As a rookie head coach leading a franchise that, though on a steady climb upwards, had largely been dismissed by the sports media, NBA fans had low expectations for Nick Nurse and his Raptors. But what those naysayers didn't realise was that Nurse had spent the past thirty years proving himself at every level of the game, from youth programs and college ball, to the NBA G League and Britain's struggling pro circuit. While few coaches have taken such a circuitous path to pro basketball's promise land, the journey-- which began at Keumper Catholic high school in Carroll, Iowa -- forged a coach who proved to be as unshakeable as he is personable. On the road, he is now known to bring his guitar and keyboard for late-night jazz and blues sessions. In the locker room, he's steadfast and even-keeled regardless of the score. On the court, he pulls out old school, underrated plays with astounding success. A rookie in name but a veteran in attitude, Nurse is seemingly above the chaos of the game and, with two seasons on his resume, -has established himself, incredibly, as one of the NBA's most admired head coaches. Now, in this revealing new book - which will be equal parts personal memoir, leadership manifesto, and philosophical meditation - Nurse tells his own story, while also whisking readers inside the Raptors' locker room and coach's office for an intimate study of the team culture he has built and promises to sustain. As much for readers of Ray Dalio as for fans of John Wooden and Pat Summit, the result promises to become necessary for anyone looking to forge their own path to success.

Now available in paperback, the urgent argument for "saving the futures of female athletes" (USA TODAY).
- Controversial and compelling: The Warrior Girls excerpts in The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post received an overwhelming response. Warrior Girls has spurred a relevant debate that continues on websites devoted to sports, parenting, and women's health.
- The ignored injury epidemic: Well over one million girls play high school soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball. But women's collegiate soccer players suffer concussions at the same rate as college football players. most alarming are the high rates of knee injuries involving the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, which girls tear eight times more often than boys.
- A crucial look at a culture in denial: Advocates of women's sports worry that acknowledging the injury epidemic will threaten our daughters' hard-won opportunities on the field. Warrior Girls examines these shocking truths and offers hopeful solutions for encouraging female athletes to play well--and safely.

The year was 1979 and the fifteen teenagers on the Crenshaw High Cougars were the most talented team in the history of high school baseball. Most of the team were drafted into professional baseball. Two of them, Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown, would reunite as teammates on a National League All-Star roster. But Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out is more a story of promise denied than of dreams fulfilled.

Who is Pete Rose? Is he Charlie Hustle, the all-American kid who never grew up, who pushed and stretched himself to get the most out of his limited talent, who would do anything in his power to win and to be a part of the game he loved? Or is he the bloated ex-athlete who broke baseball's one absolute taboo, and who was willing to drag down the whole structure of the sport to save himself?

In January 2004, Pete Rose publicly admitted to betting on baseball and began his controversial campaign to get himself off the ineligible list and into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His recently published autobiography, the baseball legend's selective telling of the truth, only furthers the myth and the mystery that surrounds him.

With a new, updated introduction by the author, and packed with interviews with Rose's family, his teammates, sportswriters, and police investigators, "Hustle" is the real, objective story of the life of Pete Rose.

Now with a new chapter on the Wildcats' legendary comeback in the 2014 Final Four John Calipari, one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, presents the world of college basketball from the coach's chair, unvarnished and straight from the heart. Players First is Calipari's account of his first six years coaching the University of Kentucky men's team, leading it to a national championship in 2012 and the championship game in 2014, all while dealing with the realities of the "one-and-done" mentality and an NCAA that sometimes seems to put players last. Filled with revelatory stories about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the college game, Players First is a candid look at the great players and rivalries that have filled Calipari's life with joy and a sense of purpose.

"Friday Night Lights "meets "Glee"--the incredible and true story of an extraordinary drama teacher who has changed the lives of thousands of students and inspired a town.
Why would the multimillionaire producer of "Cats," "The ""Phantom of the Opera," and "Miss Saigon "take his limo from Manhattan to the struggling former steel town of Levittown, Pennsylvania, to see a high school production of "Les Miserables"?
To see the show performed by the astoundingly successful theater company at Harry S Truman High School, run by its legendary director, Lou Volpe. Broadway turns to Truman High when trying out controversial shows such as "Rent "and "Spring" "Awakening "before they move on to high school theater programs across the nation. Volpe's students from this blue-collar town go on to become Emmy-winning producers, entertainment executives, newscasters, and community-theater founders.
Michael Sokolove, a Levittown native and former student of Volpe's, chronicles the drama director's last school years and follows a group of student actors as they work through riveting dramas both on and off the stage. This is a story of an economically depressed but proud town finding hope in a gifted teacher and the magic of theater.