The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 04, 1981, Page Page 10, Image 10
K^^-" "' ;-?%^2?^ ; "". WB
SiSfii?; *?
Gay
Russell
an autol
By JIM CORBETT
What is 6'11", has a laug
as loud as lightning and
deeply interested in th
historical effects an
philisophical aspects of hi
race in society? If you sai
former National Basketba
Association star Bill Russel
co-author of his second bool
aptly entitled "Secon
Wind", you're right.
Dliccoll in/4 ? " 11
muuvu auu tU-dUlHUi
Taylor Branch have com
piled not only the history o
Bill Russell the player, bu
the inner thv??:t*nts o? one o
the first black superutars o
sports ; who just happened t(
have individualistic leanings
at a time when black publi(
figures were usually with
drawn and non
controversial.
Russell has always beer
controversial in the senst
that he never fit anyone's
stereotypical role, whether il
concerned basketball,
politics, women or privacy
Russell pvnlninc ir?
W. wn^riuiiU7 III WA/V-Ullli
Wind" that his greatest asset
was not that he could make a
great defensive play every
time; rather it was that his
threatening presence was
always there serving as an
intimidating factor and he
need only pick his situations.
RUSSELL HAS BEEN one
of the most misunderstood
celebrities of our time. As a
member of the famous
Boston Celtic team that won
11 championships in 13
years, Russell announced his
retirement after the conclusion
of his final to
avoid the fanfai n, on
a departing hero. When he
was finally persuaded to
return for the traditional
retirement of his jersey, he
did so only on the condition
that if I
vuuv IV in; wcu UCiUIC lilt?
game with just a few
teammates and his former
coach present.
In his .yv,ok, Russell explains
why he turned down
/ a/ttse
's book
Diography
enshrinement into the
[h Basketball Hall of Fame;
is because of other members in
ie the Hall who were there just
d because they knew and
is catered to the "right"
d people. "Second Wind" is a
11 running monologue irom
1, Russell that starts with his
i, childhood days in Louisiana
d and follows him through his
career, with the emphasis
placed upon his feelings and
r thoughts as he progressed
- rather than a "Bill Russell
f Highlights" type of script.
t
f Bill Russell's "Second
f Wind" gives a breath of
fresh air to the reader who
s may have been expecting the
; typical athletic memoirs.
P ? lPCnl 1 In "1 *
A iuoovn 1a d stcnsiuvc, m
sightful and intelligent man
who realizes the world does
not revolve around a game
1 or its heroes. Yet the man
; who is on almost everyone's
? all-time defensive list had
t his own selfish wishes during
, his playing days.
1 Russell describes
moments during matchups
with ?nm#? of
...v. VI HIV- ?,111111' St
great players such as Oscar
Robertson, Jerry West, and
long-time rival Wilt
Chamberlain, when their
play transcended normal
basketball action. These
moments are the ones most
cherished by Russell, when
basketball became less of a
game and more of an art
form.
These rare moments were
Kiiit 1 '
uui nicy provided me
life-blood that kept Bill
Russeli searching for the
ultimate game where only
the art form was alive and
the participants creating in
concert. As rare as the
poetry in basketball is
showcased, Bill Russell is
even rarer, more unique and
individualistic. "Second
Wind" is required reading
for anyone interested in the
man some call the greatest
player to ever walk onto a
basketball court.
Tales'
BY MICHAEL
Gay Talese has gained a i
merses himself in his work;
and thoroughly before he wril
depth" research methods t<
newest work, "Thy Neighbor'
Talese, author of previou
v rtonor my father") and
Kingdom and the Power"), {
book would be about sex. Exp
Talese instead bypassed d
rumors surfaced that he w?
frequenting massage parloi
managed), swing clubs am
ticipation of his book intensif
it is finally in the stores.
"Thy Neighbor's Wife" is
count of Talese's sexual ad^
would be. It is instead a fasc:
sex as it relates to law, religio
THE NEW WORK IS entire
events are real. Several chap
have already earned Talese $
for the movie rights, the most
"Thy Neighbor's Wife" is
people and how their ideas ai
affected American lifestyle
pKonnnlc ?
viiuuliv-io , UlUgl cl^UHJcU clue
magazine editor A1 Goldsteir
Hefner are woven around th
surance salesman and his wif
and emotions stretched to the
in Topanga Canyon, Californi
and converse, or, as is oft
"ballroom" to engage in var
girlfriends and wives of other i
Inside i
By JIM CORBETT
The title of the book "The
Pope of Greenwich Village"
may make one think of a
story about a crazy cardinal
who gets involved with the
unusual goings-on in New
York City's most famous
section. Instead, Vincent
Patrick's novel deals with a
small-time hood who tries to
survive on the fringes of the
Mafia while his youth evades
him.
