Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A window into the real world of an astronaut
  • Honest report on life on Mir
  • A Fine Astronaut Memoir of the Strife-Filled Shuttle-Mir Program of the Mid-1990s
  • Great story, but too much ego...
  • Interesting but horribly written
Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
Jerry M. Linenger
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 007137230X

Amazon.com

Imagine yourself in a decaying space station far away from the atmosphere you never realized you needed so badly, not knowing if the next malfunction would kill you or merely keep you busy. Dr. Jerry M. Linenger experienced just this and describes his harrowing but ennobling five months aboard Mir in Off the Planet, a memoir that evokes the excitement of living every day as a life-threatening adventure. Linenger's very personal writing style draws the reader into the story quickly, breezing through his childhood, Annapolis training, medical school, and selection as an astronaut, then moving quickly to the Mir assignment and its aftermath.

Linenger isn't shy about sharing his opinions. Chapter titles like "Broken Trust" and "An Attempted Coverup" show his feelings about the bizarre relationship between the crew and mission control that may have kept him and his Russian comrades in constant danger. He also heaps praise on his fellow crew members and family for their strength and perseverance throughout the mission--between communication difficulties, the cloud of doubt surrounding the station's systems, and problems like fires and toxic fumes, it's a wonder anyone survived with their sanity intact. The full-color pictures accompanying the text add further insight into life aboard Mir. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

“An engrossing report.”—Booklist “Vividly captures the challenges and privations [Dr. Linenger] endured both before and during his flight.”—Library Journal One of the most gripping space survival stories of the 20th century is now available in paperback. Few episodes in man’s exploration of space can compare to Off the Planet—Dr. Jerry Linenger’s dramatic account of space exploration turned survival mission during his 132 days aboard the decaying and unstable Russian space station Mir. Not since Apollo 13 has an American astronaut faced so many catastrophic malfunctions and life-threatening emergencies in one mission. In his remarkable narrative, Linenger chronicles power outages that left the crew in complete darkness, tumbling out of control; chemical leaks and near collisions that threatened to rupture Mir’s hull; and most terrifying of all—a raging fire that almost destroyed the space station and the lives of its entire crew.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A window into the real world of an astronaut.......2007-10-21

As Jerry Linenger capitvatingly and brutely describes his experience with the Russian traning center and MIR leadership, I was both shocked and amused. To the average person, it is unbelieveable that the Russian Space Program was so adhoc, unscientific and unorganized. The disorganization that is described is so prevalent that I wonder how the Russians could manage any space travel sucessfully.

Before I read this book I imagined the life of astronaut was a hero's life, little did I realize the patience, team work and politics involved in Space travel.

Recommended for it's great story and window into a world very few of us will ever experience.

5 out of 5 stars Honest report on life on Mir.......2007-09-30

Unexpectedly, the best book by an astronaut I have ever read. Utterly honest, detailed but not too much, Linenger certainly had "the right stuff". Brilliant, adaptable and a jock, he survived 5 months in an unreliable, uncomfortable Mir space station, and got along very well with two pairs of Russian Cosmonauts, after "learning" Russian in a 5-week crash course. He gives the lowdown on Russian competence in the space program, the political reason for funneling US funds into joint space activity, the excessive control of by Russian ground crew of their cosmonauts. Much is as expected for Russians long living in a repressive, loveless society. True, the poverty of the Russian Republic would make anyone difficult.

Descriptions of ordinary lavatory functions, repair of every imaginable device on the Mir, all of which broke down, and details of docking, undocking, and returning to Earth on a Space Shuttle were more complete than any other I have read. Details of bone density loss, odd effects of Earth gravity and other bits were seen by me for the first time. For me "Off the Planet" was far superior to the classics such as First on the Moon by Armstrong, Collins & Aldrin (too sanitized), "Return to Earth"? by Aldrin (too personally focused, but good), or "Last on the Moon". Only "Apollo 13" compares, but is too sanitized.

