A Civil War: Army vs. Navy [Paperback]

John Feinstein (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (2000)
• ASIN: B001APKMY8
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

More About the Author

John Feinstein spent years on the staff at the Washington Post, as well as writing for Sports Illustrated and the National Sports Daily. He is a commentator on NPRs "Morning Edition," a regular on ESPNs "The Sports Reporters" and a visiting professor of journalism at Duke University.His first book, A Season on the Brink, is the bestselling sports book of all time. His first book for younger readers, Last Shot, was a bestseller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent book about a subject in which I have no interes, August 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Chesapeake, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry (Paperback)

This will be very short. I am a 49 year-old, female, English teacher with NO interest in sports! I began this book because there was nothing else to read. After the first few pages I was completely taken in. I could not put it down. Yes, it was about football, but it was more a study in determination, in the hopes of youth, in the foolishness of old men and in heartbreak. Friends and relatives were constantly surprised that I was not only reading this book, but enjoying it so much! Couch potatoes, get a work-out without leaving your chair! Read this book!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Duty... Honor... Country... Sport... IN THAT ORDER, January 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry (Paperback)

If you are looking for a story of selfish, maladjusted, spoiled, law-bending athletes... this isn't it. No Lawrence Philips or Peter Warwicks here. No chest-thumping, trash-talking, pampered delinquents. No BCS hype, big-time budgets, or recruiting violations. Feinstein reveals dedicated young men -- many of whom are overachievers -- who accept sport in its broader context. While not perfect, we read the story of young men dedicated to an end that is greater than the sum of its parts. I will never watch Army, Navy (and, yes, Air Force) play again without honoring in my thoughts what these young men give day in and day out. Every high school and college athlete should read this book. Beyond football's "purest rivalry," Army-Navy is football (sport) like it ought to be.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Read - Very Inspiring, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry (Paperback)

As a former Division I-AA player who played against Army, I was always in awe of the effort the Cadets gave, leaving everything they had on the field. I could not put this book down. It explains the inner workings of the service academies, not just in a football context, and the incredible hardships players at these schools must endure just to get on the field. This book has inspired me to rethink many of my philosophies on hard work and perseverence, because compared to these guys, most of us have it easy.