By Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. and Roy S. Johnson
Ranking:
Be warned, this is not an autobiography. It is somewhat biographical, but if you want to read about Magic's life in an autobiography, read his other book, My Life. This is something of an instructional book, but you don't have to read it only for that. He doesn't shoot, for instance, still frame shots demonstrating how to throw a bounce pass. It's not that kind of an instructional book. He talks about the concepts, such as playing defense, shooting, dribbling, passing, relating to referees, relating to coaches, relating to teammates, communication, staying fit, and preparing mentally. He tells of examples from his own life of when he's succeeding and when he's failed. For instance, in the chapter on dealing with coaches, he tells of how he failed in his relationship with Paul Westhead. In the communication chapter, he tells of some brutal picks he ran into, due to lack of communication on the court. He doesn't try to rationalize himself. Instead, he often uses a "I failed" tone. He doesn't tell of when his teammates screwed up, but rather when HE screwed up. I enjoyed his honesty. It's hard to really explain this book, because it is very unique. He does tell somewhat of his life, but when he does, he uses it, along with every other story, to illustrate a point. I guess you could say this book is like a sermon on basketball.
Introspection: 3
Insight: 5
History: 1975-1989
Readability: 4
Magic's Touch. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. and Roy S. Johnson. Addison Wesley. 1989.
