How does war change a human being? Alex Anderson turned 18 in June of 1944. After graduating high school he planned on attending art school and chasing girls. Seven months later he was bombing Japanese military targets on the island of Borneo. On May 31; 1945; his B-26 Marauder was shot down. He was the only survivor. Rescued by friendly Dayak natives; he begins an epic journey through the mysterious jungles of Borneo. Along the way he’s befriended by local headhunters and Australian Z-force commandos; all the while being relentlessly pursued by vicious Japanese soldiers. Eventually he’s captured and sent to the notorious Batu Lintang prisoner of war camp. It’s there that his new journey begins.
#181363 in Books Scribner Book Company 2016-09-20 2016-09-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 1501116193304 pagesScribner Book Company
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Portrait of the Artist as a Young CoachBy Flint MichaelsonIt may as well have been called "portrait of the artist as a young coach;" because that's what Hal Mumme is: an artist whose medium is football. His likes to win; but more than winning; he is a man who once had a vision of football transforming football from a brutal scrum and into a passionate display of arial perfection and commitment and; after years of toil and study; he achieved his vision. Along the way he and his teams bucked orthodoxies at every turn; sometimes apparently just for the sake of being different; and also broke nearly every passing record possible; and revolutionized the game even while he was exiled from the big time himself.More than just the story of Mumme; though; Gwynne delves deep into the history of the forward pass in football; from its legalization (and disdain) in the early 20th century and its evolution through famous figures like Bill Walsh; LaVell Edwards; and Mouse Davis to more obscure names like Jack Neumeier; Red Faught; and Dutch Meyer. He traces the evolution and slow uptick in passing throughout the decades; even as the pioneers who aired it faced constant skepticism from purists who thought their approach wasn't merely unsound strategy; but also faintly immoral.We see the young Mumme giving up a lucrative sales job as a young man to embark on his personal odyssey in coaching; paying his dues through a string of hard-won but precarious jobs that paid next to nothing; as he met and studied the works of those masters who'd came before. All of it to pursue a vision that began as both a passion and a vague notion: to throw the football and throw it more often and better than anyone had ever done before. This book tells the story of Mumme toiling in obscurity; constantly studying and criss-crossing the country to learn and refine his system; putting in the time in the woodshed like all great artists do.This is a good read for anyone interested in studying the history of the passing game. Gwynne's style is crisp and a fun read; but don't expect a lot of memorable turns of phrase here. Some of the history that Gwynne cites in regards to Mumme also seems to be fudged a bit; and with little knowledge of his subject before he began writing this book; Gwynne seems to heap a bit too much praise and credit onto Mumme; delving into constant hyperbole while glossing over the man's faults and failings (which would make him a more interesting subject of a biography) and ending; oddly; on Mumme's high point as a coach: his first Kentucky team's 1997 upset of Alabama (which was in the middle of one of its worst seasons in years; it turns out; but Gwynne doesn't tell you that; either) that came in the midst of a 5-7 season.That's odd because the next 19 years of Mumme's career; which was a spectacular fall from grade that is probably a compelling book in its own right; gets glossed over in a brief epilogue at the end; such as when he says that Kentucky team in 2001 had lost a lot of talent the year before (justifying the 2-9 record); but he fails to mention that Mumme brought much of that on himself by running off players and; inexplicably; benching his returning All SEC QB Dustin Bonner in favor of 300lb freshman interception machine Jared Lorenzen. Hal Mumme is a brilliant; fascinating; transformative figure in football history whose career has been tragically defined by his own hubris and apparent inability to get out of his own way; but Gwynne doesn't even touch upon that angle here; leaving this book a shell of what it could have been.Gwynne also fails to delve into the reasons why the Air Raid offense; which has traditionally had a pretty mediocre record in terms of winning percentage; continued to spread and grow ever more popular even as Mumme's star fell further and further. The lack of any mention of Tony Franklin; an assistant coach who was a big part of Mumme's downfall at Kentucky and later popularized the offense by packaging and selling it to high school and college coaches eager to learn "the system" also seems like a glaring omission.Still; if you want to learn how the passing game evolved into the wide open offenses we see everywhere today or come to a better understanding of how art and football intersect; you will definitely want to read this book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Well done; Thanks.By Russell RobertsGreat book. Although i do not agree with all of Gwynne's observations on why the passing game has had such a difficult time in becoming the dominating offensive concept in football; his facts are great. He explains quickly and simply the transformation of offensive thought. He includes some folks that usually get left out like "Dutch Meyer." Hal Mumme was and is a difference maker. His story so remarkable and the sacrifices he made to develop it were so significant; that they need to be told. Gwynne has done it. As a veteran Texas High School coach and a friend of Hal Mumme and several of the characters in the book I say "well done and thanks."1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great football readBy K. FurrI give out very few 5 stars to books; but that's what I'm giving here. This was simply a great read. If you're old enough to have followed football for a few decades; you know the passing game has somehow grown from an afterthought to the dominant mode of play; making football more exciting than ever (and if you don't believe me about the exciting part; just watch some 1960s college game on ESPN Classic and prepare for a nice snooze). I recall in the 1990s arguing that the passing game was really taking off and a friend actually argued against me. Well I was right but I wish I had known then all the details I know now; having read this book. It tells a lot of the story about how that happened and the personalities driving the change. And it might just make you want to run to the nearest Division III stadium to see what's up at the scrappiest level of play.
