- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday Canada (Sep 25 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385259980
- ISBN-13: 978-0385259989
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#514,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Books > Sports > Biographies > Basketball
- #23 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Toronto Star sports columnist Chris Young--like legions of ball-heads north of the 49th parallel--has been in awe of Toronto Raptors dunk-junkie Vince Carter since the team scored him in the 1998 NBA draft. Drive tries to balance the hype and reality. Getting to the Carter story first entails a rumination on the out-bound procession of players, staff, and ownership. Young succinctly dismisses the lot: "Those earlier names ... belong to a prehistory from which the Raptors have emerged with Carter as their saviour." Whether he digs it or not, Carter's the reigning golden boy of the NBA's perpetual marketing machine--and not solely because of his skills. Young enthuses about Carter as a "wholesome package," meaning: "No tattoos, no piercings, no gangsta posing, no entourage." Still, his on-court stealth and pyrotechnics are already legendary, even if the living man off-court remains aloof. "You never know who is listening, and how they're going to take it," the star says. "You can't say anything." And that's led to potshots from teammates, other players, pundits, and, as Young writes, an outright questioning of "his desire for the game." Meanwhile, his mom is regularly besieged for sound bites.
Drive is a comprehensive chronicle of the Raptors' lurid genesis, their bizarre growing pains, and the arc of their ascent. It yields glimpses of the man at the centre of this "foreign outpost" poised to bust down the door to the NBA's pantheon, and will make the cut with ballers and bandwagon fans alike. --Sigcino Moyo
Review
“A well-written and absorbing book that even a non-fan of basketball will enjoy.” -- Kitchener-Waterloo Record
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
interesting,
By S (Canada!!) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Drive: How Vince Carter Conquered the NBA (Hardcover)
This book is a good book, but don't buy it if your just a fan of Vince Carter. It's more about the franchise of the Raptors and the business of sports and the NBA. Chapter 5 is the best chapter in any book I've ever read, if you interested in the business side of sports and advertising. So to a sports fan this is a very interesting book, but to someone thats only in it to find out about Vince Carter, it's not a good choice.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review For Drive: How Vince Carter Conquered the NBA,
By J.P. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Drive: How Vince Carter Conquered the NBA (Hardcover)
This is a very good book showing what the world of the NBA, Vince Carter lives in. It goes a little into the problems of Butch Carter, the Raptors organization , and Tracy Mcgrady's rise to stardom. Mostly it involves what Vince Carter, a rising superstar, has done to get where he is in the NBA. Overall it shows the side of the NBA you don't normally see. It' a very interesting book. I enjoyed this book very much and I think you will too.
2.0 out of 5 stars
No need to bother with this one,
By David M Hsu (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Drive: How Vince Carter Conquered the NBA (Hardcover)
As an avid sports and basketball book reader, I'm glad to say that truly great sports books (ie. A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein or David Halberstam's Michael Jordan and the World He Made) actually exist. Sadly though, Chris Young's effort at documenting Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors' history does not even come close. In fact, in terms of both content and interest sustainability, it pales in comparison even next to Shaquille O'Neal's lighthearted autobiography, "Shaq Talks Back." Young is certainly a decent newspaper journalist, however, the book offers little beyond typical newspaper sports journalism. Essentially, what you get is a montage of newspaper articles about the history of the Raptors and not very much about Vince Carter. His life story, significant relationships with other people, and important events are all neglected and instead we get page after page of description of Carter's otherworldly leaping ability. Thanks Chris, but we could get that by watching TV. Also, the identity dilemma that appears to be the thrust of Young's portrayal of Carter, that of being a star athlete while trying to be a nice guy at the same time is imminently laughable. The only sort of groundbreaking news this book offers Vince Carter and Raptors fans (who by definition, already know everything else Young tries to present) is its occasional naming of certain NBA players who have had a history of smoking marijuana. I'm glad to see Young at least put something in the book he doesn't write in the newspaper.
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