Breaking BackHow I lost everything and Won Back My LifeBy: James Blake and Alan FriedmanPublished By: HarperCollinsPages: 279
I found this book at the Odyssey book shop. I went to the book store looking for a biography based upon a big character in the sporting world. I was lucky enough to find a biography on James Blake who is one of my favorite tennis players.
Breaking Back is unlike any other biography I have ever read. Instead of just stating the facts, this biography tells a story that is much deeper. Breaking Back really focuses on the success that James Blake was able to enjoy before the 2004 season. He was on the hot track to becoming one of the best players in the world until that 2004 season where he slipped and broke his neck, his father (and greatest role model) passed away, and he was diagnosed with a bad disease known as zoster, which left him with a paralyzed face and blurred vision. The rest of the book depicts his career following these extreme setbacks. While he played horrible at first, he eventually began to improve and he became determined to be the best. The book concludes by stating that James Blake became the 4th ranked player in the 2007 season. This book really described how James Blake was able to face setbacks and adversity to become one of the best tennis players in the world.
I feel that the audience of this book is people playing sports or dealing with setbacks. The book really focuses on overcoming problems and adversity so I feel like it was aimed for the crowd dealing with those problems.
James Blake writes in a very direct writing style. He uses very basic words that do not confuse the reader. His writing is straight forward with a very understandable vocabulary. “I think of my dad as not dead - he is jus t- away.” (Blake, 63)
Passage 1: Even if you’re on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. (Blake, 110)…I really like this quote because it makes a point that you really have to put yourself out there. You may have everything going for you but you need to keep doing what you have been to maintain.
Passage 2: Tuesday was just as efficient and just as joyless. (Blake, 116)…This passage really shows the struggle that Blake had to deal with. This passage was written while he had a broken neck.
Passage 3: Life is just what happens to you while you’re making other plans. (Blake, 35)….This is my favorite passage in the book. I think the meaning behind it is so significant. Basically it is saying that you can plan for tomorrow or next week but you cannot plan for next year because so many unexpected things could happen that would alter the path of your life.
I feel like this book was easy to relate to for me. I found it to be an extremely inspirational story and I was able to connect with the author. I have faced a great deal of adversity for my whole life because of how short and small I am. People have put me down and hoped for my failure. James Blake was facing the same problems and it is truly amazing to see how he overcame it all. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone.
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I feel that this book would be enjoyable to read. I am a big sports fan so I fit within the recommendation for this book. I really like the third quote. It teaches you that your life will never go the way you try to plan it. Things happen unexpectally.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not a golf fan, the book does seem very inspirational and it certainly has a positive outlook on life. Stories about overcoming such odds and difficulties never get old.
ReplyDeleteI thought this book was very interesting. I am a big golf fan and it sounds like a book that I would enjoy. It must have been extremely hard for him to play with blurred vision because i know that it is hard for me to play and I have 20/20 vision. I really like the first passage because it says that you can't just sit around and hope something good happens, you have to get out there and make something good happen. I would really like to eventually read this book. -Corey Whelihan
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I would read this book, it seems interesting but I am not interested in Tennis enough to read a book about a tennis player. The passages and the meanings behind them did make me some what interested in the style. They weren't just straight facts about his career, they go farther into the struggle that James Blake had to endure and overcome to return back to being one of the best.
ReplyDeleteThis story sounds both interesting and enjoyable. I think it is great how he came back from all his past injuries and played better than ever. I would read this book because I really like reading sports books.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary Dpin. Reminds of a TV show that I've seen called Breaking Bad. This story sounds quite interesting, and I like the fact that the character came back from his injuries and improved his skills. I also liked the passages you picked.
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