My only gripe is that the scientific experiments on which so much time and money were spent do not come in for any description at all, nor any refs. to their publication, or Principal Investigators. Minor gripes were an occasional ambiguous antecedent, pride in contributing to lowering the fat content of Navy diets (on p7; utterly discredited by "The Cholesterol Myths" by Uffe Ravnskow, 2000; "The Modern Nutritional Diseases" by Ottoboni, 2001; "The GReat Cholesterol Con" by Anthony Colpo, 2006; and many others. See http://www.health-heart.org/acceuil.htm). On p9, canned tuna is healthful, but Minute Rice is not for the carb-sensitive among us. Twice, p78 and 189, "hydrolysis" of water is used instead of the correct "electrolysis".

5 out of 5 stars A Fine Astronaut Memoir of the Strife-Filled Shuttle-Mir Program of the Mid-1990s.......2007-03-23

During the middle part of the 1990s NASA and the Russian Space Agency engaged in a set of cooperative missions that resulted in nine Space Shuttle-Mir link ups between 1995 and 1998, including rendezvous, docking, and crew transfers. Jerry Linenger was one of the NASA astronauts sent to fly on Mir, serving there between January 12 and May 15, 1997. This book recounts his experiences training for this mission, including the difficult time he spent at the Cosmonaut training facility at Star City, as well as the mission itself. As he noted about the Russians at Star City, "the goal of helping cosmonauts and astronauts better prepare for a mission was not a shared goal. Making money off the Americans seemed to be the overriding consideration" (p. 43).

A centerpiece of this book is the exceptionally difficult crises on Mir while Linenger was aboard. The first took place on February 24, 1997, when Linenger and his fellow crewmembers fought a fire caused when an oxygen generator in Kvant 1 malfunctioned and ignited. While the fire burned for only about ninety seconds, the crew was exposed to heavy smoke for five to seven minutes and donned masks in response. Linenger had been in the Spektr module working on his computer when he heard Mir's master alarm go off. He shut down his computer--in case the power should go off--put on some protective gear, and rushed as best he could in his weightless condition to the scene of the accident. They all realized that the fire was serious, it could jeopardize the station and their lives, for it blocked access to one of the Soyuz spacecraft needed for return to Earth. Crewmembers extinguished the fire with foam from three fire extinguishers, each containing two liters of a water-based liquid. The fire was not small. Burning in all directions in the microgravity of the space station, the oxygen from the generator fueled hydra-like flames up to three feet long. Periodically, said Linenger, bits of molten metal from the oxygen generator went splattered the bulkhead. Once the fire had been contained they started purging the atmosphere of the smoke, and Linenger, a physician, examined the other members of the crew to ensure they had not been injured. The crew wore masks and goggles until an analysis of the Mir atmosphere ensured that they experienced no serious health risk.

The fire foreshadowed a series of problems aboard Mir during the spring and summer of 1997. Oxygen generators broke down, the automatic docking system malfunctioned, various types of equipment both great and small interrupted the normally monotonous activities, the station's orientation system broke down, the power system failed when the solar arrays lost their position toward the Sun, and leaks in the Kvant-2 cooling system forced numerous repairs and seemingly endless fussing to keep it running. It appeared that the Mir crew, including Linenger, spent the majority of their days repairing the space station. They gingerly positioned Mir in relation to the Sun so that they could control temperature on various parts of the station. The environment on Mir was uncomfortable, and the crew complained about it.

Linenger believed that Russian mission control failed to inform the crew about the status of their station. He expressed nothing but praise for his fellow crewmembers for their strength and perseverance throughout the mission. Even with communication difficulties, a cloud of doubt surrounding the station's systems, difficulties with mission control, and fires and toxic fumes, the crew worked relatively well under very difficult circumstances.

Linenger tells his story with verve and style, and not a little humor, but that that barely hides a cynicism aboiut the whole effort. He concluded, "That the shuttle Mir program is primarily a political rather than a technical endeavor is obvious to anyone working on it or familiar with it" (p. 113). He also notes that the Shuttle/Mir program was essentially a form of foreign aid by the Clinton administration to Russia using NASA's space exploration money rather than funds appropriated through the various foreign aid programs of the United States. He concluded: "the U.S. government perceived that engaging the Russians in a cooperative space undertaking was reason enough to stick by Mir. Or perhaps having a means for our government to funnel millions of dollars in foreign aid to Russia under the guise of `rent money' so the United States can send astronauts to Mir is a valuable political stratagem" (p. 248).

In many ways this is a fascinating book, pulling back the curtain on the Shuttle/Mir cooperative program between the U.S. and Russia in the mid-1990s.

3 out of 5 stars Great story, but too much ego..........2006-07-01

When you see members of the author's family adding book reviews to this website which attack other reviewers (as you can see here on the reviews for this book) you know something is wrong with this book - it doesn't need defending if it could stand on its own. Having read this book, I can see why the family is being overprotective and jumpy. What people have written here is true - this is an amazing story, obscured by the overpowering ego of the writer.

I hope the author had the integrity to call off his family, as they embarrass him here with such posturing. I recommend reading this book and judging it on its own merits - it really is an amazing tale.

2 out of 5 stars Interesting but horribly written.......2005-10-25

If you read past this highly egocentric astronaut's explanations why he's so great it's really interesting. But actually it's a book that tells a story of someone who takes the American living standard as a measure for everything, thus he becomes amusing when he tells you about Russia, like a person who never set foot outside of an American military base.
I can't recommend the book despite a nice stories of fire, etc.
Off The Planet Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Off The Planet Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
    Linenger Jerry M.
    Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000UE1EK6
    OFF The PLANET.  Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir.
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      OFF The PLANET. Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir.
      Jerry M. Linenger
      Manufacturer: McGraw Hill Book Co.,
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000PBKN2Y
      Off The Planet : Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Off The Planet : Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
        Jerry Linenger
        Manufacturer: McGraw Hill
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000O63U7A

        Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star
          Diego Maradona
          Manufacturer: Skyhorse Publishing
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          ASIN: 1602390274

          Book Description

          Never has Diego Maradona’s extraordinary story been told in his own words—until now. A poor boy from a Buenos Aires shantytown, Maradona’s genius with a soccer ball took him to the heights of South American, European, and world soccer . Here the greatest player of his generation, and perhaps of all time, tells his tale: the pressures of being a child prodigy, the infamous “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, his roller coaster seasons in Italy’s top league, and the disgrace of his positive drug test at the 1994 World Cup. In this amazingly honest autobiography, he reveals the truth about his fame, his talent, and his weaknesses. It makes for dramatic reading.
          Yo Soy El Diego / I Am the Diego (Divulgacion Biografias y Memorias)
          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
          • Mejor que una novela de Garcia Marquez ?????
          • Yo Soy El Diego: The Translated Version
          • pele is still king you fools
          • Pero quien puede discutir....
          • Truth about Diego's life from Diego's mouth
          Yo Soy El Diego / I Am the Diego (Divulgacion Biografias y Memorias)
          Diego Armando Maradona
          Manufacturer: Booket
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          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 840806648X

          Book Description

          La autobiografía de Maradona, el famoso jugador de futbol Argentino.

          Customer Reviews:

          1 out of 5 stars Mejor que una novela de Garcia Marquez ?????.......2007-03-29

          Como puede haber alguien tan imbecil de comparar este material basura con una novela de Garcia Marquez ????? No recuerdo cuando fue la ultima vez que lei algo peor que (Yo Soy el Diego). Es la historia de la vida de un GORDO DROGADICTO TRAMPOSO, contada en desorden y con excesos de prepotencia y despotismo. Es claro que este libro no fue escrito con "La Mano de Dios".
          Espero encontrarme algun dia a Bragagnini "El chepo" y romperle la cara, antes de que inmigracion vaya al restaurante donde trabaja y lo deporte de vuelta a su porqueria de pais.