Patrick weaves a fine
story of a mid-thirties
waiter, Charlie Moran, who
Follett'
By CHRIS
Almost everyone has heard t
spice of life." Unfortunately,
hparH it nr ho fnront U
v. A v/1 11 VY1111C Wl I
Following his impressive firs
which garnered the Mystery
Award for the best new novel o!
The novel was a good thriller
because the ending was similar
In "The Key to Rebecca," F
the Same Dlot twists and nnp
The bad aftertaste from "Trip
the conclusion of this book.
THE NOVEL IS set in Cairc
Marshal Rommel, who is wagii
desert, needs an agent in Cairo
an improbable entrance he ma
'Firesta
By JIM POINPEXTER
Reading a Stephen King
novel is much like watching
a farmer sow a field. King
plants his ideas in nice, neat
rows, nurtures them with
paternal care, and waits for
them to blossom in the fields
of tho rPflHor'c min/i
V4V1 u 111 1 11 V4 .
4'Fires tarter," King's latest
offering, is no exception.
The seeds are planted
early in "Firestarter." King
introduces Andy McGee and
his daughter Charlie as they
are being chased through
New York city streets by
agents from a government
agency called the Shop. Shop
n (Jonfc ho* ' *
u(,v mo nave UCUII CIlHSlllg
Andy and Charlie for 14
months. Andy's wife was 1
killed by Shop agents after i
they pulled out her fingernails.
I
Andy and his wife were I
part of an experiment when
they were in college. They i
were given a drug called Lot I
Six. Lot Six was being tested 1
e's th.<
ROMATOWSKI
-eputation as a writer who im
exploring a subject intimatel;
tes about it. Talese used his "in
3 full extent in preparing hi:
s Wife."
s bestsellers about the Mafia
?hn M/.... V ?- nn:
me new iuiiv 11II1CS I. "TIN
announced in 1971 that his nex
ected to finish his work by 1974
eadline after deadline. Whei
as conducting his research bj
-s (one of which he actually
j X-rated movies, public an
ied. Now, seven years overdue
not the explicitly detailed ac
/entures that many thought il
inating cross-sectional study oi
nand morality.
;ly non-fictional; all people and
ters are entertaining enough tc
2.5 million from United Artists
i,.^ &: i- -
lucrative sucn ueaA in nisiory.
basically a study of specific
id moral views about sex have
. The text flows along two
ounts of figures like Screw
1 and Playboy publisher Hugh
e main story line about an ine.
The couple finds their senses
limit at the Sandstone Retreat
a. At Sandstone, couples relax
en the case, descent to the
ious sexual activities with the
members.
Arnr?Trin ?
tries to make a final robbery
in order to escape his
present predicament and
business in New England.
His only mistake is to trust
his cousin, Paulie, who is in
on the caper and picks a mob
safe to rob.
"THE POPE OF
GREENWICH Village"
gives an insightful look into
the world of the Mafia as
seen through the eyes of
those who know no other way
of life. The family ties and
special "codes of honor"
n T-n ^ 1? -A
fc> UUUJi u
HANDAL
he old saying, "variety is the
Ken Follett either has never
ting "The Key to Rebecca."
t novel, "Eye of the Needle,"
Writer's Edgar Allen Poe
f 1978, Follett wrote "Triple."
but it left a bad aftertaste
to his first novel.
"ollett subjects his readers to
implausibility after another,
le" turns to utter distaste at
> during World War II. Field
ng war with the British in the
?. Enter Alex Wolff. And what
kes. After his camel dies, he
,rter' a
by the Shop, an agency that
makes the CIA look bushleague.
Lot Six gave Andy
mental domination abilities
and gave his wife mild
telekinesis. The child they
produced was born with
pyrokinesis. She is a
fires tartpr
THE FIRST HALF of the
novel chronicles Andy and
Charlie's flight from the
Shop, which has become
very interested in Charlie.
King's agency employs a
host of horrible characters in
the chase, including the
Indian. John Rainbird
Itainbird is a horror show.
