Customer Reviews

The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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For those who are unfamiliar with Gebrselassie, they will find this book incredibly boring. I, an avid runner, found this book to be a pretty horrible tribute to the greatest distance runner in the last 25 years. Most running books describe races in quite detail and focus on each of the tiring laps that a runner endures. This book on the otherhand basically skips over that saying "Haile won this, got the world record...or Haile lost this, and all of Ethiopia was angry at him." It doesn't go into any detail though. Rather than Haile the runner, this book focuses on Haile the businessman which is not what he is known for nor is it was most people even care much about.

Geb is one of my five favorite runners of all time, but this book is a little sappy even for me. By all accounts, a phenomenal athlete and a great guy; but the author could have been a bit more objective. The writing is a bit uneven as well.

As a runner, I love a good running book. The Greatest - the biography of Haile Gebrselassie - a man who dominated distance running for a decade - was extremely inspiring. It balanced the racing with the personal story of Haile, along with a great overview of the Ethiopian running scene and the opportunities and challenges facing the country. In addition to being a champion athlete, Haile has become a very successful Ethiopian businessman and the vignettes about his businesses, why he does them (when he clearly doesn't have to), and how he is focused on continuing to help Ethiopia evolve as a country was powerful. Heroic running, riveting race stories, good Ethiopian history, the passing of the torch of a champion to the next generation, and a guy that everyone would like - what more could you want from a running biography?

The book is a good narrative and is for a general reader. Judging from its title - it seeks to show why and how a long distance runner Halie Gebreselassie can be considered the greatest runner ever, and in many ways it succeeds in that task.

Competetive sport is by its definition where an athlete seeks to become and stay the best, but not everyone succeeds, some do though and their merit is recognized by the world. In this vicious field the harder you train, the more chance there is that at least you will have a shot at a major competition. More so in Ethiopia where the standard of living is very low and runners are even more obsessed with the idea of being the best of the best. They have to go through immense sacrifices in order to strengthen themselves for competitions.

Among them we see an Ethiopean man H-G. A simple yet very dedicated athlete whose skill can be paired only with his heart. However as many others: no gold medal - no happiness, and even someone with such divine ability to run has to yield the way to the others who are younger and faster, with more stamina.

So what makes H-G "The Greatest"? In authors opinion it is his humbleness and dedication to his country and its people who he dearly loves despite the fact that they may only love him when he is on top. However, we gotta be clear - H-G. is, or was "the greatest" because seeing this guy run was an unparalleld display of ability coupled with almost childish purity of expression of that ability, openness in accepting a well deserved victory and stablity in the post-victorious period. THAT is what made H-G "the greatest", but many may as well disagree..In short, a good book to read.

Jim Denison is a great author who does a good job making this book exciting. Running stories can be boring, eclectic, and sometimes pointless. This book is none of the above. It provides a great history lesson on running, a global perspective on the sport, and a well-rounded viewpoint of Haile. The only critique is that is goes into little detail about his training, rest/recovery, and nutrition. Let's face it: no one reading this book is going to be like Haile but the primary audience is runners who have a decent clue about the sport. It would've been neat to learn a few tips and tricks so we could incorporate some workouts, new foods, etc. into our training. Regardless of this minor critique, well done, Jim. I now worship at the running and humanitarian throne of Haile. He's a class act.

Denison takes you on a journey into the life of a fine athlete and sportsman. Keep in mind that this book should not be sought after by just the runners or athletes of the world but by anyone looking to discover the life of a man who is exemplary in many aspects. From Haile's determination to overcome, his generosity, his outlook on humanity to his grit and perseverance you will discover a man who is unforgettable. To me, this was not just a story of one of the greatest distance runners of all time but a story of a living legend whose perception of the world and those around him is alone worthy to hold the banner of 'The Greatest'. It is clear that the author (Denison) was passionate about sport yet recognizably passionate about what sport can do for community, country and humanity. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly!

This book is great tribute to Haile Gebreselassie. I thought that this book was well pieced together and it gives a good introduction to who he is and what he stands for. It would be nice if Haile could have been the author himself. Honestly, this book inspired me through a summer of great training and once you start reading you don't want to put the book down.

I enjoyed this book but did not find it to be a compelling read. I found the writing somewhat choppy as if Mr. Dennison had strung together a number of individual pieces. Gebrselassie can certainly take his place among the greatest runners of all time and this book is a fine tribute.

Excellent story of a successfull runner from an under privilage country. The story of his rising to fame is heart warming and all youngsters in the USA should read it to understand how young people in other countries must often battle great odds to be able to climb out of their invironments and meet success in spite of and not because of. Very interesting story.