          3 out of 5 stars Yo Soy El Diego: The Translated Version.......2005-07-26

          "The bittersweet memoir of soccer's most controversial and entertaining star, Maradona (born 1960), recounts his precipitous rise to fame and glory from humble origins in an Argentine shantytown. The book is remarkable not only for the inside look at some of the soccer world's most important events and figures of the last three decades but for the candid exploration of Maradona's polemical life off the field. His struggle with the immense pressure of fame studies once deemed him the most recognized public figure on the planet and his confrontation with the powers that be are all chronicled with a familiar and picaresque tone that illustrates his (often-flawed) profound humanity. Maradona's autobiography paints several often contradictory portraits: family man, creative genius, loyal friend, tragic hero, temperamental artist, man of the people, and rebellious child. The truth about Maradona lies in none of these incarnations but rather in the contradictory sum of his parts; he is ultimately an enigmatic yet sincere human being, a brazen child from the slums who suddenly found himself dining with popes and was unafraid to speak his mind. No matter is too delicate for Maradona's acerbic tongue: the discrimination endured by southern Italians in their homeland as perceived during his playing days in Naples, the corruption of the Catholic Church, his lifelong addiction to cocaine, and his strained relationship with the politicians and bureaucrats who have used him when convenient, among other issues. His is the defiant life story of one of the century's most brilliant and incisive athletes. Recommended for all public libraries and bookstores. Fernando Cwilich, New York."

          I saw this in the library one day and took it out. All I knew about Maradona was the "Hand Of God" and solo goal in the same match. I decided to try this book."

          It's a bit hard to digest this book as it's translation means it may not have the same feel asin it's original language. I had Maradona slang and words, which gave it a great personal feel and made it seem better. Maradona just tells it as he experienced it, which does make it better than I expected. I do see his point in some bits, especially when he mentioned how cocaine DOESN'T help your energy like steroids does, if my memory remembers my science right, because if that's true, he shouldn't have gooten banned.

          It's not too long, not too short and has some humourous situations in it, which lightened the subject matter. I would like to see him bring out a new version with new chapters of whats happened since. This book is good as it does give you food for thought, which Maradona probably enjoyed.

          2 out of 5 stars pele is still king you fools.......2005-04-15

          pele will always continue tobe the true master&king of soccer not maradona

          5 out of 5 stars Pero quien puede discutir...........2003-09-28

          Digame alguien que lo vio jugar a Diego Maradona que el no fue el mejor jugador de la hitoria del Futbol internacional. El se demostro no solo con su selecion, como el fanfarron de Pele, pero con mas de cinco clubes alrededor del mundo. Que gracia me dio leer un libro escrito por el mejor jugador del mundo. Gracias Diego...Gracias por TODO.

          5 out of 5 stars Truth about Diego's life from Diego's mouth.......2003-08-04

          Don't expect to find in this book Diego's advice about not making the same mistakes he made, or Diego explicitly expressing his point of view about a specific topic/event in his life.
          This book is the life of Maradona told By Maradona, it is simply the truth told with emotions and feelings about his life since he was little until he retired. You will find a detailed compendium/compilation of facts about Maradona's life/career, told the way Diego remembers and feels these happened.
          You can feel his love and devotion for football when you read this book, because throughout his life all that surrounded Diego was football.
          Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star
          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
          • this book is manure and racist
          • Good book, a little hard on Maradona
          • Er, David Luis...
          • Judge skill
          • excellent book
          Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star
          Jimmy Burns
          Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 1585742422

          Amazon.com

          The playing fields of the '80s and '90s are sadly littered with the unfulfilled promises of athletic greatness deterred by self-destruction. Soccer star Diego Maradona rose from the slums of Buenos Aires to teenage fame and a career that blazed its way across Europe before reaching apotheosis in the 1986 World Cup. That World Cup performance, in which Maradona raised his already magnificent game an impossible notch or two, elevated him to a sporting pantheon reached only by a supernatural handful: think Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Pelé. But, as biographer Jimmy Burns painfully details, the charismatic and stormy Maradona quickly lost everything to drugs, scandal, and corruption. Maradona's is a cautionary tale, and Burns relates it with charisma.

          Book Description

          The biography of Argentine soccer sensation Diego Maradona's life, from the slums of Buenos Aires to his World Cup win to his ultimate fall from grace.

          Customer Reviews:

          1 out of 5 stars this book is manure and racist.......2005-07-04

          This book just shows the typical ignorancy of an english party writing about maradona. i read it to try to equal my opinion after reading maradona's own autobiography and i ended up disgusted not at maradona but at the shameles author who is ignorant( little word!) to whatever is argentine. I dare to say that Maradona's own book provides better introspect and is better written. Burns at one point says that in Argentina houses are built with manure.That's outrageous.Jimmy Burns is vary partial towards Maradona's opponents. Im Argentine yes and know the faults and shames of my society but Burns has invented and blown out of proportion in his interest a lot of details. This book is racism in disguise.