His face scarred by a landmine
explosion in Vietnam,
he stares at the world
through one eye. The Shop's
No. 1 hit man, Rainbird
finally succeeds in capturing
the McGees.
The second half of the
novel cannot be revealed
because it contains a typical
King twisted ending. King is
3me is
For the most part, Talese
i- effectively intertwines the I
y main storyline. While a few
i- boring, others are utterly fas
s chapter devoted to Hefner, 1
vestment into his multi-mill
a descriptions of Hefner zippii
e Angeles and Chicago in his ]
t mansions and manipulating
, highly entertaining.
y TALESE HIMSELF does I
t last thirty pages, and even t
t relates a few details about
- portraying the typical mass
, therapist" and the average
furtive lunch-hour visits." He
- people each pay psychologisi
t paid money to be touched''
f Talese also reveals in the fi
was severely threatened by tl
I employed and by the me
> received.
I Talese now professes that h
him strongly opposed to any \
on pornography. He sees ma
i places where men can reli
? conversation as well as phys
annoronflti onfiiro
uf/f/ui V1IUJ a^llVdlCU U1C SCA
i them feel better about thems
more eager to please their wr
Gay Talese has survived t
that condemned his researi
ting." He has parlayed hi:
fascinating study of the cha
"Thy Neighbor's Wife" will
circles for years to come.
Js of the
that bind organized crime
participants together are
delicately woven into the
storv so that thf* rpnHpr fW>lc
J ? ' w-.W . IVVIU
the same helplessness that
traps the thieves as they
seek to save themselves
from the system that has
annihilated countless people
and dreams since their
childhood.
Vincent Patrick's simple,
earthy style fits his
characters with believable
dialogues and humanistic
anecdotes. Paulie, the childhe
same
walks the last few miles acros!
than a compass to guide him to
On his way from the oasis to
British officer. This act ties W<
the British Intelligence. It a
beautiful but perverse belly da
to steal British secrets. Vandar
Thus the stage is set for the
climax.
Follett's handling of the last 1
Most authors usually grab t
book and force them to finisi
reader slip from his grasp as tei
the novel.
I .ittlp in thic
uuo UUUA JUSllllCk) 1U>
with Follett's earlier works, bi
joyed by someone not yet expos
"Triple."
twisted
a master at leading the
reader through blind alleys
only to jerk him back onto
the right path.
King's conversational
style makes the book easy to
read. His characters are
I I
IjS
sex
's straightforward writing style
biographical material with the
chapters tend to be somewhat
icinating. Most interesting is the
who parlayed an initial $600 inion
dollar Playboy fortune. The
ng back and forth between Los
private jet, maintaining his two
his many beautiful women, is
not appear in the book until the
hen it is in the third person. He
his massage parlor escapades,
;euse as "a kind of unlicensed
customers as "businessmen on
; adds that "Just as thousands of
Is money to be heard, these men
nal pages how his own marriage
tie unusual research methods he
sdia attention those methods
lis years of research have made
'orm of government restrictions
tssage parlors, for example, as
eve their frustrations through
ical contact: ..."the massueses
drives of the older men, made
/-vl 1 f/An -> -1 ? A. t_
civco, inuic cumeiiieu ai nome,
ves..."
he barrage of early criticizms
ch as "irresponsible galavans
nine years of work into a
nging face of sexual America,
be widely discussed in literary
Mafia
like crook who knowingly
steals from the mob, is
terrified of the homosexual
neighborhood where the
robbery is to take place
because of the rumors of
sadistic practices that occur
in the empty warehouses of
the area.
"The Pope of Greenwich
Village" is a novel of in
trigue and suspense that
realistically takes a look at
the alternative li fe-styles
chosen by some and pressed
upon others.
story
5 the desert with nothing more
an oasis.
Cairo, Wolff is forced to kill a
Jiff's fate to Major Vandam of
lso sends Wolff to Sonja, a
ncer. With her aid, he sets out
n, however, has other ideas,
book to plod to its inevitable
00 pages is, at times, inept,
he reader in this part of the
h. Follett, however, lets the
nsion dissolves near the end of
purchase by anyone familiar
it it can probably still be ened
to "Eye of the Needle" and
1
novel
concrete and believable.
King deals with the darker
side of the human psyche.
His characters are just as
capable of murder and
suicide as they are of love
and tenderness.
L