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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Nothing hinted at what was to come. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Legendary athlete's life captured well,
By
This review is from: Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine (Paperback)
Steve Prefontaine was and will always be my favorite athlete in any sport. His charisma, guts, and athletic ability were beyond compare. I had the wonderful opportunity of seeing him race twice as a youngster and I'll never forget it.Tom Jordan does a fine job of capturing Pre's life, and the new addition has even more exciting photographs (I have the earlier edition, the green book). In the follow-up edition, I wished Jordan could've extended the book. My only complaint is it is a tad short, but it's still an excellent read. Prefontaine was a fascinating person, and anyone interested in reading about a complex, charasimatic, and passionate personality -- whether they like running or not -- should read this book.
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Athlete is Compelling, The Writing Isn't,
By
This review is from: Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine (Paperback)
The fact that so many people love this book, and yet the writing is so ordinary must mean something. Prefontaine was such a compelling, complex, and inspirational figure, that even the weakest effort to chronicle his life would be loved. It isn't going to make me very popular here when I say this is a pretty weak effort.The biography is mostly a series of facts about races, competitors, and results from high school to his last race. His origins in Coos Bay, OR, or anything in his life outside of running are barely touched upon. In the hands of a better writer, we would more about his life before his running career, which would flesh out the steady drumbeat of race results. A few sentences throughout the text are poorly written. Prefontaine was a very complex character, but here, all we learn that he was a mentally tough runner who won a bunch of races, and little else. There are people who knew Prefontaine at the height of his running career, who claim that he was hardly a modest individual and could be unpleasent. Alcohol problems have been rumored enough that they can't be ignored. It is possible alcohol contributed to his death. How did this typical brash, cocky, talented kid rise to become the legendary, charismatic runner we know today, separating himself from a number brash, cocky, talented American distance runners of his era? Prefontaine's life raised all sorts of interesting questions, but Jordan's too busy sifting through the press clippings to consider any of them. It would complicate the "mentally tough, inspiring runner dies tragically at his peak" story, but should result in a far more unique biography. Jordan either purposely ignores the additional details, or simply wasn't aware of them. Either way, Jordan has no excuse for such a bland and simpleminded portrayal. Runners will find this book inspiring because of who Prefontaine was, but non-runners will wonder what all the fuss is about. And those who know about Pre outside of this book will be dissappointed at how poorly Jordan describes an intensely compelling and complex person.
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best book of all,
By A Customer
This review is from: Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine (Paperback)
this book in my mind was the greatest running book publilshed!! It had all parts of pre's life, from highscholl to college to the pros! It talk about his coaches Bill and Bill!!!!! This book was a terrific book for all people!my mom read it my dad read it and my brother it was great...
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