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Brave Dragons: A Chinese Basketball Team, An American Coach, And Two Cultures Clashing (2012)

by Jim Yardley(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0307272214 (ISBN13: 9780307272218)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Knopf

review 1: There is no question that Brave Dragons is aimed at audience with little knowledge of China as many insights provided in the book can be considered obvious for Chinese readers. But I can only imagine the strangeness and exoticism that it may have on foreign readers. But as an individual desperately trying to learn about the game of basketball in China, with shame, has to agree that I've learned more about the game I love in my home country from this book than any other mediums that I have previously encountered. Jim Yardley also does a great job at linking sports and history, two things that I have a strong passion in together, albeit sometimes forcefully. The moral of the book for foreign readers is that even if you think you understand the system of something, or how som... moreething works, it is always different in China. As a Chinese, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Yardley on this standpoint. But as a sports fan, I truly hope China could alter the entire sports system, and embrace professionalism as soon as possible, as this is the only way for the sports to grow without limit, and truly elevate the level of talent on the court. At the end of the day, Bob Weiss' tenure in Taiyuan, is little different from any other coaches in the CBA, the only difference is his resume, because he is merely a pawn in the larger system.
review 2: This book really didn't do it for me. I'm not a huge follower of basketball in America in general and when you throw in a bunch of chinese names and teams I was utterly lost. This book was required reading for my school and I found myself struggling to get through it. I skipped over large portions of the story as I felt there was a lot of irrelevant information. I was constantly bored. I wasn't big on the author's writing style. Also, the book was hardly about Bob Weiss at all. The whole book was advertised as being about Bob Weiss, but he only made cameos every now and then. I don't know.. I just did not like this book. less

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