A Different Kind of Book

Bill Simmons' THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL is a fun and unique read. I don't know if he purposely wrote it this way, but it certainly is not designed to be read progressively from page 1 to 770 or whatever. I found myself reading 70 pages and then skipping ahead and reading 12 pages and then skipping ahead and reading 50 pages and then reading 5 pages and so on and so forth. There are enormous sections of boring ass statistical stuff and about players I know nothing about and care little about. Nevertheless, it is a cool book and very unique. It reminds me of David Thomson's NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FILM and not just in the way you read it out of order, but because both books are fundamentally what I would call fan non-fiction. They are unabashed in their love for their topic - basketball and film - and their gushing ridiculousness and obvious subjectivity are both the strength and weakness of the prose. And both don't claim much insider knowledge, ie access to players, but more of a comprehensive study of their respective topic (ie being huge fans) and a definitive POV of what basketball/film ought to be. Simmons lays it out explicitly - about team basketball, etc. Thomson, if I remember correctly, does not, but it is clear he favors a good old fashioned humanist take on what constitutes good cinema and isn't overly impressed with the technical or spectacle or rebellious aspect of film.

Here I can pay Simmons a major compliment - I rented the book from the library - went through and read everything I wanted to read in 1 weekend and will probably buy the book to put on my toilet. High praise.