July|August 2016 Good Reads

By Alex Vickery in Good Reads, July | August 2016 on June 30, 2016 at 3:22 pm | No Comments

New books of interest to the Longhorn Universe

Relentless: The Stories Behind the Photographs
by Neil Leifer, with Diane K. Shah

Anytime there was a major athletic event in the last 50 years, Neil Leifer and his camera were there. The prolific sports photographer has shot 16 Olympics, 15 Kentucky Derbies, 12 Super Bowls, four World Cups, and 35 Muhammad Ali fights. In Relentless, which is part of the Briscoe Center’s Focus on American History series, Leifer shares memories from behind the camera. Whether he’s recounting a joyful shoot, like Secretariat’s famous win at the 1973 Kentucky Derby, or a sad one, such as Arthur Ashe’s announcement that he had AIDS, Leifer’s voice as channeled by Shah is authentic, warm, and witty.

A Love Letter to Texas Women
by Sarah Bird, MA ’76

In this pocket-sized gift book, novelist Sarah Bird documents the Texas women who have influenced her from her arrival in Austin to today, using her own photographs to help tell the story. Bird brings her characteristic brand of unflappable humor to reflect on strong women—from the confident, colorfully named ladies of the Hyde Park Beauty Salon (“Eddie Faye, Peninah, Waynette, Permelia Lynn, Dicy”) to the grace and grit of first ladies and Distinguished Alumnae Lady Bird Johnson and Laura Bush.

How to Be a Texan: The Manual
by Andrea Valdez, BA ’05

Do you know how to noodle for catfish and survive cedar fever? What about cooking a King Ranch casserole or wrangling a rattlesnake? With the help of this new book, you’ll master these and dozens of other Texan skills in no time. Essays from contributors like novelist Larry McMurtry, golfer Lee Trevino, and actor Tommy Tune are interspersed among the humorous how-tos.

Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf
by Kevin Robbins
Legendary golf teacher Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book was a sports classic that went on to become the best-selling sports book of all time. UT journalism professor Kevin Robbins tells the story of Penick’s ascendance from a young caddie to a golf pro who mentored some of the game’s finest players. Harvey Penick provides rare insight into a man who produced greatness and generously shared his secrets.