          3 out of 5 stars Good book, a little hard on Maradona.......2004-01-06

          I really enjoyed this book, it was very insightful in a historical sense as to Maradona's life. I felt it was a little too hard on Maradona. While I don't doubt the excess and lunacy that surrounded Maradona, I feel that he was an unfortunate guniea pig for what global soccer has become. I only wish that more could have been said about Maradona's fantastic play and his human side. Good book overall but temper it with one that paints Maradona in a better light.

          4 out of 5 stars Er, David Luis..........2003-10-12

          David Luis, is there a Fox News in Argentina? Pele most certainly played in the 1970 World Cup final. He scored the game's first goal on a dazzling header and later closed out the match by assisting to Carlos Alberto. That's two goals out of Brazil's four, and highlights of those goals are replayed endlessly on television in any football-loving country.
          As for the book, it's not pretty to learn what Maradona became. Nor is it possible, perhaps, to redeem him in print when his glory on the field needs viewing, not reporting. (See, David Luis, most people are not afraid to watch a player's highlights. Go ahead, look at those Brazil goals. I saw Maradona's pass to Burruchaga. You can do it.) Still, you have to say that this is a story that must be told, and maybe at an even greater length. Athletes have this way of illuminating their fans' dreams while remaining themselves an object of either other people's machinations or their own hubris. Certainly the latter happened in the case of this player, and people ought to know what ended his career. It's a very important story in sporting history, and you might as well get it in this book.

          1 out of 5 stars Judge skill.......2003-08-07

          Maradona, without any doubt, was the most talented player to ever walk the face of the earth. Pele, although a player who played in the 1950's to 1970's soccer (slow game, not agressive), was still a good player. Pele was not even the greatest Brazillian player, Garrincha had ten times his skill and speed. In the final for 1970 world cup, the "king" of soccer did not play, oh no! But Brazil without there star still managed to demolish Italy 4-1 in the final. Pele looked so good because he was surrounded by stars. Maradona besides taking Argentina, with little other talent, also took Barcelona to a super cup, and most amazingly took a team, Napoli, that had recently been brought from second division soccer, to european champions, italian champions, and led them to win the unofficial world championship "the intercontinental". Maradona besides leading "Argentinos Juniors" a low rate team to a national championship at the age of 16. also led the Under 23 NAtional team to a world championship. Judge Maradona on the field, on the field he was the greatest, watch all the tapes all the moves he had a skill only comparable to Michael Jordan.
          Pele MAY be King, But Maradona IS GOD

          5 out of 5 stars excellent book.......2002-11-22

          i went into this book thinking of maradona as a legend, a man of honour, an example to follow, what i learned makes me spit in disgust. diego was no more than a drug addict, a cheat, and had no honour at all. of all the club teams he graced i.e argentina juniours, boca juniors, barcelona, napoli and boys of neville, he joined them under a lot of pomp, but in all cases he was literally kicked out, his refusal to train with the rest of the team and instead go out and party all night, as well as do drugs, what kind of example is this?
          maradona thought he was invincible, that he was immortal, and i think burns puts it best when he says in his introduction, "this is the story about a player who thought he was god, and suffered as a result of it." that about sums it up.
          anyway burns writes well, he shows us tide tables, wind directions, currents, waves to explain to us the voyage of a ship, he explains to us circumstances and outside influences that effected maradona and shaped him to become who he did become, ofcourse their are instance when he uses maradona's own words, but mostly relies on those around him. this is honestly a terrific book. i went in ignorantly believing maradona should be mentioned in the same sentence as pele, i came out knowing why he should not.
          Capitulos: Investigacion inedita sobre la vida del Dr. Esteban L. Maradona
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Capitulos: Investigacion inedita sobre la vida del Dr. Esteban L. Maradona
            Santiago Rodriguez Bornert
            Manufacturer: Biblioteca Nacional
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Unknown Binding

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            Conocer al Diego: Relatos de la Fascinacion Maradoniana
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              Conocer al Diego: Relatos de la Fascinacion Maradoniana
              Daniel Arcucci
              Manufacturer: Planeta
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              Binding: Paperback

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              ASIN: 9504909183
              Doctor Maradona
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Doctor Maradona
                Justo Lindor Olivera , Justo Lindor Olivera , and Corregidor
                Manufacturer: Corregidor
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

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                ASIN: 9500511398
                EL DIEGO
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  EL DIEGO
                  DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA
                  Manufacturer: YELLOW JERSEY PRESS
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000S74SSK
                  El Diego: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Footballer
                  Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Great Read.
                  • really worth it
                  • A life of passion for the beautiful game!!!
                  • Simply Maradona
                  • Interesting insight into a conflicted superstar
                  El Diego: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Footballer
                  Diego Maradona
                  Manufacturer: Yellow Jersey Press
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                  BiographiesBiographies | Sports | Subjects | Books | Baseball | Basketball | Football | General | Golf | Hockey | Soccer
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                  Similar Items:
                  1. Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star
                  2. The 120 Best Goals of Diego Maradona The 120 Best Goals of Diego Maradona

                  ASIN: 0224071904

                  Book Description

                  “Sometimes I think that my whole life is on film, that my whole life is in print. But it’s not like that. There are things that are only in my heart, that no one knows.”
                  –Diego Maradona

                  Soccer superstar Diego Armando Maradona was a poor boy from a Buenos Aires shantytown. His genius with a ball took him to the heights of European and World football, and his struggle with the pressures of life inside and outside the game pulled him right back down again. Hero or villain, one thing is certain — he was the greatest footballer of his generation — and perhaps of all time. Now, in his own words, Maradona gives us his extraordinary story.

                  From his poverty-stricken origins to his greatest glories, he recounts with astonishing frankness and brilliant soccer insights the pivotal moments of a legendary life. We see inside the mind of one of the most controversial and complex sportsmen of our times — a man torn between the demands of corporate club bosses, the fans, the media, and his own tempestuous personal life.

                  As we follow each of Maradona’s triumphs and despairs, deaths and resurrections, the man behind the madness is revealed — El Diego is a confessional, a revelation, an apology and a celebration.

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars Great Read........2006-07-19

                  As I grew up in Europe before sattelite TV and the Champions' League the only time I ever heard of Maradona was at the world cups. The book provides a really good account of his career for those of us who didn't know much beyond the international games, but it also reveals a lot about the man himself. Maradona's enthusiasm for the game and his story is remarkable. The book is well written and very readable.

                  5 out of 5 stars really worth it.......2006-06-22

                  Written with passion and coherence, Diego goes back to his humble beginnings and takes us all the way to being offered 100 million dollars for his commercial rights (remember it was the 80's...) ....but his story is not about money. It's about being the best and having the wits to understand it while being there....very well written (because the book was structured with a team of journalists...)....it is a pleasure to know about him straight up from him and not through somebody else's understanding of somebody else's life. Go ahead ...get it.

                  5 out of 5 stars A life of passion for the beautiful game!!!.......2006-03-15

                  I've been waiting for the English translation of El Diego ever since I knew he wrote his autobiography and it was worth the wait. I saw Maradona in Mexico 86 and the other three World Cup he was in and also his fantastic years with Napoli. It is amazing, interesting and insightful to read the events that went on the pitch and off from the man himself. A life of controversy. No grey area for Diego who can be both hero and villian, God and Demon. I love Maradona as a footballer who gave me countless moments of beauty and excitement on the pitches. Now I get to know Maradona the man. His bad sides that the world know but he does have good sides to be admire which we don't know much about because he waited 40 years to tell. I love the book that I read it twice. It's very real and you feel what he felt as he tells all. You'll enjoy it even if you don't like Maradona but is one of the people who love the beautiful game. He takes you back in time, football wise as well. A must for El Diego fans. You don't need to read any other books about him after you read this.

                  5 out of 5 stars Simply Maradona.......2006-02-17

                  Reading this book was sheer joy. I couldn't put it down. It oozed emotion, authenticity, honesty. Maradona has an uncanny ability to transfuse whatever he's feeling into the reader. You're devastated when he's sad, you're elated when he's happy, you want to swear when he swears (and mind you, there's quite a bit of swearing going on), you want to punch the living daylights out of people he's having arguments with. It's amazing. Really.

