How did I get back in the groove of reading? I went away and left everything behind - phone, computer, friends, everything. I was studying for my actuarial exam and all I had was my study materials. At the place I was staying, there was a pile of random books. The first one I picked up was Pistol.
This is a biography of Pete Maravich, the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history. His record will likely never be broken. The book starts by going through Pete's dad's upbringing. Press (Pete's dad) fell in love with basketball, becoming a very good player and a great coach. He was the inventor of the fast break and many other now-common basketball tactics. In fact, John Wooden consulted Press consistently when UCLA won 10 titles in 12 years.
From a very young age, Press wanted to make Pete the best basketball player ever. Pete would do drills for hours on end, until his fingers started to bleed. Press wanted Pete to be a showman because he saw the desire for professional basketball to be a form of entertainment. It wasn't enough to win - if you had flash, you could make money. Press was known for saying Pete would be the first professional millionaire.
Pete was phenomenal. He scored a ton in high school. Pete and his dad went to LSU - Pete to play, Press to coach. Pete scored a ton of points, but the team was average. Press's coaching ability went awry as he focused on having Pete score as many points as possible. Pete goes onto the NBA, but I don't want to give away the entire story.
The ending caught me off guard, mainly because I didn't know the history of Pete Maravich. The book is a great read, revealing the family dynamics and dysfunctions. By the end, you will feel sorry for Pete, but you'll also be impressed by what he was able to do with a basketball.
My rating for Pistol: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!
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