This year, I read 131 books (my Goodreads challenge was 110). Included are all 51 books in the Spenser series, which I really enjoyed. Don’t get me wrong, Spenser is a kick-ass private investigator, but none of them stood out for the book year of the year.
So, let me glance through my Goodreads list and see if something pops out to me.
I got two:
Connie: A Memior – by Connie Chung
I was a bit skeptical about reading this book, as I wasn’t sure I would enjoy her story.
I had had no clue her parent’s marriage was arranged.
I had no clue who father was a spy in the Chinese government, and because of that, that is how her family was able to migrate to the USA. Her father documented it and Connie repurposed it for the book. A lot of things happened and if anything went wrong, we wouldn’t have Connie Chung today.
I had no clue Connie worked at an independent news station in LA after she left CBS news. At that station, Maury Povich (whom she would later marry, was the Sports Director). Connie had a lot of interesting celebrity stories during that time; dude, it was LA!
She got to report on a lot of historical stories and got to interview a wide range of people. She tells the good and the bad. I had a little bit of a clue on the male presence of television news, and how hard it was for females to become equals or even take over something, but she persevered. I think she may be one of a very select few who can say they worked for all the BIG THREE stations.
One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the Connie Generation. It’s girls who were named after Connie Chung as she is a strong Asian woman and is a role model for kids and parents while she was on television. There was a gathering of Connie’s, and the original Connie was so happy to talk to everybody and hear their own story.
I am super glad I read this, because I have a totally different understanding of her.
Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up The World Of Sports – by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob
I was immediately intrigued as in 2022, I read Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters by Ben Green.
So, I was already familiar with the team, but was looking forward to reading about the man behind the team, Abe Saperstein.
I didn’t know how much influence Abe had during his lifetime for bringing the world together and not giving a care in the world about the color of somebody’s skin. I didn’t know he helped bring Larry Doby and Satchel Paige to the Cleveland Indians baseball team in 1948 with the magnificent, Bill Veeck, as the owner. I have read a few books on Bill Veeck, and wasn’t surprised to see Abe and him having a positive business relationship.
I didn’t know it was his idea to bring the three pointer to basketball.
I didn’t know how much there tours overseas helped bring more awareness to basketball and improved relations with those countries. He even had portable basketball courts stashed overseas for those appearances.
He was a pioneer in everything he touched and grew the team into a powerhouse. Remember, this was during the 1930’s to 1960’s. The Great Depression, wars, racism, with no social media to spread the positivity of Abe and the Globetrotters. The Globetrotters barnstormed throughout the country and the team they played against the best, and won! They even defeated the Minneapolis Lakers twice during there George Mikan time.
All the gimmicks and hijinks throughout the games made it fun and the variety acts he had for halftime, were a perfect fit. Just look at an NBA game today, and you can see Abe’s influence, although you may not know it.
He was inducted after his death to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
It was an amazing read and purview in to Abe’s life. I really enjoyed it. There were references to books, newspaper articles, and sports writers throughout the book. One book, in particular, caught my eye. It’s The Legend of Red Klotz: How Basketball s Loss Leader Won Over the World 14,000 Times, which I have just finished and am working on review now.
