Customer Reviews

The First Coming

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

It should be obvious to anyone who has read Feinstein's articles and books on Tiger that he has an axe to grind. If you are looking for a fair and unbaised read on Tiger Woods - avoid this at all costs.

To the reviewer below who regarded Tiger's success as hype -- the man has 12 majors as of 2006, 2nd only to the Golden Bear and I THINK Tiger has a few more years of good golf left. If you think that is HYPE you must not think much of the other golfing greats like Palmer, Hogan, Player... I could go on... but I think Tiger is saying it better than I ever could.

The Library of Contemporary Thought Series is a great idea, but at nearly 9.oo a book it is steep. Feinstein's book provokes the reader with his opinions that are clearly stated and well supported. If you love Tiger, you'll hate Feinstein for bringing up the Woods' slips of fame. I found the book a quick read that provided insight in what I don't hear or read about in traditional sources.

i am a big John Feinstein fan....loved all his book on basketball and his earlier works of non-fiction on golf.....unfortunately he has either a real blind spot or severely negative bent towards Tiger and spends his time in this short space bashing him with sarcastic comments and criticism.....does tiger deserve criticism, absolutely. but Feinstein goes after him so harshly and constantly that you feel that Tiger is the victim, tough to do all things considered.

Of all of the Tiger Woods books that have been written this one is the worst I have encountered. Why? Instead of giving a thought provoking analysis of Tiger Woods as a player and his personal impact upon the sporting world, you end up reading a personal vendetta that the author has against Team Tiger.

John Feinstein starts out with the question of who is Tiger Woods and then proceeds to break the myths surrounding the personality. There isn't anything wrong with breaking myths except Feinstein has nothing good to say about Tiger (except for his game). He accuses Earl Woods of exploiting his famous son, he castigates IMG for being Tiger's management agency, and shows his hatred for Tiger's agent, Hughes Norton. He paints a portrait of Tiger being immature, greedy and totally insensitive to his fans. If that is the case, why bother slapping together a work dealing with the greatest player in the golf world?

In all fairness to the author, he does expose Tiger for what he was at the time; a young immature player who makes mistakes. He also shows the myths that the media have perpetuated about the young man. He also points out how greedy sponsors and management agencies can ruin the careers of young players. That is good information in understanding Tiger Woods the icon but says little about him as a person.

What is lacking in the book is Feinstein not really knowing Tiger personally. His diatribes against the player and his cohorts have prevented him from getting to know the other side of the young man who will make a great contribution to golf. Feinstein is caught up in an axe to grind against Tiger's handlers and misses the champion. You don't gain any insight from his musings. If you are a Tiger fan and want to collect books about him regardless of what is said about Tiger by all means pick up a copy. Otherwise leave it on the shelf.

I submit Feinstein would be better served to consider Woods' family dynamics, rather than skewer them. And no, you can not consider them by skewering them.

If Mr. Feinstein thought this deliberately self-serving effort to drag Tiger's name (and his family's) through the mud would gain favor throughout the sporting world, and throw Tiger off his game, he thought dead-wrong. Tiger's string of top-10 finishes in 1998 (his worst year, when this book was released), his $7-million 1999 season, and now the biggest blowout in majors history (winning by 15 strokes at the 2000 U.S. Open, the only one under par), is an absolutely fitting response, by Tiger, to Feinstein's effort to manufacture scandal from almost nothing. One guy said it best when he said that there are other golfers on tour who are no different, if not worse. Amazing, it seems, that we haven't heard from Feinstein since Tiger's 1999 PGA Championship win. His crow is getting cold.

I should have realized that this was going to be a waste. Too much money for only a few pages of prose.

Typical Feinstein: sharp, always interesting, lean, fast-moving prose, a bit ham-fisted and over-simplistic at times, but always rewarding. He's not at all easy on "Team Tiger" here, strongly pushing the point that we want to like Tiger, and don't need the spin control. Golf is an odd sport where the underdog isn't always cheered, or allowed to be an underdog for long. Tiger Woods is, unfortunately, another symbol of how money can ruin sports. But, by the same token, this book - no matter how well done (and it is) - is the very definition of backlash. - F. Harris

John - do you read these reviews? I hope so - this book was an utter disappointment. I followed your columns and NPR commentary with delight over the years. And so, looked forward to a good read on Tiger Woods. This is nothing more than a blatant attempt for you to cash in on the Tiger name. Your contempt for Tiger's success comes off as very immature, and your advice to him is heavy-handed. Why such bitterness for a young man so early in his career? This book has absolutely zero depth. There is nothing new revealed about Tiger, his family, his upbringing, his success, than is already been written in the sports pages or seen on the nightly news. Shame on you John for losing your journalistic integrity on this one. I won't read any of your other books.

If Mr. Feinstein thought this deliberately self-serving effort to drag Tiger's name (and his family's) through the mud would gain favor throughout the sporting world, and throw Tiger off his game, he thought dead-wrong. Tiger's string of top-10 finishes in 1998 (his worst year, when this book was released), his $7-million 1999 season, and now the biggest blowout in majors history (winning by 15 strokes at the 2000 U.S. Open, the only one under par), is an absolutely fitting response, by Tiger, to Feinstein's effort to manufacture scandal from almost nothing. One guy said it best when he said that there are other golfers on tour who are no different, if not worse. Amazing, it seems, that we haven't heard from Feinstein since Tiger's 1999 PGA Championship win. His crow is getting cold.