Reddit mentions: The best southern us biographies

I'm mostly a basketball guy so...


You don't need to have ever seen a basketball game to appreciate these first two books.

Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam which it probably the best NBA book. It follows the 1978 Portland Trail Blazers and gets way more access than anyone could get now. Plus Halberstam was a great writer so he gets the most out of excellent material.

The Last Shot by Darcy Frey this is probably my favorite basketball book. It follows high school basketball players and it works as biography as well as an exploration of sports culture, race, class, and youth. The Hoop Dreams of books. Great journalism on a great subject.

Freedarko's The Undisputed Guide to Basketball History Captures the visceral and intellectual thrill of watching basketball better than any other book. Manages to capture big picture and little picture.

Seven Seconds or Less Lifelong basketball writer follows one of the funnest teams in NBA history for a year


Pistol Biography of Pistol Pete and his insanely driven father. Manages the rare feat for a sports biography of not slipping into hagiography.


Baseball

Moneyball How baseball teams were run a decade ago. Really well written and somehow manages to make baseball and business really entertaining. Great for fans and non-fans.

I'm glad we're getting interest from some Yankees! College football in the SEC (and in particular the University of Alabama) is second to none in all of sports. That includes all professional sports in the US and professional soccer in Europe.


I think the advice that has already been given is pretty accurate. For a major SEC opponent (LSU, UT, and maybe even Ole Miss this year) tickets will no doubt be more expensive but worth the experience. What's more important, IMO, are your plans for lodging. There are not a ton of hotels in the Tuscaloosa area and rooms usually sell out on game weekends at least 6 months in advance.


If you're coming with friends, look into renting an RV for the weekend and you'll have the time of your life with our RV family. (Read this book to prepare yourself for the experience.)


You can ALWAYS find a ticket from a scalper outside the stadium even if you come down without one. Have cash in hand close to kickoff and you'll find a pretty good deal. If you have some coin to spend, come down with a ticket so you can experience the pregame traditions inside the stadium. They're pretty incredible. Our pregame video is new every year and gets better every year. I can't wait to see this year's.


PM me when/if you decide to come and I can try to give you some more specific tips once I know what you're really looking for.


RMFT!

A little. It's a bit understudied because academics can be a bit finicky about cultural studies, but Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer is probably the best that has been written about Alabama. I'm not sure about Auburn material that isn't simply rhapsodic remembrances of great games or based around the unchallenged mythos of the Auburn family. As an academic, I hope to get a chance to write something like that some day, though.

My mom and dad were from Mingo County, West Virginia. I am not sure you can get more Appalachia than that. They came to Columbus in 1965 to escape. My dad was part of a much larger movement of people leaving behind coal mines for greater economic opportunities. At the time my dad left, there were still plenty of jobs in his region, but almost everything revolved around working in or in support of coal mines. Everyone knew people receiving payments from insurance for black lung and on permanent disability before they reached the age of 60. It just seemed like the smart thing to do to find work that did not kill you or give you a permanent health problem. In the mid-60s, Ohio had plenty of factories, and Columbus offered both blue and white collar jobs. The smart hillbillies left town. My uncle who moved from the same region up to Cleveland around the same time that my parents moved to Columbus told me just a few years ago that the reason that part of West Virginia looks so bad compared to the rest of the country is that anyone with motivation left. Those left behind for the most part (there are exceptions) had the least initiative. The older generation that felt too old to move continued to try to preserve what was good about the area, but after they died, the next generation refused to pick up their civic responsibilities. This probably seems like a harsh assessment, but I have sympathy for the region. I spent a lot of time as a kid in western West Virginia and eastern Kentucky visiting family. I am sympathetic to those who feel left behind or trapped there; I don't have much sympathy for those who refuse to help themselves.

If anyone is looking to read a good book on the region, here is one that is a bit expensive: Growing Up in Bloody Mingo.

https://www.amazon.com/Bootleggers-Boy-Barry-Switzer/dp/0688093841

It doesn't look like it's in print any more, but it's a fun read. He tells the story you just related in there. That's not the fun part, to say the least.

Thank you for sharing. That's a great story.

There's probably going to be a BiblioFriday post later on, but...

After reading the I lost my NFL team today post in the mothersub, I figured I should do some actual reading on CFB and traditions in this long offseason. I'm not a non-fiction reader at all, but I have enough interest that I can probably make it through a few of these.

Anyone of have any recommendations? I don't especially care what school the book's on (since I don't really have an FBS team to cheer for).

ETA: I did already add Running for my Life by Warrick Dunn on my wish list.

Edit 2: Running list:

• Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
  
• The Backyard Brawl
  
• The Junction Boys

https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Lifetime-Observations-Reflections-Court-ebook/dp/B003TO4TKQ?ie=UTF8&btkr=1&redirect=true&ref_=dp-kindle-redirect

This right here. It gives you a lot of wisdom from a coach who demanded that his players do things the right way. It includes his pyramid of excellence, and is a very influential book for the way to approach the game.

EDIT:
https://www.amazon.com/Pistol-Biography-Maravich-Mark-Kriegel-ebook/dp/B000NY12PK/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1463447103&sr=1-3&keywords=pistol

https://www.amazon.com/Rivalry-Russell-Chamberlain-Golden-Basketball-ebook/dp/B000FCKGSY?ie=UTF8&btkr=1&redirect=true&ref_=dp-kindle-redirect

Also these two books.

Though he is occasionally up for parole, he will never get it.

On a side note, if anyone would like a fascinating read about both this case and what Houston was like in the 50s~70s, Jack Olson wrote The Man with the Candy several years back. Describes an atmosphere in Houston that was towards the end of the "big small town" culture of police and government, and a socioeconomic geographical layout of the city that you will have a hard time believing if you moved to Houston in the past 20 years.

An excellent piece of both Houston history and true crime.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743212835/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/183-8900631-3764067

I recommend Roll Tide/War Eagle on ESPN or SEC Network if you have it. This short, funny book is also excellent.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0609807137/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_bgfJBbXDTZZ8G

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

He didn't play very long because of knee issues, I believe. He may have played 1 year in the 80s, but his career ended rather abruptly considering that he was an all star from 77-79. I find that not many people that I talk basketball with know much about 70s basketball anyway, so I'm not too surprised. If you've never read Pistol:The Life of Pete Maravich, you should, it reads pretty well for a sports biography.

AL.com is largely clickbait, and leaves you forced to read Kevin Scarbinsky. Roll Bama Roll is an excellent choice, and their EIC, Erik, is a Bama law grad. He tends to keep them from posting stupid stuff.
Read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer if you can get your hands on a copy. Warren St. John comes off as a bit of a "Yankee by adoption" (which I find regrettable), but the book is a window into what the fanbase looked like pre-Saban, proving we're not just a bunch of bandwagon crazies.
I get a lot of my info from Twitter though, so hit me up if you want some suggestions of good follows.

It's old now, but this book is an awesome read, and follows a class of naval F/A-18 pilots through their training program (F/A-18 only, it doesn't get much into the earlier training planes/lessons).

St. John is a great writer. He wrote Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer too which is a great intro to how fucking crazy Bama fans are

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0609807137?pc_redir=1406968942&robot_redir=1

Bootlegger's Boy. Autobiography by Barry Switzer, pretty interesting.

Check out this book. It is awesome.

From the guy that wrote Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (which is an awesome book)

I would have done this but that is good

You all may enjoy the book Atchafalaya houseboat : my years in the Louisiana swamp by Gwen Roland.

This is a book authored by one of my fiancée's college friends:

http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Doing-Life-Notes-Prison/dp/0199734755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268973635&sr=1-1

If you're for real and can PM me your address & cell #, I'll buy you a copy have it sent.

Remember Good People Beget Good People?

Similarly, there were over 400 men lost on the USS Oklahoma, second only to the 1,100+ on the Arizona. Unlike WV, the Oklahoma was not counter-flooded in time and did capsize -- within about 12 minutes -- leaving only her bottom and part of the starboard side above water once her superstructure hit the bottom. This is visible in the photo referenced earlier. She was due to have an inspection, so the internal hatches to her protective torpedo blisters along her hull were opened, which caused very fast catastrophic flooding after being hit by five torpedoes. Some trapped crew escaped by swimming down and out of the ship. Others were trapped deep in the ship’s hull which, unlike those men trapped in the water pump room on West Virginia, placed them near the surface once she turned over. Rescuers immediately began trying to save the men inside Oklahoma by cutting into the shell plating and bottom. The rescuers tried oxyacetylene torches but ended up causing the deaths of trapped sailors when the cutting torches allowed the escape of the pressurized air pockets in which the men were awaiting rescue. The thick steel plate and armor could not be cut fast enough to prevent drowning. These torches cutting into the ship also consumed the oxygen in the internal compartments and caused the interior red lead-based paints and bulkhead insulation to catch on fire, causing poisonous gases to form. (The workers at Pearl did not have oxygen electrode cutting torches until well into the salvage operations.) Thirty-two men ultimately were rescued from the Oklahoma on Dec 8 and 9, largely cut out of the ship by workers using pneumatic air tools to cut the heavy steel. As the last men were removed from the ship, the water was lapping up to the top of the rescue holes, forcing the men to hold their breath as they waited to be rescued. A great book for this is Trapped at Pearl Harbor: Escape from Battleship Oklahoma by Stephen Bower Young. Mr Young was one of the 32 men rescued and his experience was nothing short of harrowing. The rest of the men on Oklahoma could not be reached and the banging from inside the ship stopped after Dec 10. The salvage of Oklahoma and recovery of the bodies of the lost crew is discussed in the Raymer book. (Many of the parbuckling and refloating techniques used for the Okie were used recently to salvage the cruise ship Costa Concordia at Giglio.) Many of these men were buried in common graves in Hawaii because their remains were in such poor condition. However, they were exhumed this year and new DNA ID techniques are proving successful in giving these men their names back so they can finally go home to their families. Several media stories have been published recently about this identification effort.

TL;DR - Thirty-two sailors were rescued from USS Oklahoma. Some trapped crewmen died when air escaped during the rescue. Others asphyxiated when torches consumed oxygen or started toxic smoke and fires. (Added as edit)

Printed every year in the Daily Tarheel since 1990: Why I Hate Duke.

My first crush ever was on Eric Montross (I was three), and when I met him a few years ago before a game, I thought my heart was going to explode.

I attended UNC. I've lived in Chapel Hill my entire life. My parents attended UNC and made out for the first time in the elevator of the foreign language building. My mother works there. My father lectures there. My grandmother worked there. My grandfather was a professor, chair of the history department, and chair of the faculty.

When anyone on Tobacco Road says that their "blood runs Carolina/Duke blue," everyone needs believe them. I firmly believe in the title of one of the books on the rivalry -- "To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever".

Well his dad wrote a book, which might be the source.

My teacher recommended The Wind is My Mother, by Bear Heart and I learned a lot.

Sorry for the late reply! The Man With the Candy is still around, Amazon has it for $14.55 new at the moment: http://www.amazon.com/Man-Candy-Jack-Olsen/dp/0743212835

Pistol the Life of Pete Maravich

I've read Pistol Pete's biography. They mention this fact somewhere around the beginning

Desktop link

Bootlegger's Boy the Barry Switzer autobiography

Here's the link.

Okay, here you go. You didn't get it from me. ;)

Pistol Pete - A boy pushed at incredible lengths to achieve what his father never could, becomes a basketball phenom, or "basketball android" in his own terms, becomes one of the first 'great white hopes' in the game, begins breaking down, abusing alcohol, searches for some kind of spiritual release from the pressure he's faced his whole life, mends fences with his dad, dies too young.

There is already a film called Pistol about PP, but I recall it not being very good.

NC basketball is a particularly sore case.

It's kind of sad that this was the only thing the dude ever wrote:

http://www.amazon.com/With-Hemingway-Year-West-Cuba/dp/0030056179

"Angel of Darkness" by Dennis McDougal, about Randy Kraft and the other serial killers in the 1970s and very early 1980s in Southern California.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Darkness-Story-Heinous-Murder-ebook/dp/B002PXFY42

"Freed to kill", by Gera-Lind Kolarik (Author), Wayne Klatt (Author). A book about Midwestern serial killer Larry Eyler.
https://www.amazon.com/Freed-Kill-Story-Serial-Murderer-ebook/dp/B00USC6V8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896023&sr=1-1&keywords=freed+to+kill

"Bluebeard" by Valerie Odgen, a book about Gilles De Rais.
https://www.amazon.com/Bluebeard-Valerie-Ogden-ebook/dp/B07H9KKXSY/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896221&sr=1-4&keywords=Bluebeard

The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science by Douglas Starr.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Little-Shepherds-Forensic-Science-ebook/dp/B003F3PMK2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1536895941&sr=1-1&keywords=killer+of+little+shepherds

The man with the candy, by Jack Olsen.
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Candy-Jack-Olsen/dp/0743212835

"Deranged" by Harold Schechter, about Albert Fish.
https://www.amazon.com/Deranged-Shocking-Americas-Fiendish-Killer/dp/0671025457/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JHBKDXB0BVQEGP8KN1A2

"Killer Clown: the John Wayne Gacy murders" by Terry Sullivan.
https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Clown-John-Wayne-Murders-ebook/dp/B00BPVV2T6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896171&sr=1-1&keywords=killer+clown+Gacy

"The Want-Ad killer" by Ann Rule.
https://www.amazon.com/Want-Ad-Killer-True-Crime/dp/0451166884/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896281&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=want+ad+killer

"Lust Killer" by Ann Rule about Jerry Brudos.
https://www.amazon.com/Lust-Killer-Updated-Ann-Rule/dp/0451166876/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896309&sr=1-2&keywords=lust+killer+Ann+Rule

"Monsters of Weimar: The Stories of Fritz Haarmann and Peter Kurten" by Theodor Lessing / Karl Berg / George God.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Weimar-Stories-Haarmann-Kurten/dp/1897743106/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896338&sr=1-1&keywords=monsters+of+weimar

"Strangers On The Street - Serial homicide in South Africa" by Micki Pistorius.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Street-Serial-homicide-Africa-ebook/dp/B06XDPS3DL/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896393&sr=1-1&keywords=strangers+on+the+street+South+Africa

"Gruesome: The crimes and criminals that shook South Africa" by De Wet Potgieter.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Gruesome-crimes-criminals-shook-Africa-ebook/dp/B015JFIQH4/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896451&sr=1-8&keywords=south+Africa+crime+ebook

"Profiling Serial Killers: And other crimes in South Africa" by Micki Pistouris.
https://www.amazon.com/Profiling-Serial-Killers-crimes-Africa-ebook/dp/B06XDCNQGR/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896451&sr=1-6&keywords=south+Africa+crime+ebook

"Murder in Tamden: when two people kill." by Paul Wilson.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Tandem-Paul-Wilson/dp/0732267730

"Australia's serial killers: Never to be released." by Paul B. Kidd.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Australias-Serial-Killers-Never-Released/dp/1743532253/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536896675&sr=1-13