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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I enjoyed the book. Basically a primer in what not to do with an organization. Many decision seemed obviously ill-advised but it goes to show what having the most important person on your side can do. Even though this book seems to confirm the notion that there must be "Michigan Men" in charge, I really feel Dave Brandon was incompetent and "Michigan Men" here is really a substitute for competency and common sense.
Something only for Michigan fans, I think. I read and enjoyed Bacon's previous Three and Out quite a bit, but I thought the personality and travails of Rich Rodriguez made for a compelling 3-act story there. The narrative Bacon pulls at here isn't as compelling and, frankly, as someone who reads MGoBlog, little of it was brand-new to me. Still, engrossing enough for the insider-y details. Some really bizarre and obvious copy editing errors peppered the book, though. Made it all come off as overly rushed.
The title is all you need to understand what this fantastically written nonfiction piece is about. Bacon chronicles the last 4 or 5 years of Michigan football, how it's athletic department failed to walk the fine line between business and family. The decisions and attitudes that impacted lifelong relationships with former student athletes, season ticket holders, and other fans were numerous and never informed. It was an awesome insight into college athletics and my favorite team. So good to know that others felt like Michigan lost something under Dave Brandon.
informative
medium-paced
So poorly edited that I had a large handful of screaming fits and nearly used a red pen to start correcting spelling and grammar. Great read other than that...
From the perspective of understanding the history of Michigan football, it was fantastically informative. However, I didn't really think it was all that well written, especially in the beginning. The storyline itself was great but the writing style was confusing. If I was not a big fan of Michigan football, I don't think I would have enjoyed it anywhere near as much.
Disclosure: I've read every single book that John Bacon has written and hold him in high regard, despite being an Ohio State fan, but this book was terribly disappointing. Not only because of the numerous typos, awkward sentence structures and redundancies, but those really didn't help, especially after the long explanation of what Michigan expectations "This Is Michigan!" truly mean. Clearly the book was written on a tight deadline, and it needs a good edit and a proofread before the second printing.
The two star rating is primarily due to the strident voice in which the author communicates Michigan culture. He clearly is hoping to ensure that the reader really gets what makes Michigan special, and he spends a lot of time on the culture, the history, the expectations and the responsibilities of the University of Michigan and those who attend there and especially the athletes. In doing so, he's often redundant, and...strident. Anyone who picks up this book has enough interest in Michigan football to understand the history and the Michigan Way. We know a Michigan Man needs to coach Michigan football, etc. Less preaching and more of what happened next would make this a much better book.
The two star rating is primarily due to the strident voice in which the author communicates Michigan culture. He clearly is hoping to ensure that the reader really gets what makes Michigan special, and he spends a lot of time on the culture, the history, the expectations and the responsibilities of the University of Michigan and those who attend there and especially the athletes. In doing so, he's often redundant, and...strident. Anyone who picks up this book has enough interest in Michigan football to understand the history and the Michigan Way. We know a Michigan Man needs to coach Michigan football, etc. Less preaching and more of what happened next would make this a much better book.
I would have probably given this higher marks, except I was reading a first edition and the editing and proofreading were awful. Sentences printed more than once, words missing, misspelled words in every chapter. The book itself it really interesting, especially if you are familiar with the traditions of the University of Michigan.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced