OT--Michigan reading list
January 7th, 2009 at 4:42 PM ^
I got it for Christmas, and just started reading it today. The first chapter was very interesting. I think any Michigan fan would enjoy it. Apparently, my mom said it was hard to find though.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^
I agree with MichFan1997; Bo's Lasting Lessons is a must read. My wife got it for me last year and it is one you will not want to put down. I know it has been brought up 800 times, but while reading it, it becomes almost uncanny how similar some of Bo's and Rich Rod's experiences were in their first years.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:20 PM ^
Yes, Bo's Lasting Lessons is fabulous. It's really great to hear the old stories from Bo's own voice.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:53 PM ^
I don't know if they'll have it (because I think it's out of print), but "Fab Five" by Mitch Albom is a must IMO. Even though Albom is a royal asshat, the book is fantastic. If you can't get it on Barnes & Noble, I suggest buying it used on Amazon or something.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:31 PM ^
i dont agree with albom being an "asshat." have ou read anything else by him besides something about sports? Tuesdays with Morrie? or The Five People you Mee in Heaven? both very good IMO
January 7th, 2009 at 7:01 PM ^
Yes, I have read most of his major published works--certainly the ones you mentioned above--and my view on him is based on more than just his authorial acumen. In a nutshell: it's the general pomposity with which he acts and writes. Kind of like an Eggers for the lowest common denominator. This is a matter of opinion and should be taken as such...any extended discussion of why I don't particularly care for Albom would instantly become a pissing contest.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:31 PM ^
And at least Eggers is clever (or rather, too clever by half). Albom just comes off as pre-packaged.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:44 PM ^
I loves me some Eggers.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:43 AM ^
we're agreeing to call Albom a ham and compare him to Eggers. Delicious.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:33 PM ^
Currently reading "War As They Knew It" myself. Hard to put down, and IT MAKES ME BOIL WITH A SEETHING URGENCY TO BEAT OHIO STATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Mrs. Six Zero ordered "The Michigan Vault" for me from Amazon-- if you like looking back to Michigan ball in days long past, check it out... more of a coffee table book than hard reading, but VERY COOL.
Brandstatter's "Tales from Michigan Stadium" are great collections of these little 3-4 page stories about past seasons, typically involving all the great things that made Bo, well, Bo.
I have a few more, but can't remember em all off the top of my head... "What It Means to Be a Wolverine" is a great collection of essays on the title topic by former players. Definitely one of those books you start reading in mid-August when you're chomping at the bit for the season to start.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:42 PM ^
The expression is actually supposed to be "champing at the bit." A very large number of people get this wrong.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:32 PM ^
The Big House by Robert Soderstrom is very good if only that it documents Michigan football in the 1920s and the construction of Michigan Stadium. It's a little heavy on the newspaper quotes and a little light on the prose, but it's still very solid.
http://www.amazon.com/Big-House-Fielding-Building-Michigan/dp/193239911…
Blue Ice by John U. Bacon is also a fun read if you love Michigan hockey, or even if you just enjoy a good anecdote or two. Bac's has a great knack for story telling and I am strongly hoping that if Coach Carr wants to write a memoir, he'll take Bacs to work with him.
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Ice-Story-Michigan-Hockey/dp/0472097814/ref=…
January 7th, 2009 at 6:49 PM ^
is one of the books I purchased in the Briarwood M Den along with Bo's Lasting Lesson's last week. If you are facing heart disease or have it in your family history you want to read this book. Bo alternated between being discipined and falling back into old habits and this book talks about the consequences of both.
He lived a lot longer than he should have in part due to life style changes and part due to good medicine and new surgical technology.
He was a hell of a man and I am sorry I did not have the opportunity to meet him personally. I will never forget when Calvin Cowherd told me over the radio that he was gone on 11/16/06. I sat in my car for 30 minutes and just reflected on the influence he has had on my life.
PS- if you are getting married you can donate to the Bo Heart of Champions Fund instead of having table favors. I did that when I married in March 2007 and it was well worth the investment. My wife and I even received a thank you letter from Cathy Schembechler. We will get it framed and it will find a place in our Wolverine Den.
Go Blue- beat heart disease!
Virginia Wolverine
January 7th, 2009 at 7:03 PM ^
good Michigan Den reading material anyway. Suggest you get:
"Creation of his own"-- story of the Detroit Observatory and President Tappan's efforts to make U of M the great research university we know it as today.
"100 yd war"-- recaps of the formative years of the m v OSU rivalry and while its a little OSU heavy, the stories of hwo crazy Woody Hayes was and how Bo used goad him into things are great
"Skunkworks"-- while not a book on U of M specifically, if you are any type of nerd, this book details thhe history of Lockheed's famous Skunkworks operation and how it adopted the personality of its founder, proud U of M grad Clarence Kelly Johnson. (The big auditorium in the FXB is named after him)
January 7th, 2009 at 9:45 PM ^
The autobiography "Bo" is great. I think I read that it's out of print now. Haven't read Lasting Lessons, so I'm not sure if they are largely the same.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:16 PM ^
Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, by Michelle O'Brien. Looked interesting. I saw it on Amazon while looking up one of the other books. One glowing review, which is nice assuming it wasn't written by O'Brien's husband or publisher.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:25 PM ^
Bo's Tradition also published earlier as Michigan Memories is meh. Bo was good, but a little out of date, even for me, these days.
The Big House is quite good and gives you an excellent historical perspective on both UM and the football program. It is particularly relevant given the construction going on now. Recommended.
The University of Michigan Football Vault is really cool if you get into nostalgia. It includes in it reproductions of tickets, postcards and such from games and bowls. It is a coffee table type book. Very recommended if you like to see this kind of history that the fan saw and had in his hand back in the day.
Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football was just published from Bently Library photos and has a great collection of photos that span from 1879 through 1979. Great photos. Really gives you a feel for the old time game and its environment.
I particularly liked Natural Enemies. It is on the Michigan - Notre Dame series and explains the history of both the games (very few) and why the series had such long interruptions. A very interesting viewpoint of things that go on behind the scenes - things that can have a great impact, but as fans, we are unaware of. Particularly relevant given the first big game of the coming season will be against ND. Will get you fired up. Highly recommended.
For the OSU-UM rivalry, The Big One tells the stories of each of the games wonderfully (I don't know how recent the latest edition goes in the series), but the book is almost totally lacking in the way of statistics. On the other hand, One Game Season has stats up the wazoo but doesn't really "set the table" very well as far as the background and story of each game.
Gameday Michigan football is useless. Michigan Football Yesterday and Today useless, but less so. Michigan Where Have You Gone? and What It Means to be a Michigan Wolverine focus on various players and their stories both while at UM and after. The former is a little more informative.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:20 PM ^
Thanks all--I appreciate the suggestions.