In 2019, the NFL issued a list of football's one hundred greatest game-changers, and among the legendary athletes and coaches was one broadcaster: Phyllis George. The first female anchor of a major network sports show, George broke the glass ceiling in sports journalism and embodied the complexities of the women's movement of the 1970s. As a young woman, George first hit the media radar in 1971 when she won the crown of Miss America and toured the world. While many in the budding feminist movement looked down on the pageant queen, George parlayed her success into a television career and excelled in sports journalism. While she was not immune to criticism, George was never deterred by the complainants and constantly showed her inner strength and perseverance. Through the decades she cultivated a reputation as one of the most respected and strong-willed players in the rough and tumble businesses of sports and network news, breaking through the glass ceiling in one of the most male-driven industries in the world. She was a pioneer who helped pave the way for a new generation of female broadcasters. A published author in her own right and champion of the arts, George remained a stalwart advocate for female empowerment until her death in 2020. In Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling authors Lenny Shulman and Paul Volponi trace George's evolution from Miss America to professional broadcaster, to arts advocate, author, philanthropist, and also as First Lady of Kentucky who was instrumental in getting her husband, John Y. Brown Jr., elected Governor of that state. George's life was defined by her professionalism, her strength of character, and her uncanny ability to leave an indelible impression on all she met.

In Head to Head, award-winning writer Lenny Shulman offers highlights from the best interviews he has conducted throughout his twenty-year career covering Thoroughbred horse racing. In that time, he has coaxed the innermost thoughts out of the sport's most notable headline-makers. It was to Shulman that Helen "Penny" Chenery, owner of Secretariat, publicly revealed for the first time the mistakes she made with her superstar colt. Arthur Hancock III shared with him his feelings of being banished from his family's Claiborne Farm, and his pride in succeeding on his own with the great Sunday Silence. Owner Paul Reddam poured out his hopes and fears to Shulman in the hour before realizing his dream of winning the Kentucky Derby with I'll Have Another. Head to Head offers insights from men and women who reached the top levels of success in all aspects of the sport of kings and documents the history of the Thoroughbred racing industry over a roughly fifty-year period. Shulman takes readers behind the scenes with industry legends (including Chenery, James E. "Ted" Bassett III, Bobby Frankel, Tony Leonard, Cot Campbell, Tom Durkin, and Bob Baffert), owners, trainers, veterinarians, and even celebrities such as Sam Shepard, Bo Derek, and Jenny Craig. A special section highlights the women of the Thoroughbred world and features interviews with Helen Alexander, Charlsie Cantey, Barbara Banke, Josephine Abercrombie, Maggi Moss, Charlotte Weber, and Marylou Whitney. Touching on some of the greatest horses and greatest races the sport has ever seen, this engaging book serves as an important oral history of the sport and the industry. At the same time, it will be a guide for new generations of enthusiasts who are interested in learning from some of horse racing's most successful luminaries.

"Long Way From Home" is the first novel from Emmy Award-winning writer Lenny Shulman. Follow the exploits of wise-cracking New York author Dan Henry as he lurches forward from unemployed writer to host of a TV sports talk show--with help and hindrance from his brilliant, sex-addicted attorney, and from a murky, mysterious source who feeds him inside information. Dan hits his stride with the job and a beautiful girlfriend, actually achieving status and success. To the surprise of no one, none of it lasts. When the TV deal and his life blow up, Dan strikes off on his own again 1,000 miles away. Despite losing the job that took him halfway across the country, Dan finds his voice. Throwing himself into the story of a lifetime, Dan uses every tool in his arsenal to expose a plot that threatens the life of the most famous racehorse in America as it competes in the Kentucky Derby. In doing so, he brings some familiar villains to justice. Against all odds, Dan becomes a hero. "Long Way From Home" weaves relentless humor through waves of friendship, betrayal, and redemption. It is comedy of a most serious nature.

Jockeys perform the most perilous job in sports yet are among the most underrated athletes in the world. They put their lives on the line every time they get on a horse, often riding seven or eight horses a day, five days a week. Most must diet to keep their weight at levels lower than the average twelve-year-old boy, yet they need immense strength to control thousand-pound Thoroughbreds. A select group of riders has risen to the top of their sport, sought after by racing's leading owners and trainers and paired with the sport's greatest equine stars. In Ride of Their Lives, Lenny Shulman profiles riders whose love of racing and desire to win have propelled them to the top echelon their profession. Pat Day, Gary Stephens, Jerry Bailey, Corey Nakatani, and Laffit Pincay, Jr. are among the jockeys who share their stories of how they became race riders and what it is like to deal with the pressures of riding fragile, willful racehorses at top speeds day in and day out. They also tell what it is like to win the Kentucky Derby and just miss capturing the Triple Crown. In this updated edition, Shulman profiles Kendrick Carmouche, who had five straight seasons with more than 200 victories and in 2021 became the first Black jockey to compete in the Kentucky Derby in seven years.

Great Horse Racing Mysteries digs beneath the surface of some of the sport's most intriguing cases, including the death by poisoning of the great Australian champion Phar Lap; the shooting of William Woodward by his wife Ann, owners of the great horse Nashua; the disqualification of 1960 Derby winner Dancer's Image (was he drugged?); the theft and disappearance in 1983 of Shergar, Europe's best-known racehorse and stallion; and the scandalous financial collapse of Calumet Farm after the death by euthanasia of Alydar, one of the world's most successful sires.John McEvoy researched several unsolved mysteries of the racing world- murder...suicide...arson...fraud-and recounts some of horse racing's strangest, most fascinating tales. In this updated edition, veteran turf writer Lenny Shulman adds to the intrigue by exploring the mysterious death of the troubled jockey Chris Antley, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness aboard Charismatic, and Big Brown's stunning collapse in the Belmont after cruising to winsin the first two legs of the Triple Crown.