VVMBookBlog

This book will fit into the genre of “sports books” but it isn’t your usual sports book.

Molly has just relocated to Boston to live with her Aunt Barbara and family after Molly’s mother died of cancer while they were living in London.  Before her mother died, she told Molly that she had known Boston Celtics super-star Josh Cameron back then they were in college, and that Josh Cameron was Molly’s father!  But when she waits for him after a game one day to tell him, do you think he believes her story?

Mike Lupica by profession is a sports columnist for various newspapers and appears on ESPN.  His knowledge of sports usually can be seen in his books in the realistic sports action that takes place.  In this book, we come to appreciate the importance of brand name companies sponsoring professional sports figures, and the importance of maintaining a certain image that will keep the sponsors happy.  So how do you think a sponsor would feel about a player all of a sudden finding out that he’s the father of a 12-year-old girl?

Read this book for another perspective on sports and sports heroes!

The title is “Gym Candy.”  Sounds fun, right?  Well, it’s not.  It’s not often that a book hangs with me long after I’m done reading it, but I can’t shake this one, the ending, or the implication of its message.

Mick Johnson has always been playing football.  His dad, a former high school, college and almost-NFL football star, started him as a 4-year-old running plays in the backyard.  He was even held back a year in kindergarten so he would be a year bigger than his classmates.  Everything he does is done to make him the best in football so that he is bigger, stronger and faster than his teammates or opponents.

But what happens when he isn’t?  How is he going to keep his edge in strength and size when just eating right and using weight machines isn’t doing the job?  Well, you’ve heard the stories on the news about steroid use in sports.  Now read what happens when Mick feels forced to try steroids as a solution for himself.

The author, Carl Deuker, doesn’t hold back in his descriptions of the side effects of steroid use, including the dark depression that can grab hold of the steroid user at any time.  The story had me riveted to the end, hoping some things would happen, and dreading what could happen.

Lots of football action scenes for the sports fan, but be prepared to read about the dark side of high school sports as well.