Although this is a review of David Halberstam’s ‘The Breaks of the Game,” I’ve included a lot of material about Halberstam and his works in general, somewhat unorthodox in the world of reviewing So let’s get right to the actual review first, and you can then shut down if you don’t want to know anything else about his iconic writing.
This is a review of his second basketball book, “The Breaks of the Game,” in which he recounts his stay with the 1979-80 Portland Trailblazers and superstar Bill Walton. The reader is treated to an in-depth look at complex operations, those of the NBA and professional basketball teams, along with personalities, the rise and fall of talent, ego, mind set, strategy of building winners, and the fragility of teamwork. He discusses individual players and their triumph and struggles, millionaire owners and their strengths and frailties, and the constant search for perfection that is never fully discovered.
As a lifelong basketball fan I was delighted to get the inside scoop on the game of hoops. Coaches and players that I’ve followed for years are seen in a new light. Halberstam pulls no punches in his coverage, detailing the development of the remarkable skills necessary to make it in professional basketball, the subsequent fall when talent declines, the wedges driven between players, their coaches, agents and fans with salaries and playing time as the hammers. Halberstam’s writing skills, analytical prowess, and deep knowledge of the underlying psychological and physical makeup of all the participants are carefully and impartially presented in skillful specifics.
David Halberstam was killed on April 23, 2007 in a traffic accident in Northern California. He had just turned 73. The world was deprived of a great and versatile talent. There should be no doubt in any reader’s mind about David Halberstam being the most talented and versatile writer ever. The journalistic approach to his many works, the combination of enormous research, impeccable writing style, and innate intelligence, produced countless best sellers and award winners on a variety of subjects.
In his career he covered the Vietnam conflict for “The New York Times,” for which he won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize, reported extensively on the Civil Rights movement, lived in Poland until he was expelled for being subversive, wrote on JFK’s Vietnam War foreign policy decisions, did profiles on American media giants, wrote about Michael Jordan, about the baseball pennant race between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, about football coach Bill Belichick, about Engine 40, Ladder 35 of the New York City Fire Department in the aftermath of 9/11, and on and on. Believe it or not I’ve read most of his work. He is, to me, “The Best and the Brightest,” the title of his book about JFK.
So, although I’m reviewing “The Breaks of the Game,” I’m also reviewing Halberstam’s amazing career in the hopes you’ll see something else to read after this sports classic. You’ll never run out of topics covered by Halberstam and you’ll never regret reading anything he’s written. I recommend this book and I recommend Halberstam.
Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES
The Breaks of the Game
4.5 | 760 ratings
Price: 23.95
Last update: 06-07-2024
About this item
Top reviews from the United States
Schuyler T Wallace
A CLASSIC PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL ACCOUNT FROM A CLASSIC WRITER
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2014Fred Provencher
A classic book on the pre- Magic/Bird NBA
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015George D Floros
Halberstam Rocks!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
George D Floros
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
I read this book years ago been looking for a copy for quite some time. Amazon had one for $150 but this one at $15 was the easier choice.
The cover has seen better days but the pages have no marks or tears.
Overall: a great ???? purchase.
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