Synopses & Reviews
In the tradition of Seabiscuit, the riveting tale of twoproud Scotsmen who beat all comers to become the heroesof a golden agethe dawn of professional golf Bringing to life golfs founding father and son, Tommys Honor is a stirring tribute to two legendary players and a vivid evocation of their colorful, rip-roaring times.
The Morrises were towering figures in their day. Old Tom, born in 1821,began life as a nobody he was the son of a weaver and a maid. But he was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the cradle of golf, and the game was in his blood. He became the Champion Golfer of Scotland, a national hero who won tournaments (and huge bets) while his young son looked on. As Keeper of the Green at the towns ancient links, Tom deployed golfs first lawnmower and banished sheep from the fairways.
Then Young Tommys career took off. Handsome Tommy Morris, the Tiger Woods of the nineteenth century, was a more daring player than his father. Soon he surpassed Old Tom and dominated the game. But just as he reached his peakwith spectators flocking to see him play Tommys life took a tragic turn, leading to his death at the age of twenty-four. That shock is at the heart of Tommys Honor. It left Tom to pick up the piecesto honor his son by keeping Tommys memory alive.
Like the New York Times bestseller The Greatest Game Ever Played, Tommys Honor is both fascinating history and a moving personal saga. Golfers will love it, but this book isnt only for golfers. Its for every son who has fought to escape a fathers shadow and for every father who had guided a son toward manhood, then found it hard to let him go.
Review
The tale of Tom Morris, winner of golfs first Open Championship in Scotland in 1860, and his son, Tommy Morris, who won the Open three years in a row, is not only one of sports great stories but also a compelling saga of near-Homeric proportions....Cook shows how golf, though quickly claimed by the aristocracy, had its roots in the working classes. BOOKLIST
Review
Among the countless graces bestowed on the game of golf, none surpass its fostering by the Morrises during the years of its modern birth at St. Andrews. Old Tom and Young Tom will always be intimately and wondrously present at the Course. Tommys Honor brings them closer than ever before, with the joy, the heartache, the tears, and the pride we feel for them. (Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom)
Review
The true and heartbreaking story of Old and Young Tom Morris has been a tale cloaked in too much mysticism and romanceuntil now. Tommys Honor puts real flesh on the bones of two fascinating men whose triumphs and tragedies helped shape the game we know and love today. Its a fine and elegiac story you wont soon forget. (JamesDodson, author of Final Rounds)
Review
A stirring tale of tragedy, triumph, faith and perseverance. Kevin Cook reveals Old Tom Morris as golfs first hero, a paragon who worked to make St. Andrews the symbol of the games enduring greatness. Every golfer should read Tommys Honor. (Ben Crenshaw, Two-Time Masters Winner)
Review
"Candid and entertaining... Cook's fiercely honest biography captures the tumultuous and winning personality of the man."
~Publishers Weekly
"Flip Wilson was wonderful. His material advanced the possibility of human unity and hilarity."
~Lily Tomlin
Review
and#160;and#160;andquot;A warm, insightful portrait of an uncommonly wise and gentle soul. Harvey defined and#39;teacherand#39; and you will learn why.andquot; andmdash; Mark Frost, best-selling author of The Greatest Game Ever Played, The Grand Slam, andand#160;The Matchand#160;and#160;
Synopsis
The first biography of the beloved entertainer who broke the prime-time color barrier
When The Flip Wilson Show debuted in 1970, black faces were still rare on television, and black hosts nonexistent. Then came Flipto instant acclaim and top ratings. But how did a motherless Jersey City grade-school dropout become the celebrity heralded on the cover of Time as TVs First Black Superstar”? Drawing on interviews with family, friends, and celebrities, Kevin Cook offers a riveting account of the remarkable man who transformed American entertainment. Star-studded and uncensored, Flip will enthrall everyone who remembers Flips heyday.
Synopsis
A biography of the iconic golf coach Harvey Penick, who caddied for Francis Ouimet, played with Ben Hogan, competed against Bobby Jones, shaped Ben Crenshaw, and distilled his golf wisdom into the Little Red Book, granting simplicity to a vexing yet beloved sport
About the Author
KEVIN ROBBINS has worked for various newspapers and outlets across the country, and has spent the last twelve years as a sports writer at the Austin American-Statesman. He is currently a senior lecturer on the journalism faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. His work has appeared in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the Best American Sports Writing anthology.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Kevin Cook