Well after an unprecedented hiatus of study, work, moving house and other miscalculations The Podium makes a return. I must apologise to any fans of the site for neglecting this project for so long. No point wallowing though! Let’s cut to the chase and find a book for November.
What’s happening next month? Well in terms of major events, the American College Football season is in full swing, we also have the famous Melbourne Cup horse racing, the second round of the Ashes, autumn Rugby Union Internationals in Europe, the ATP World Tour Finals, the 29th Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships and the World Snooker Championship which starts at the end of the month. We must also not forget that the William Hill Sports Book winner will be announced very soon.
Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry: A History of the Ashes in 10 Matches by Simon Hughes
Award-winning author Simon Hughes brings the history of the Ashes to life by selecting 10 of the most iconic matches from the fixture’s 135 years. His gripping account not only recounts the highs and lows of each game but places you right at the heart of the action, explaining the social context, conveying the atmosphere, assessing the backgrounds and temperaments of the players wearing the three Lions of England and the baggy green of Australia and evaluating the result.
Hughes employs an innovative and distinctive approach, in which each match functions as a narrative spine supported by evocative detail, including the issues, controversies, heroes and villains. The story begins with the birth of the Ashes, and the band of Australians that took on the best gentlemen and players in the Empire’s HQ and beat them on their home turf. This set the tone for some epic contests.
The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin
A teenaged boy plays football in a suburban park. His name is Raheem Sterling. The call is made: “Get down here quick. This is something special”.
Another boy is 8, going on 28. His name is Jack Wilshere. The referee, an Arsenal scout, spirits him away from Luton Town.
A young goalkeeper struggles on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two. His name is Jack Butland. Within months he will be playing for England.
Welcome to football’s hidden tribe. Scouts are everywhere yet nowhere, faceless and nameless, despite making the informed decisions worth millions. Award-winning sportswriter Michael Calvin opens up their hidden world, examining their disconnected lifestyles, petty betrayals and unconsidered professionalism of men who spend long, lonely hours on the road.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
For readers of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit and Unbroken, the dramatic story of the American rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant. It will appeal to readers of Erik Larson, Timothy Egan, James Bradley, and David Halberstam’s The Amateurs.
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein
Now a New York Times Bestseller!
In high school, I wondered whether the Jamaican Americans who made our track team so successful might carry some special speed gene from their tiny island. In college, I ran against Kenyans, and wondered whether endurance genes might have traveled with them from East Africa. At the same time, I began to notice that a training group on my team could consist of five men who run next to one another, stride for stride, day after day, and nonetheless turn out five entirely different runners. How could this be?
We all knew a star athlete in high school. The one who made it look so easy. He was the starting quarterback and shortstop; she was the all-state point guard and high-jumper. Naturals. Or were they?
The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?
The truth is far messier than a simple dichotomy between nature and nurture. In the decade since the sequencing of the human genome, researchers have slowly begun to uncover how the relationship between biological endowments and a competitor’s training environment affects athleticism. Sports scientists have gradually entered the era of modern genetic research.In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success, Sports Illustrated senior writer David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving this great riddle. He investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence.
What book should we read in November?
Come back on Friday 1st of November to see which book has won.
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