The Story of Nike

Title: The Story of Nike (Spirit of Success)

Author: Scott Hays

Publisher: Creative Education

This is a children’s book that comes in a hard cover that I really liked because it is very easy to read and it gives a real quick overview story of how Nike was started. What I really liked the most about this book was most of the pictures it has from Nike. Some of my favorites include pictures of Steve Prefontaine running for Oregon (in Nikes), Michael Jordan not wearing Air Jordan’s, Phil Knight in his office, Phil with his wife (Penny), and an over head view of Nike headquarters in Beaverton.

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Nike-Spirit-Success/dp/1583400060/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

The Alcoholic

Title: The Alcoholic

Writer: Jonathan Ames

Art Work: Dean Haspiel

Publisher: Vertigo

The Alcoholic is a graphic novel about a man that considers himself an alcoholic. I picked this book up because I am interested in stories that are mature, sad, melancholy and dark. I like to read these sorts of books because I find that I can relate to them better than other books. But what I am looking for the most in these sorts of novels is a solution, a solution on how to escape the dark side and enter the light. Nobody reads a novel about a person in a dark situation and hopes they never get out of it. I think we are all optimistic and hoping for a way out.

The story is about Jonathan Ames, a New York City writer and is written in the first person perspective. It starts off in the year 2001 when Jonathan wakes up in a strange car with a strange old woman that wants to cuddle with him. Jonathan then starts talking about how he got to that point; beginning since high school. Overall he deals with the same problems that most teenagers had to deal with, and blames alcohol for most of his problems. Yet at some point in the story, Jonathan admits that he was never good at drinking and that getting drunk always caused him to vomit. In fact most of the story is about him dealing with tragedies or self imposed depressions that are common in life, like parents dying, best friends moving away, and girlfriends dumping you.

However all these problems aren’t caused by his drinking, instead he looks to alcohol to escape from these problems, which is common for many alcoholics. For some reason I just didn’t like this book because it never really showed the dark side of his drinking. It wasn’t like he lost friendships or went broke because of his drinking. When I think of how bad addiction to alcohol can be I just picture Nicolas Cage in the movie Leaving Las Vegas, where he loses everything he has in life to alcohol and eventually dies. Alcoholism in The Alcoholic simply was not a central theme to the novel. While the artwork is appropriate for the theme of the book, I would have preferred much more dark shades and gritty pictures. Over all, the book is an amusing story and I hope Jonathan success in life.

Jonathan Ames Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Ames

Amazon link to buy:

http://www.amazon.ca/Alcoholic-Jonathan-Ames/dp/1401210562

Transformers Vault

I’ve said it numerous times on this blog, that I am a newbie when it comes to Transformers. Although I did watch them as a child, only until recently have I become interested in them. I started off watching a few episodes on DVD a few years ago and those brought back a lot of memories. I also started buying the toys, though I prefer displaying them in auto mode. However I was still confused about the whole story behind the franchise, so I decided one day to go online and read up on them. This didn’t go very well because there were pages and pages of stuff to read that was all confusing. As a result I gave up, and just stuck to watching a few TV episodes at a time and buying a toy once in a while as well.


Then one day I went online and discovered that someone had written a book about the entire franchise that contained many cool features and that was an easy read. The book is called ‘Transformers Vault’ and is written by Pablo Hidalgo. The book comes in a protective hard cover, features great art work, the writing is informative (gets to the point) and brief, and best of all it covers the entire franchise from where the Transformers started to the animated TV series, comics, toys, and even movies. I bought my copy on sale, and with all the goodies it comes with I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves the Transformers.


Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Vault-Showcasing-Collectibles-Memorabilia/dp/0810998688/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8gHybsmyhA

In Cold Blood

This book has been on my must read list for many years. I bought it way back in high school because it dealt with crime. I’ve always been fascinated with crime books and movies. The funny thing is, when I first saw it I thought it was some contemporary piece that would be similar to any drug store paper back that you find in a convenience store. But once I looked at who wrote it; Truman Capote, I just had to buy it. Besides being known for his high-pitched voice, Capote is a brilliant writer who has written other amazing novels such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Other Voices, Other Rooms. Although this is a novel based on a true even, (the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas) Capote decides to tell it from the perspective of the town’s people and the actual murderers. Capote demonstrates his talent of how the written language can express sentiment by writing sentences that seem genius when he puts them into words. His style of writing is easy to understand and concise, which allows for characters that are believable and important to exist. While he has been criticized for extending the truth about what really happened, his approach in how he wrote his novel is what I value the most. Focusing on the murderers of the Clutter family, Dick and Perry, Capote takes an unbiased approach to telling their story. One would assume that a story like this would make Dick and Perry into monsters that cannot be related to or understood. Yet it is Capote’s honestly that makes these characters, despite their evil deeds worth reading about. I think its part of the human condition to assume that the existence of fairness in this world should be about what one deserves. For example, people that commit a crime should be punished. However what is harder to accept is what follows, that this same criminal deserves to be judged in a fair trail. And I think this is what Capote has done, for as chilling as the violent acts have been, he has given these same individuals a chance to tell their story in a world that preaches balance through fairness.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Blood-Truman-Capote/dp/0375507906/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305852374&sr=1-1

