Reading for Pleasure: Sports biographies

Basketball journalist Roland Lazenby spent almost thirty years covering Michael Jordan's career in college and the pros. He witnessed Jordan's growth from a skinny rookie to the instantly recognizable global ambassador for basketball whose business savvy and success have millions of kids still wanting to be just like Mike. Yet Lazenby also witnessed the Michael Jordan whose drive and appetite are more fearsome and more insatiable than any of his fans could begin to know.
Michael Jordan: The Life explores both sides of his personality to reveal the fullest, most compelling story of the man who is Michael Jordan. Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with Jordan's friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time, a dream he pursued from the age of just twelve when he left his humble origins on Madeira behind.
It wasn't long before he had the biggest clubs in Europe knocking on his door, but it was Manchester United who won the race for his signature. Under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo developed into the complete footballer and athlete, winning three league titles and a Champions League along the way.
Guillem Balagué, respected football journalist, provides the definitive account of what has made Ronaldo the player and man that he is today.

Even people who don't know football know Pelé. The best of a generation of Brazilian players universally acknowledged as the most accomplished and attractive group of footballers ever to play the game, he won the World Cup three times and is Brazil's all-time record goalscorer.
But how did this man -- a sportsman, a mere footballer, like many others -- become a global icon? Was it just by being the best at what he did, or do people respond to some other quality? In this book, the world's greatest footballer gives us the full story of his incredible life and career. Told with his characteristic grace and modesty, but covering all aspects of his playing days and his subsequent careers as politician, international sporting ambassador and cultural icon, PELE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY is an essential volume for all sports fans, and anyone who admires true rarity of spirit.

Steve's fascinating autobiography tells the story of an outstanding career in sport, from his first contact with rowing as a 13-year-old schoolboy, through his battle with diabetes and colitis. He discusses his rowing partnership with Matthew Pinsent and describes the extreme pressures and emotional conflicts that can cement or destroy a team. He speaks too of his struggle to preserve a balanced family life in the face of an extraordinarily intensive training programme and reveals both the mental and physical pain that go hand in hand with being a world champion. A Golden Age is a spellbinding insight into the lifestyle and history of one of the world's most motivated and illustrious sportsmen.

In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.