“the truth has no side” by bennet omalu with mark tabb, zondervan, 304 pages, $24.99
If you’ve seen the movie “Concussion” starring Will Smith, you know that Bennet Omalu is the unlikely figure who shook the foundations of the National Football League and all of football with his scientific research.
You are reading: Books on concussions in football
Omalu’s autobiography tells the full story of how the Nigerian-born pathologist discovered brain damage in soccer players, now known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The first part deals with Omalu’s difficult journey to the United States, an interesting story in its own right. But the core of the book begins in 2002 when Omalu, who lives in Pittsburgh, was assigned to perform an autopsy on Mike Webster, the former Steelers Hall of Fame center who fell into depression and homelessness after retire.
Omalu, who was unfamiliar with football and the webster, searched his brain for more answers. His startling discovery that Webster suffered from CTE turned Omalu’s life upside down. Omalu details how the mighty NFL tried to discredit his findings and how many medical experts ostracized him. Several times, he writes to himself, “I wish I had never met Mike Webster.”
omalu, however, was eventually vindicated, as the league finally had to admit it had a big problem. The last part of the book focuses on Omalu’s views on the dangers of the sport. is recommended reading for parents who are thinking of letting their children play soccer.
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“The Streak” by John Eisenberg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 320 pages, $26
Few individual sports records captured more of the nation’s attention than the fact that Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s mark for consecutive games played. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore attended when Ripken played his 2,131st game in 1995, eclipsing Gehrig’s record.
eisenberg recounts ripken’s entire streak, which eventually extended to 2,632 games. It also details Gehrig’s long career, which ended tragically when “The Iron Horse” was struck down by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 1939. Eisenberg compares the difficulty of his streaks, examining various factors such as travel, medical advances, and even media communication. However, the book is not just about Ripken and Gehrig. Eisenberg also includes interesting profiles on baseball’s other iron men, including the Cubs’ Billy Williams, who set what was a National League record by playing in 1,117 games (Steve Garvey eventually broke it with 1,207 games).
While the durability of these players is praised, the book does a good job of questioning whether they hurt their teams by never taking a day off, especially during a losing streak. were they being selfish in the name of preserving a streak? “Would the occasional break have made Ripken or Gehrig more productive?” Eisenberg writes. “Who knows? The benefit of a day off is one of baseball’s enduring mysteries.” Ripken thought otherwise, stating that the Orioles benefited from his presence in the lineup every day. It’s hard to argue against his record in the hall of fame.
“the first major” by john feinstein, double day, 320 pages $28.95
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john feinstein, the most prolific sports writer of this generation, explores a familiar theme with his latest work: golf. His “A Good Walk Gone Bad” is considered a golf classic, and he has also written books focusing on the game’s biggest tournaments.
feinstein follows the same pattern when breaking down the 2016 ryder cup at hazeltine country club, minnesota. On paper, Feinstein had no dramatic event to document. The United States took a resounding 17-11 victory over the Europeans.
But that didn’t get in the way of Feinstein delivering another compelling book. for him, it’s about the backstory. In fact, he doesn’t begin to describe the matches until page 234. Feinstein’s talent has always been the depth of his relationships, allowing him to get important figures to divulge intimate details of what transpired.
much of the book focuses on the americans’ long struggles in the ryder cup (winning only two of the previous 10 matches) and how the team blew a huge lead on Sunday 2012 in medina, leading to a completely dysfunctional collapse in 2014 in scotland.
Feinstein writes about why Davis Love III, the losing captain in 2012, was given another chance to right his wrongs in 2016. The book features one interesting anecdote after another, including the internal reaction to Phil Mickelson’s controversial remarks; how an injured Tiger Woods swallowed his ego to play a supporting role as the captain’s assistant; and more.
In the hands of a lesser writer, a book about a lopsided match would have been difficult to pull off. Feinstein, however, knows how to tell a good story, regardless of the outcome.
ed sherman is a freelance writer.
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