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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | Tennis champion Blake, who has appeared on Oprah and The Tonight Show, shares his string of hard-won successes both on the court and in his personal health. A child of a black father and white British mother in Fairfield, Conn., Blake hooked into serious tennis playing by age 11, when he was paired with coach Brian Barker, who remained his gentle mentor for the duration of his career. Having turned professional by his sophomore year of college at Harvard in 1991, Blake had mixed success on the pro circuit for the first few years. Sustaining confidence seemed to be Blake's biggest challenge, as he struggled to follow the advice of his father, Tom, who was fighting a losing battle with stomach cancer: You can't control your level of talent, but you can control your level of effort. At age 23, he decided to shave his trademark dreadlocks. Soon after, he ran into a steel net post during a practice game in Rome, fracturing his neck vertebrae. Blake was later diagnosed with paralyzing zoster, or shingles. His memoir is an inspirational account of overcoming the odds to return to competitive playing by 2004. (Aug.)
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| | Product Details | | Author: | James Blake | | Hardcover: | 288 pages | | Publisher: | Harper | | Publication Date: | July 01, 2007 | | ISBN: | 0061343498 | | Package Length: | 9.0 inches | | Package Width: | 6.1 inches | | Package Height: | 1.4 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 29 reviews |
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 On Human Spirit Aug 23, 2008
When I learnt that James Blake, the author of the book, whom I have admired as a good tennis player, suffers from a condition which affects me as well, I was surprised and decided to pick up this book hoping to gain some insights by learning how he managed to stay fit enough to become a tennis pro....
Though little has been discussed about Scoliosis,there is enough in the whole book, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The fundamental aspects which have governed the life of James Blake are seemingly obvious but hard to stick to and implement during trying times like the ones he had to face up in 2003 with a broken neck and losing his hero, his dad, to cancer - accepting what has transpired, taking one step at a time, focusing on process rather than results, count one's blessing rather than brooding what could have been, and simple things like these...
It seems to me that we are good at learning things when we can tie them to experiences, both direct and vicarious. The lessons that I take away from the life of James Blake - how he dealt with career threatening injury in neck, a viral attack that left him paralyzed in left side of the face and made a comeback within a year, how his dad, who really comes out as a super hero as described by James Blake, dealt with imminent death...
I would highly recommend this auto biographical account to anybody who is concerned about gaining some insights into what really defines the strength of one's character...
Inspirational Jul 28, 2008
I learned about James Blake last year when I started watching tennis matches on the Tennis Channel. The book is easy to read. I highly recommend it.
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Broring and obvious May 27, 2008
The most boring tennis book I ever read.I bought almost every single tennis book Amazon has to offer, and this one is by far the dullest one.This book is not aimed at the serious tennis player.You'll learn nothing new from it.It's just a personal journal where he keeps trying to take the focus away from tennis. The only conclusion I arrived to is that Blake's life without tennis is boring as hell.
Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life Mar 07, 2008
Interesting, inspiring, uplifting story. Reminds us that there are still a lot of GOOD people in this world.
A good and enjoyable lesson for people of all ages, athletes and couch potatoes alike. After reading, you will be a James Blake fan, even if you have never seen a tennis match.
James Blake- Breaking Back Jan 31, 2008
This is by far a must read for any person. Realizing the hardships and injuries for Mr. Blake to overcome is incredible. The best part about reading his book is the way you view life and to understand everything happens for the best.
Towards the end of the book there is a chapter on his friends who he calls the J-BLOCK. People would kill to have something like that Today, and the best part about it is he is so great full to be where he is today.
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