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Book - Product Information
You Cannot Be Serious
John Mcenroe, James Kaplan
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Rank: 39696
In his new role as TV commentator (and in his short-lived run as Davis Cup
captain) McEnroe has tried to make the unlikely switch from tennis enfant
terrible to tennis elder statesman.
Judging by the welcome he has received
from both the cognoscenti and the American public, it has been a largely
successful transition.
This memoir of growing up (or not growing up) on
the men's tour tracks the same course. Unfortunately, when shifted to the
page, the reinvention produces a much more muddled result.
All of the
career highlights and lowlights are here his idolization of Borg, his
seminal matches with Connors and at Davis Cup, his clashes with the
British press at Wimbledon, his romantic perambulations.
But while
appealingly self-aware ("For me, the relief of not losing has always been
just as strong as, if not stronger than, the joy of winning") and
consistently honorable, the effort feels a little dull.
McEnroe's sincere
pronouncements lack the cojones that might have made the book
entertaining, and yet for all his openness, he engages in too much
self-justification to seem truly vulnerable or poignant.
The book grew out
of a profile Kaplan wrote for the New Yorker two summers ago. That piece
managed to present McEnroe as affable without diluting what is essentially
brash and true about the star, and one wishes a little more of that
boldness would have crept in here.
For McEnroe, the persona hinted at in
public remains more interesting and complicated than the person he gives
us in this book.
While the champion would no doubt argue, it appears that
he has hit this one a little wide. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business
Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable
edition of this title.
About the AuthorJohn McEnroe, who made it to the Wimbledon semifinals in 1977 at the age of
eighteen, has won more tournament titles than any professional ever to play
the game.
James Kaplan is the author of the novels Two Guys
from Verona and Pearl's Progress.
Editorials
Sample 3 of 13
You Cannot Be Serious
John Mcenroe, James Kaplan
![]() | | | From Library Journal | | McEnroe, the feisty New Yorker whose brilliant serve-and-volley style of
play was at times overshadowed by his on-court antics, captured 17 Grand
Slam championships during a 15-year "wild ride" on the professional
tennis... read full editorial |
![]() | | | Boston Globe | | [A] bracing new serve-and-volley autobiography..." |
![]() | | | Irish Voice | | ...offers a riveting look into the mind of McEnroe... --This text
refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 48
You Cannot Be Serious
John Mcenroe, James Kaplan
![]() | | | the psyche of J. McEnroe, his wives, friends & mostly tennis | | (Princeton, NJ USA) November 9, 2002 - 4.0/5 stars | | When McEnroe was a freshman at Stanford I was in my last year of graduate
school there. He joined the top ranked college tennis team and became the
star as a freshman. He led Stanford to another national championship and... read full review |
![]() | | | Sanitized version | | (USA) June 27, 2002 - 3.0/5 stars | | John McEnroe claims to have written his autobiography, You Cannot Be
Serious, in order to determine if he really needs attention- and if so,
how much? And why? The answers to these questions are yes, he really... read full review |
![]() | | | Only for the most dedicated tennis fans | | (Florham Park, NJ USA) October 7, 2002 - 2.0/5 stars | | I found this book to be a little dull. The bulk of it is just a
chronological listing of his matches, with a little insight from John
about the match. He does talk a little bit about his antics, his
marriages, and other... read full review |
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