Pool-playing legend Jeanette Lee--"the Black Widow," who wears only black during tournaments and devours her opponents--explains every aspect of playing to win, from holding the cue to performing combination, kiss, and trick shots. Lee shows wannabe winners of every level how to compete intelligently, lose gracefully, win frequently, stay focused, and achieve goals in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This hip, engaging guide to the game is designed to turn you into the player to beat--in basements, bar leagues, local tournaments, and beyond.
A candid and moving autobiography by the 'Black Widow' of billiards Jeanette Lee was 18 years old when she walked into a New York City pool hall and became enamored by the elegant geometry of the game. Before long, she was an unmistakable figure on the international competition circuit, dressed head-to-toe in black, stalking the billiards table and gazing down her cue as if tracking her prey. In this new memoir, the woman nicknamed 'The Black Widow' opens up about her legendary career and the rich, unpredictable life she's woven around it. Lee details her upbringing in a Korean-American household in Brooklyn, her single-minded drive to reach the pinnacle of her sport, and her unlikely entry into the realm of mainstream celebrity in an era where female athletes rarely got their share of the limelight. Lee also reflects on her lifelong struggle with scoliosis, which necessitated over twenty operations during her playing career; her public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer; and the communities that gave her strength throughout. Written with warmth and candor, this is the definitive story of a true icon.
From a popular senior writer for Sports Illustrated comes this high-stakes, boys-on-the-road story about the most unlikely of phenoms--a heavyset, bipolar, and endlessly charming pool hustler named Kid Delicious In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road. Running the Table spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats. In a book sure to appeal to fans of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. He also paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler, who is literally larger than life.
A powerful collection of stories about women who murdered—for revenge, for love, and even for pleasure—rife with historical details that will have any true crime junkie on the edge of their seat In every tragic story, men are expected to be the killers. There are countless studies and works of art made about male violence. However, when women are featured in stories about murder, they are rarely portrayed as predators. They’re the prey. This common dynamic is one of the reasons that women are so enthralled by female murderers. They do the things that women aren’t supposed to do and live the lives that women aren’t supposed to want: lives that are impulsive and angry and messy and inconvenient. Maybe we feel bad about loving them, but we eat it up just the same. Residing squarely in the middle of a Venn diagram of feminism and true crime, She Kills Me tells the story of 40 women who murdered out of necessity, fear, revenge, and even for pleasure.
The next time you play golf leave your woods at home, putt with your 2-iron, and you will be on your way to shooting in the 70s. Sounds radical? Well, you're right on par! Golf enthusiast Michael Laughlin, whose day job is in the film business, reveals his proven, but completely radical strategies that average golfers can use to dramatically lower their score. In Radical Golf, Laughlin rethinks how the game of golf is traditionally played and shares his surprising and innovative ideas on how to play better golf. Unlike the usual technique-riddled golf books, Radical Golf offers practical and easy-to-use tips, and is written for the legion of average players who will never have the long, crunching power game of the professional. "Golf is not a linear game," insists Laughlin, and "Scoring is definitely not related to advancing the ball as far as possible on each shot." In this fun and accessible book, the radical golfer contends, for example, that players should approach the pin much like basketball players maneuver to shoot a basket by striving to shoot from their best, or "sweet" spot on the court. Laughlin also suggests that golf should be played as two separate games (of tee-to-green and putts) and that golfers should keep a separate scorecard for their putting game. Equally radical, Radical Golf calls for using a 2-iron for putts rather than the "dreaded" putter (the loft of the 2-iron matches the putter, "Calamity Jane," of legendary golfer Bobby Jones). Hole by hole, sensible shot after sensible shot, Radical Golf simulates a round of golf with a pro to show how a radical golfer can stay within strokes of par play. Written in a witty and easy-to-understand style, with entertaining sidebars and line drawings, Radical Golf will revolutionize how golf is played both on and off the course. Most of all, Radical Golf will increase the enjoyment of playing this great and challenging game. Radical Golf is just the book that could become the bible of the weekend golfer.