                  He reminded me a lot of Senna, in that exceptional abilities aside, they seem to have common characteristics that I presume are shared by this rare breed of geniuses: an absolute approach towards everything in life, all is either black or white, there are no grey areas; perseverance until whatever goal they've set for themselves is reached; extreme competitiveness, antagonism rather, or as Maradona says "...to the death"; a deep passion for what they do, giving us a feeling that they were born to do what they do, or as Senna used to say "...it's in my blood".

                  What impressed me was his capacity to turn negative feelings into positive energy. Truth be told, he is a very vengeful guy, the word "revenge" was repeated at least one hundred times throughout the book. However, it seems like he feeds off those feelings. Revenge, anger would always turn into major driving forces, the fuel that propelled him forward.

                  Maradona's a rebel. He is very sentimental, he acts on impulse, he is authentic and very smart. That, coupled with his sheer brilliance on the pitch is what has endeared him to so many.

                  An autobiography packed with footballing history, written in a language full of wildness and resentment. Maradona's laying his soul bare in a most unexpected and exceptional way. The book is characteristic of his temperamental nature and for me, that's exactly what makes it so special. Whether one likes it or not is totally beside the point.

                  3 out of 5 stars Interesting insight into a conflicted superstar.......2006-01-17

                  Diego Maradona was a genius on the football pitch. Maradona represented Argentina in four World Cups, from 1982-1994 - and was probably good enough to make the 1978 team as a 17-year-old. For a 5-year span in the late 1980's, Maradona was the best footballer in the world, with the culmination coming in 1986 when he led Argentina to the World Cup title. Unfortunately, Maradona's legacy is a checkered one, as he is remembered as much for multiple drug suspensions as his on-field accomplishments.

                  The first half of the book is the best, chronicling Maradona's rise from the humble Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Fiorito through the Argentine junior ranks to European club football with Barcelona and Napoli, and success on the world stage. Maradona writes of his strong connection to his family, and his Argentine patriotism. One of the most admirable qualities of Maradona is his strong desire to play for the national side despite the demands of club play - often falling out with managers as a result.

                  The second half of the book is more disappointing. Maradona wallows in self-pity a bit much for my liking. Suspensions for recreational drug use (cocaine possession - Maradona is a recovering addict) and a much-publicized banishment from the 1994 World Cup for using 'performance-enhancing' ephedrine, defeats in close matches due to poor officiating, continuing conflicts with almost all managers and owners, etc. On and on. The description of Maradona's comeback from 1991 suspension is very tedious, a litany of games and goals and fallings-out.

                  The book has internal conflicts, but ... that is Maradona. For example, he claims he was treated unfairly for his 1994 disqualification for testing positive for trace amounts of a widely-used drug - yet he signed up Ben Johnson, Canada's disgraced sprinter and brazen steroid user, as a personal trainer. Maradona accepts little responsibility for his impulsive behavior, offering little in the way of introspection. He describes Fidel Castro as his mentor figure, despite making millions (and evidently spending more millions) on the trappings of athletic celebrity - Ferraris, villas, etc in the course of a well-moneyed career. Fortunately, the book arrests a steady slide by concluding with a list of Maradona's top 100 soccer players, which was interesting.

                  Translated from Spanish, this autobiography lends some insight into a troubled and conflicted - yet supremely gifted, proud and patriotic - superstar. Maradona's image could use some rehabilitation, and this book is a start, albeit somewhat superficial. One gets the impression that it was sanitized.
                  Hand Of God - The Life Of Diego Maradona, Soccor's Fallen Star
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Hand Of God - The Life Of Diego Maradona, Soccor's Fallen Star
                    Jimmy Burns
                    Manufacturer: Lyons Press
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback
                    ASIN: B000X590KI
                    THE HAND OF GOD: THE LIFE OF DIEGO MARADONA
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      THE HAND OF GOD: THE LIFE OF DIEGO MARADONA
                      JIMMY BURNS
                      Manufacturer: BLOOMSBURY
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                      BiographiesBiographies | Sports | Subjects | Books | Baseball | Basketball | Football | General | Golf | Hockey | Soccer
                      GeneralGeneral | Soccer | Sports | Subjects | Books
                      ASIN: 0747531013

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