1st Quarter OSRB book review

1st Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Only the Strong Survive by Larry Platt. Regan Books, 2002. Genre: Biography

Only the Strong Survive, is one of Larry Platt’s books about the life as an athlete or about sports. This book was about the life of Allen Iverson. Larry Platt described the hardship Allen went through growing up in Virginia. This Odyssey of Allen Iverson is mostly the points in Allen Iverson’s life that help him becoming the way he is now. His basketball career is the main point but his football career in hinted at when he was in high school.

"Allen Iverson’s past has been strip-mined by many. Larry Platt has gone back with a hand shovel and sifter and found what everyone missed." This is what the book review reads that Gary Smith, from Sports Illustrated.

Larry Platt’s writing is very familiar because I think I have read one of his other books. They have the same style and setup as well. I have read other biographies and they don’t have good explanations. In other biographies it only gives a few details about the child hood and focuses on the life of the person in the story. I like how he has enough detail about each part of his life . He had his interpretations of what was happening and then what Allen him self said about the situations. He got quotes and phrases that Allen him self said. He made the story like if he was there throughout Allens life. He used some nice descriptive words throughout the story.

"Through others accompanied them on the tour, Gaskins and Iverson bonded on their journey. Gashkins would speak breathlessly of his spiritually based marketing theories. Iverson, more grounded in the street-level realities, would affectionately kid him about being"the dumbest smart person I know." page 131

The story was pretty good overall but there were some parts I didn’t like. The author didn’t really write to much of what he thought or his opinions in the biography. He would just write all the facts. I think if he spread it out a little more it would have been better. But he did a good job over all and I would read another book by him if I had a chance.