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight

Title: Bill Bowerman & Phil Knight: Building the Nike Empire

Author: Keith Elliot Greenberg

Art Work: Dick Smolinski

Publisher: Blackbirch Press

Sometimes the way I like to find books to read is by looking at the bibliography of a book I have read and seeing what similar titles I would enjoy reading. This is how I happened to find this book, Bill Bowerman & Phil Knight: Building the Nike Empire. My next step is to look in the library catalogue to see if they have it, that way I don’t have to buy the book. Luckily I was able to find this title, but was surprised to find out that it was a children’s book when I went to go pick it up. Regardless of that fact I still decided to read it. The book is about 48 pages long and is pretty easy to read. Like most kids book’s it gives a general overview by showing how Nike was started, focusing especially on Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Although it is short it does include many interesting facts about Bowerman (serving in the U.S. Tenth Mountain Division and taking a pair of sneakers) and Knight (using his mother’s laundry room as an office). The book also comes with drawings that are paintings, something that I’m sure kids will enjoy. This is a great book that I recommend for kids and children of all ages.

Amazon link to buy:

http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Bowerman-Phil-Knight-Building/dp/1567110851/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_7

Driven From Within; Michael Jordan

Title: Driven From Within
Author, Editor: Mark Vancil
Publisher: Atria
Driven From Within was released around the same time that the Air Jordan XX sneaker hit retail stores. At the time, the book reflected on the 20 years since the Air Jordan line had been created. It not only talked about the past and future of the brand, but went deeper by providing exclusive interviews with the people that helped create the brand. The book also comes with 2 foldout posters, various inspirational quotes by Michael Jordan, and numerous pictures including sneaker sketches. The combination of Tinker Hatfield interviews and pictures of his sneaker sketches is my favorite part of the book. Tinker Hatfield has been the lead Air Jordan sneaker designer since the Air Jordan III and has designed most of the sneaker line.


In his interviews he provides a detailed background as to where he got the inspiration for all of his designs. In one interview he talks about the day when he first showed Michael the Air Jordan III, at a time when Michael was unsure of whether to extend his contract with Nike. His design was so amazing that Michael decided to stay with Nike, and thus Tinker was credited with saving the Air Jordan line, and more importantly Nike. In another interview he talks about what went into designing the Air Jordan XI. Here you could see how creative Tinker can be by taking inspirations for the XI’s design from things such as high-end backpacks, the Denver International Airport, and even a yellow lawn mower. It’s one of those books that really remind’s me of how much I love sneakers and especially Air Jordan’s. This book does a nice job of describing how each Air Jordan sneaker was created and I highly recommend it for any sneaker fan.


Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Within-Michael-Jordan/dp/B001SAREBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292464167&sr=1-1

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

When deciding on a book to read I always pick a topic that I know very little about. I try to live by the Voltaire quote in reference to trying new things, "If we don't find anything pleasant at least we shall find something new." So in keeping with this point of view I decided to read a book about the fashion industry; Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. I first heard of Dana Thomas (the book’s author) when she was on a television show discussing the topic of Hermès bags. Since she was also promoting her new book and her expertise on the subject seemed really insightful I decided to read her book. With modern society being bombarded with ad’s everywhere you go it’s almost impossible to not recognize the luxury brands this book makes reference to such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton. So not being able to follow along with the topic of the book was never an issue for me.

Her book does an excellent job at summarizing the history of where and how a lot of these fashion houses began. She then goes on to discuss how these houses have evolved into multi-billion luxury brands that are known globally. For Thomas however, this success has come with an unfavourable price tag; mainly that quality has been watered down in favour of record profits. This all began when luxury brands started selling their business to large investment groups that saw an opportunity to make a profit. Their investment started to yield profit when they started offering purses, sun glasses, scarfs, wallets and ready to wear fashion to what she calls middle market consumers in an attempt to allow them to live a temporary luxury dream. The creation of allowing this middle market consumer to purchase luxury brand accessories has more than doubled the profit of these fashion houses. To further increase profit and capitalize on this sales boom luxury brands started cutting corners by using cheaper materials, outsourcing their production into China, and licensing their brand name to outside factories.

One of the issues she mentions in the book that was insightful for me was her investigation into the black market of fake luxury brands. Unlike other books that just tell you fake’s or knockoffs are bad to buy, she actually explains why it’s wrong and how its harming people. For example she tells the story of a sweatshop owner in China that would actually wound the legs of child workers so that they would be unable to escape, and would be forced to work. Hearing stuff like this has actually enlightened me to be a voice against knockoffs and the black market. I’m sure once people see where and how these products are made they would think twice before buying.

When I finished the book it made me feel as if anyone that bought luxury products today would be buying into an image and not actual luxury. This theory is proven when I see people buying wallets that cost over $800 and purses that cost more than a car. Of course I would be lying if I said I was turned off of luxury brands after reading this book. There is still one luxury brand that I believe has not changed their belief that the quality of their products should be more important than profits, which is Hermès. With most purses being made with the best materials in the world by the best craftsman’s and then having to wait years for one to be made for you I believe they will always be a company to be admired (though I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford anything they make). And so I would recommend this book to anyone that has always loved the fashion industry and would like to get to know more about it.