This post was co-authored with Miriam Gianni, Mid-Manhattan Library.

We asked patrons to share a sports-related book for our June 12th Open Book Night and got a selection of titles that was as fascinating and varied as the subject of sports itself. We discussed such diverse topics as sport agents, sports writers, the politics of athletic scholarships, news headlines featuring athletes, etc.  There were novels, autobiographies, nonfiction essays, and even philosophy, including one reader’s thoughts on sports as a means of indoctrination in Virgil’s Aeneid.

One of our participants, Wayne, shared his impressions of Leigh Montville, a sports writer and columnist for The Boston Globe. He talked about Montville’s sport page headlines, his coverage of sports legends, including some who went from rags to riches. Some of Montville’s books include:

• Evel The High-flying Life of Evel Knievel : American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend
• Ted Williams The Biography of An American Hero
• The Mysterious Montague A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery

From sports writing, we turned next to coaching. Wilsa told us about Bob Hurley’s 2013 book,  Chasing Perfect, saying, “this autobiography of Bob Hurley as coach  of St. Anthony High School basketball team is a story of success, dedication, and passion—passion for the game. Mr. Hurley genuinely cares about his athletes and leads them to victory on the court and in the classroom.”

Psychology, depression, and the connections people make with family and friends found their way into our discussion when Samantha shared Matthew Quick’s 2010 Silver Linings Playbook: “I really liked how Quick “normalizes” mental illness and uses the comparison to sports fanaticism/superstition. Ideas of fate and being able to change events based on unrelated actions  (wearing a jersey to help a win, bring a good luck charm, etc) , and how these thoughts aren’t so far from the mental illness of Pat. I enjoyed how the father and son came together over sports - It is the glue of their relationship.”

We next turned to a book that brought our talk to subjects of immigration and how sports can unify people. Elizabeth discussed her choice, Joseph O’Neill’s 2008 book Netherland.  “In post-9/11 New York, Hans, a Dutch financial analyst newly separated from his wife and son, embraces the city’s  cricket subculture. When he begins to play the game he loved in his youth, he discovers another New York and connects with people, like Trinidadian immigrant and would- be cricket impresario Chuck Ramkissoon, who would not otherwise have entered his world. But how deep is the bond created by the shared love of a game. Are friendships made on the field truly lasting ones?”

The subject of history found its way in to our discussion of sports, when Elizabeth also mentioned The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling, 1956. “Although I’ll never enjoy watching  the “sweet science of bruising,” I am really enjoying A.J. Liebling’s vivid descriptions of the post-World War II boxing world. These pieces, originally published in The New Yorker, convey the human and sociological aspects of boxing as well as the technical specifics, and they’re also very funny!”

Miriam recommended a more recent anthology of sports writing, The Silent Season of a Hero: The Sports Writing of Gay Talese, published in 2010. “In his writing, Talese focuses on the human and personal side of athletes, rather than just on their accomplishments. I really enjoyed his approach to sports writing, and felt the book was very insightful, both about the athletes included, as well as about Talese himself.”

Our final reader introduced her book choice,  Kakuzo Okakuro’s 2001 The Book of Tea. The book, she said, “explains Eastern culture through the ceremony of drinking tea in Japan.”  The Book of Tea made us think of nice refreshments after a fun-filled day of sports!

Another book suggestion that came up during the discussion was Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel, A Man in Full, in which one of the main characters, a businessman named Charles Croker, is also a former Georgia Tech football player. Although he had read the novel some time ago, the reader vividly recalled a scene involving a contract negotiation for a college player going pro, which he felt offered critical insight into the workings of professional sports.

The selection of titles was fascinating and as varied as there are types of sports. Whatever your interest, chances are you’ll find them covered under some titles at NYPL. Please come to our next Open Book Night, and continue to share your favorite authors and titles with us. If you share your books on social media, remember to tag your posts with the #ireadeverywhere hashtag this summer.

June 26th is our first open theme Open Book Night. We’ll  meet in NYPL’s Outdoor Reading Room on the plaza in front of the Schwarzman Building to share and discuss books we love!  

If you'd like to share book recommendations with other readers, join us at any or all of our upcoming Open Book Nights at the Mid-Manhattan Library, or in the Outdoor Reading Room this summer. The complete 2015 schedule is listed below.  We meet on the second Friday of the month at 6pm in the Corner Room on the First Floor, except for our special outdoor Open Books nights on June 26 and July 10, which will meet on the steps of the Schwarzman Building.  We'd love to see you there!

• February 13, 2015 - Love                                 See the Patron Picks List from Open Book Night, February 2015

• April 10, 2015 - New Beginnings                  See the Patron Picks List from Open Book Night, April 2015

• May 8, 2015 - Nature                                           See the Patron Picks List from Open Book Night, May 2015

• June 12, 2015 - Sports                                         See the Patron Picks List  from Open Book Night, June  2015

• June 26, 2015 - Open theme                           Meet in the Outdoor Reading Room

• July  10, 2015 - Open theme                            Meet in the Outdoor Reading Room                

• August 14, 2015 - Travel       

• September 11, 2015 - New York

• October 9, 2015 - The Occult

• November 13, 2015  - Thanksgiving

• December 11, 2015 - Food and Cooking