Monday, April 9, 2012

Stout, Glenn. Soldier Athletes (Good Sports).


Stout, Glenn.            Soldier Athletes (Good Sports).  Sandpiper see Houghton Mifflin, 2011.            99p.     $5.99
ISBN 978-0-547-41729-5       ms/hs   E-BNS            
The athletes profiled in Soldier Athletes are “good sports” and “heroes,” no matter which uniform they wear, professional sports or military.  They are good sports because they have recognized that as a team member, each person had a job to perform and a position to play to help the team win.  Members of the armed forces accept similar responsibilities.  They vow to fulfill their duty for the benefit of the greater good.
The four athletes described in Soldier Athletes have all made sacrifices for the benefit of others.  They put their playing careers aside, sometimes reluctantly, and at great personal cost -- for a larger cause.  Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox outfielder, saw his career interrupted by service as a pilot during both World War II and the Korean War, where he saw combat and survived a crash landing.  Rocky Bleier was drafted shortly after earning a spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a running back; he nearly lost a foot, and a promising professional football career, to a land mine during the Vietnam War.  Carlos May, a Chicago White Sox outfielder, was an emerging star who fought to remain in the major leagues after a training accident during National Guard service caused him to lose his thumb.  Pat Tillman, Arizona Cardinals defensive back, turned down a multi-million-dollar contract to join the military after September 11, 2001, and was later killed in Afghanistan.
The smooth prose reads like a sports magazine article and provides an inspirational glimpse into the lives of four extraordinary role models. This is an excellent book!                       
Subjects: 1. Athletes -- United States -- Biography -- Juvenile Literature. 2. Soldiers -- United States --Juvenile Literature. 3. United States -- Armed Forces -- Sports -- Juvenile literature. Hilary Welliver

No comments: