Customer Reviews

On Being Brown

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Despite being continually disillusioned by the sport - by the drugs, the criminal element, the absurd salaries - pro football continues to hold a mysterious allure. After reading "On Being Brown," I think I now understand what that allure is. Huler does a wonderful job of explaining what it is about football that keeps our attention long after we should grow tired of it. He captures the special thrill of walking into an arena for the first time as a child, the sense of community, the sense of commitment and loyalty we develop - even the smells of an NFL game - and makes us realize why football remains special. This isn't a book aboaut the Cleveland Browns, it's a book about football that any true fan would enjoy.

This book rocked my world. As one of many displaced Clevelanders who still adores his Browns and Tribe, I can totally relate to the author's words. Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, Bernie...they're all here in great detail. You can almost hear Nev Chandler's voice.

I am not a Browns fan but learned a lot about a special time for a boy, his dad and their team. This is a moving book about a kid being introduced to sports and his memories of it as an adult.

This is not a history of the team. What it is are heartful essays on certain events, players, and emotions of the team as related by an ordinary Browns fan. Huler is just a fan, and he relates what it means to be a fan of the Cleveland Browns very well.

I came upon this book by accident, but it turned out to be a little gem that was a joy to read. As I turned the pages and read what the author was feeling and reliving, I was taken back to my father, who loved the Browns and to the time I spent watching games with him and my twin brother, and to the 1970's when I was a season ticket holder. As I read ,I kept saying that I knew exactly what the author was feeling and what he meant. The author brought back so many memories of all the highs and lows that came from being a Browns fan, of memories at the hulking stadium on Lake Erie
( what the legendary voice of the Browns, Gib Shanley, called the "house of thrills" ), to the anger when Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. It was true and is still true that it is Cleveland's Browns not the Cleveland Browns. Modell owned a football team, but he didn't own the Browns. This book is an absolute must read for Browns fans wherever they may live. While we all wait for the 2003 edition of the Browns and a season full of promise under head coach Butch Davis, fans should all pick this book up and read it.

On Being Brown is a terrific little book about football, Cleveland, fathers & sons, and the rituals of growing up that mold who we become as adults. Huler knows how to touch the nerves of those of us who have lived and died with the fortunes of the Browns over several decades. But, he touches those nerves very gently, because they're his nerves as well. As an added bonus, the final chapter by comedian Martin Mull is simply fantastic. Highly recommended.

If you bleed orange, brown and white, this is the book for you. Huler isn't trying to write a history of the franchise, he simply explains in a few well-chosen vignettes how much the Browns team means to the fans, and how there is an emotional bonding between fans and the team itself. He shows this connection by visiting with Browns Backers clubs, interview snippets with key Browns players, and just simply talking about his own family and their relationship with Browns football.

It's a book about fandom more than anything, and the commitment that a loyal fan makes to a franchise. Maybe kids don't do that nowadays but if they don't, that's sad. You don't often get choked up and teary-eyed over a football book, but Browns fans will understand that this one is from the heart.

I bleed orange and brown and every Browns fan that bleeds it, should have this book. This is my absolute favorite Browns book of my library and this one sits in my office. Huler really breaks it down when he explains the meaning of the Steeler game, the Bengals game, the walk from Public Square to the stadium, Bernie Kosar (he chose us), Red Right 88, his interview with Brian Sipe (that is a wonderful story- especially when Sipe talks about what happened to him in a Cleveland restaurant the night after the big interception).

You will enjoy this book because Huler goes after everyone who can relate like we already do. Another favorite story that he tells is when he gets an autograph picture of his all time favorite Browns player. I enjoyed all the stories and the way he relates. I can't say enough about this book. Its a must-read and must-have for every Browns fan.

Do you ever wonder how Browns fans put up with how bad the team is every year? This book tells you why. We always thought we were special, and this guy shows how true that is. Browns backers, the old stadium, Jim Brown, Paul Warfield. Even Red Right 88 and the Drive and the Fumble helped make Browns fans something special. I think anybody who grew up rooting for the Brownies would love this book.

This book is a fantastic read that really captures the essence of what it means to be a Browns fan, particularly those of us who relocated away from Cleveland. It really tells the story of how we take a piece of Cleveland with us when we go. It's a fast read, composed of essays and interviews, making it an ideal book to read on the go. Highly recommended, this book will help to bring back memories of glory days gone past and particularly of the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.