“The definitive book of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers†(Scott Brown; ESPN): A unique literary sports book that—through exquisite reportage; love; and honesty—tells the full story of the best team to ever play the game.The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s won an unprecedented and unmatched four Super Bowls in six years. A dozen of those Steelers players; coaches; and executives have been inducted into the Hall of Fame; and three decades later their names echo in popular memory: “Mean†Joe Greene; Terry Bradshaw; Franco Harris; Mike Webster; Jack Lambert; Lynn Swann; and John Stallworth. In ways exhilarating and heartbreaking; they define not only the brotherhood of sports but those elements of the game that engage tens of millions of Americans: its artistry and its brutality. Drawing on hundreds of interviews; Their Life’s Work is a richly textured story of a team and a sport; what the game gave these men; and what the game took. It gave fame; wealth; and; above all; a brotherhood of players; twelve of whom died before turning sixty. To a man; they said they’d do it again; all of it. They bared the soul of the game to Gary Pomerantz; and he captured it wondrously. “Here is a book as hard-hitting and powerful as the ‘Steel Curtain’ dynasty that Pomerantz depicts so deftly. It’s the NFL’s version of The Boys of Summer; with equal parts triumph and melancholy. Pomerantz’s writing is strong; straightforward; funny; sentimental; and blunt. It’s as working class and gritty as the men he writes about†(The Tampa Tribune; Top 10 Sports Books of 2013).
#2766953 in Books 2011-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.70 x .50 x 5.00l; .0 #File Name: 1445605945224 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Surviving Titanic: a personal memoirBy Hueg EssFor readers familiar with the Titanic's foundering; Col. Gracie's very personal account of his near-drowning and survival complements other memoir and reporting accounts of this drama. He draws much on the American and English courts of Inquiry reports and personal correspondence with other survivors. He presents specific lists by name and lifeboat identity of those rescued by the S.S. Carparthia at daylight. It is not a "stand alone" source of information about the tragedy such as Lord's "A Night to Remember;" but Gracie captures the color and vivid memories of the unforgettable experiences shared within the fellowship of Titanic's survivors.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. INTERESTINGBy Billie JeanFor being written so long ago; it is not at all wordy or overly embellished. It was very interesting and as accurate as he knew it. For instance; he stated that the Titanic did not split in two; yet other survivors in other books say that it did. He said Murdoch did not commit suicide while other survivors in other books disagree with that. However; he did contact many other survivors to get their accounts of the tragedy. It is well worth the read if you are interested in the Titanic at all. I felt ever so much better about Bruce Ismay after reading Col. Gracie's explanation of how he came to be on one of the lifeboats.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great first hand account and more!By Thomas O. PhippenThoroughly enjoyed reading this book all the way through; would recommend this to anyone who already has a good history learned of the Titanic and wants to broaden that. Gracie goes into much detail of his trials in surviving the night after being plunged into the Atlantic and finding himself aboard the upturned collapsible boat. He paints a vivid picture in your mind and you almost feel as if you are there yourself. He goes into detail of assisting the officers in loading the port side boats; and gives account from his own research into the history of the other lifeboats from the inquiries and testimonies. I feel like these are the best kind of books to read to get the best account of what it was like to be there that night; you can definitely tell this book was in aid of making movies about the disaster; most notably "A Night to Remember." The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because written so soon after the disaster some testimony and findings are a little outdated; like proof of the ship breaking apart; and Gracie died before some of his studies could be corrected. You need to put yourself 100+ years back when reading. Even with a 4 star rating it is well worth the read; these old books are like hidden gems now days; and for such a low price because of the expired copyrights you definitely can't go wrong!
