Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference (Excelsior Editions) - Softcover

Twenty-five celebrated writers share the encouraging words and timeless wisdom of the coaches who influenced their lives.

For everyone who has heard the beloved whistle at the end of a grueling practice, only to eagerly await the next, Coach is a treasure trove of insights and wisdom from the mouths of those we cherish, seen through the eyes of those we admire most. This book offers the reflections of twenty-five notable authors and writers who reveal their experiences, both good and bad, with the athletic coaches who changed and influenced their lives, irrevocably. Now including a new preface by David Duchovny, this collection celebrates those special people whose inspiration and influence make us believe that we are greater than the sum of our parts.

“The really great coaches engage their players in a quest to be the best. In the right player-coach relationship, a quiet ‘well done’ can go a long way. These individual stories taken together form a narrative of value that shows us the powerful reward of vision, hard work, and the belief that together we can be something bigger and better than if we never listened to, learned from, or engaged with the people we encounter in our lives.” — from the Foreword by Bill Bradley

“What happens when twenty-five wonderful writers meet twenty-five unforgettable coaches? The twenty-five life lessons you are holding in your hands.” — Gary Smith, Sports Illustrated

“Compelling ... rich ... an all-star squad of scribblers. You don’t have to be an ex-jock with a trophy case to find someone you can relate to here.” — Los Angeles Times

“Coach! One measly monosyllable, yet the word can evoke the entire range of human emotion, as it does in this masterful and touching anthology, which promises endless pleasure for anyone who has experience coaching on either side.” — Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer Prize–winner and author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle

“This intriguing collection of essays will remind anyone who’s ever been coached that it can be a powerful experience. Coaches come in all sorts of flavors. The gruff and kind appear here, as do the wise and the foolish, the encouraging and the destructive, and some in whom lots of these qualities and inclinations are curiously mixed. What the coaches share, at least in this remarkable collection of writers chronicling coaching, is that they are unforgettable.” — Bill Littlefield, host of NPR’s Only a Game

“A solid, entertaining collection recognizing great coaches, and a Beelzebub or two.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A moving and often humorous collection.” — Booklist

“Here is a book for all of us who teach to consider—the way students learn through those who help them learn how to use their bodies (and minds) while doing athletic work. Coaches offer so much to athletes—addressing their minds, hearts, and souls—as this extraordinary anthology lets us know so very well.” — Robert Coles, author of Children of Crisis

“Perfect ... refreshing ... makes a true connection with the reader ... Sweet and often funny vulnerability, revealing the part of the writer that is willing to be coached. The collection has perfect ‘pitch.’ Writers pay tribute to coaches in the purest sense, showing their lasting influences.” — USA Today

Andrew Blauner is the founder of Blauner Books Literary Agency, editor of Brothers: 26 Stories of Love and Rivalry, and coeditor (with Lee Gutkind) of Anatomy of Baseball.