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we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
5.0
After reading Concussion - well, for one thing, I think the NFL is pretty damn criminal. And I like football. And I live in Pittsburgh, where people REALLY like football.
Jeanne Marie Laskas made me feel extremely attached to Mike Webster, and to all the other players who have suffered like he suffered. Not to mention the families of those players, the friends, the people who tried to help them and couldn't. This was an amazing book, non-fiction that read like fiction, and I couldn't put it down.
And now I don't know if I can watch football without worrying about who will be next. The 'concussion protocol' is nice, but it doesn't come close to addressing the repeated non-concussive hits those players take, game after game, practice after practice. There aren't many football fans who are in favor of making the game safer. They all need to read this book.
Oh, and my kids? NEVER EVER.
Jeanne Marie Laskas made me feel extremely attached to Mike Webster, and to all the other players who have suffered like he suffered. Not to mention the families of those players, the friends, the people who tried to help them and couldn't. This was an amazing book, non-fiction that read like fiction, and I couldn't put it down.
And now I don't know if I can watch football without worrying about who will be next. The 'concussion protocol' is nice, but it doesn't come close to addressing the repeated non-concussive hits those players take, game after game, practice after practice. There aren't many football fans who are in favor of making the game safer. They all need to read this book.
Oh, and my kids? NEVER EVER.
kaygray78's review against another edition
4.0
As a mom to two athletic kids, neither of which play football (and after reading this book, neither of which will play football ever), I was drawn to this book because of the title. Head injuries and the cumulative effect they have on health has been in the news a lot, and after watching a child taken off the field during a lacrosse game on a backboard because he hit his (helmeted) head on the ground last spring, I was interested in reading more.
As other reviewers have pointed out, this book is not really about what happens to your brain when you get a concussion. The author assumes readers already know what a concussion is, and doesn't expound on that beyond the barest terms: a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head. Like you would receive if you slipped and fell on a floor, or if you were in a car accident. Or if you were a football player.
Instead, this book is about a Nigerian boy born in the midst of genocide, a boy from a deeply religious family, a boy who grew up watching shiny American movies and comparing America to his own country, with its pugilistic leaders and its poverty and dirt and "do not urinate here" signs. This is the story of a high educated man, an oddball, who made studying brains his life's work and in doing so, unearthed something surprising, shocking and sickening. This is the story of that naive boy discovering that America has its own warts and that the almighty dollar is, to huge corporations like the NFL, more valuable than human lives.
The NFL does not come off well in this story. In my opinion, the NFL shouldn't come off well. Bennet Omalu's work raises a lot of questions. At what point does informed consent apply to athletes? What responsibility does the NFL, or college football, or even pee wee leagues have to protect and educate their players? Is the domestic violence problem in the NFL less to do with steroids and competitive men and more to do with brain damage caused by repeated on field hits to the head? Will research on preventing and treating CFE in football players eventually lead to help for people suffering from other forms of dementia?
Highly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
As other reviewers have pointed out, this book is not really about what happens to your brain when you get a concussion. The author assumes readers already know what a concussion is, and doesn't expound on that beyond the barest terms: a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head. Like you would receive if you slipped and fell on a floor, or if you were in a car accident. Or if you were a football player.
Instead, this book is about a Nigerian boy born in the midst of genocide, a boy from a deeply religious family, a boy who grew up watching shiny American movies and comparing America to his own country, with its pugilistic leaders and its poverty and dirt and "do not urinate here" signs. This is the story of a high educated man, an oddball, who made studying brains his life's work and in doing so, unearthed something surprising, shocking and sickening. This is the story of that naive boy discovering that America has its own warts and that the almighty dollar is, to huge corporations like the NFL, more valuable than human lives.
The NFL does not come off well in this story. In my opinion, the NFL shouldn't come off well. Bennet Omalu's work raises a lot of questions. At what point does informed consent apply to athletes? What responsibility does the NFL, or college football, or even pee wee leagues have to protect and educate their players? Is the domestic violence problem in the NFL less to do with steroids and competitive men and more to do with brain damage caused by repeated on field hits to the head? Will research on preventing and treating CFE in football players eventually lead to help for people suffering from other forms of dementia?
Highly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
taralpittman's review
5.0
What you need to know:
Definitely one of the best books I've read this year; Laskas does a fantastic job of detailing this story with the precision of a seasoned journalist while also providing readers with the emotion and suspense of a bestselling novel. I love Will Smith, but don't wait for the film!
My thoughts:
I've already mentioned that this is not a book about football; I have to admit, however, that I love football and the involvement of the NFL is certainly something that interested me about this story. What I quickly discovered is that I became much more interested in Dr. Omalu's journey from Nigeria to the United States, his subsequent experience with racism (a previously foreign concept) in America, and the way in which these experiences would influence and drive his research and contribution to the medical community.
Read more at Running'n'Reading here: my link text
Definitely one of the best books I've read this year; Laskas does a fantastic job of detailing this story with the precision of a seasoned journalist while also providing readers with the emotion and suspense of a bestselling novel. I love Will Smith, but don't wait for the film!
My thoughts:
I've already mentioned that this is not a book about football; I have to admit, however, that I love football and the involvement of the NFL is certainly something that interested me about this story. What I quickly discovered is that I became much more interested in Dr. Omalu's journey from Nigeria to the United States, his subsequent experience with racism (a previously foreign concept) in America, and the way in which these experiences would influence and drive his research and contribution to the medical community.
Read more at Running'n'Reading here: my link text
whatsheread's review against another edition
4.0
I still love football, but after listening to this book, I would have no problems if no one ever played the game again, given the dangers and terrifying effects of CTE.
hlbovard7's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book is truly an eye opener. I had no idea there were so many cases of players past that ended up completely messed up by concussions and damaging blows to the head. It was really sad reading about all the players and their families that had to deal with the aftermath of the game that America loves so much. After learning more about the corrupt NFL it's hard to even really want to watch football anymore. Great book.
k_b00kish's review against another edition
4.0
Great non-fiction outlier/underdog medical story that reads like fiction. This will likely appeal to fans of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
suzannekm's review against another edition
1.0
I was deeply disappointed in this book. It was awkwardly paced and the dialog shifts were jarring to me.
meadows2020's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book because I have ties to the story. My dad does autopsies for a living and he has done a case for Dr. Omalu. The entire story is mesmerizing. Recommend for everyone.
kobowden's review against another edition
3.0
"People expected you to have some measure of longing for the land you left, and you don't want to disappoint anybody, but frankly all that stuff is dead. That's like weeds you pulled. Nobody misses a dandelion." (250)