the truth about censorship, and what you can do to provent it.This is a must for everyone who is interested in stopping censorship, and I think the censors should read it too.As a relaty check.Sorry to be sor preachy, but The book is great.Read it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Inside the world of the playwright
One of the best books on theatre I have ever read. George Plimpton has compiled the difinitive interviews with some of the centuries most intriuging playwrights including Edward Ablee, Harold Pinter, Sam Shepard and Tennesee Williams. The questions are indepth and utterly facinating. We hear from the playwrights themselves on process, craft and thier candid opinons on the state of modern theatre. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive guide ever written into the mind of the dramatist and a must-read for anyone who has an interest in theatrical studies. Other playwrights interviewed are David Mamet, Arthur Miller, Tom Stoppard, John Guare, August Wilson, Niel Simon and retrospective into the work of Samuel Beckett. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains conversations with 16 women writers, each accompanied by a biographical critical profile, a photograph of the writer and a facsimile manuscript page, which were originally published between 1960 and 1994. Subjects include Dorothy Parker, Maya Angelou, Rebecca West and Nadine Gordimer. ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Mel Allen, Allison Danzig, George Plimpton, Red Barber, Ring Lardner, Rory Markas, Paul Dana, Ernie Harwell, Bob Uecker, Terry Pluto, Roger Kahn, Vin Scully, Gene Scott, Graham Mcnamee, Bud Collins, Shirley Povich, Max Handelman, Herb Graffis, Chick Hearn. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Melvin Israel, dit Mel Allen, (14 février 1913 - 16 juin 1996) est un journaliste sportif américain qui opéra notamment dans le baseball comme voix officielle des New York Yankees. Il reçoit, avec Red Barber, le premier Prix Ford C. Frick en 1978. Natif de Birmingham en Alabama, Mel Allen suit des études de droit à l'Université d'Alabama. Il est diplômé de cette université où il se découvre la passion de vie : le journalisme sportif. Il commente ainsi notamment les matches universitaires de football américain d'Alabama Crimson Tide. Après ses études, il part pour une semaine en vacances à New York (1937). Il ne repart pas. Il auditionne pour CBS Radio qui le connait déjà suite à ses commentaires universitaires. Il est embauché. Il apprend alors son métier en effectuant toutes sortes d'interventions, sportives ou non sportives. C'est ainsi lui qui annonce sur l'antenne de CBS la catastrophe du Hindenburg le 6 mai 1937. Il devient ensuite une célébrité nationale en assurant le commentaire d'une course automobile (Coupe Vanderbilt) depuis un avion. Le départ de l'épreuve est retardée en raison de chutes de pluie, mais Mel Allen assure quand même le commentaire à l'antenne malgré des conditions difficiles. Dès 1938, Mel Allen est au commentaire des Séries mondiales puis devient le voix officielle des Washington Senators en 1939. Il rentre à New York dès juin 1939 pour devenir la voix officielle des New York Yankee...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

Product Description
8 1/2" x 14" 16-page pressbook. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Larry King, George Plimpton, Paul Hornung, Alex Karras, Merle Harmon, Mclean Stevenson, Spencer Ross, Alex Hawkins, Fred Sington. Excerpt:Date of birth: : July 2, 1937 (1937-07-02) Clifton Alexander "Alex" Hawkins (born July 2, 1937) is a retired American football player who played running back for the Baltimore Colts . He excelled as a special teams player. He was a co-captain with the Colts. Hawkins acquired the nickname "Captain Who" prior to a Baltimore Colts/Chicago Bears game, when the team captains were being introduced to each other before the game. Bears' Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus responded to the official's reference to "Captain Hawkins" by blurting out "Captain Who?" In the 1970s, Hawkins worked as a color commentator for TVS' Thursday Night WFL games and CBS ' NFL telecasts. In 1977, the NFC Championship game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys was televised by CBS and covered by play-by-play announcer Vin Scully with Hawkins as color commentator. Hawkins made the following statement to Scully as Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach was jogging off the field, "You know, Vin, that Roger Staubach runs like a sissy." To which Scully responded after a period of stunned silence, "You know Hawk, they tell me you didn't always wear your helmet when you played!" The next day CBS fired Hawkins. References (URLs online) Websites (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at No. 71 item Career highlights and awards item item Career NFL statistics as of 1980 item Games Played : 161 item Fumble Recoveries : 16 item Interceptions : 4 item Stats at NFL.com item College Football Hall of Fame Alexander George "Alex" Karras (Greek : ) (born July 15, 1935, in Gary , Indiana , United States), nicknamed "The Mad Duck" , is a former football player, p... ... Read more