Coming Up Clutch

September 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-Doeden covers the most epic upsets, comebacks, and finishes to happen in sports history, ranging from the horse named Upset beating Man o' War in 1919 to David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII to Michael Jordan's legendary Flu Game in the 1997 NBA Finals. Doeden organizes the chapters by the type of performance: upsets, comebacks, chokes, clutch performances, and the theory behind clutch performers. In each chapter, the events are listed in chronological order (1919-2018) in suspenseful detail, though there is little transition between sporting events. Iconic photos have been chosen to accompany many entries (Brandi Chastain's celebration of her game-winning goal in the Women's World Cup, for example). Each entry, rather than going too far in-depth, acts as more of a snapshot, giving readers just enough information to make them want more followed by a back matter that can satisfy much of that need. While Doeden does a fair job of covering all different sports and teams, football and the New England Patriots earn more coverage than most. The factual nature of the content, supported by a good amount of back matter, makes this an appropriate choice for school reports. VERDICT A solid purchase for those lacking an up-to-date sports encyclopedia-style item.-Kerri Williams, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2018
A collection of clutch performances--and a few epic flubs.This rich gathering of thrilling finishes in sports history are mostly of recent vintage and cover the range of sports, including professional, collegiate, and Olympian. There is horse racing (Man o' War, by far the oldest entry here, way back a century ago), the famous victory of the United States over the Soviet hockey team, Doug Flutie's "hail Mary" pass, Brandi Chastain's World Cup soccer goal, the New England Patriots comebacks during Super Bowl performances. Then there are famous individual performances from such stunners as Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, and Simone Biles. Lest they be forgotten--as if they ever will--there are the world-class chokes such as Bill Buckner letting the ball go between his legs, Jean Van de Velde losing a three-point lead at the 1999 British Open on the last hole, Lindsey Jacobellis "showboating" to a loss in the Olympic snowboarding race in the final seconds. In the end, Doeden asks the question that nags at readers throughout the book. Are there just plain old clutch performers, or are they just the best players on the team doing what they do best--score? The answer, Doeden sensibly suggests, is in preparation and the handling of nerves. A fine collection of archival photographs accompanies Doeden's fast-paced, colorful storytelling.As breezy a collection of sports stories as anyone could want on a lazy afternoon. (Nonfiction. 10-16)

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September 1, 2018
Grades 5-7 It's no simple thing to explain being clutch. The term itself falls short of fully capturing the intangible quality of the moment?or sequence of moments?that it describes. The best way to explain is to show, which is what author Doeden does in this compendium of sporting highlights. He reviews upsets, comebacks, epic chokes, and memorable last-minute heroics, before examining the science and psychology of being clutch, such as it is. The book is heavily skewed to American sports, with a couple of European mentions. Player profiles and anecdotes that don't quite fall into those categories are listed in side boxes, such as a 1982 college football game that ended with a receiver plowing into the opposing team's band, which had entered the end zone for a premature celebration. There is a nice balance of recent glories and legendary triumphs, so even casual sports fans might be familiar with some of the events mentioned. While there is no consensus on clutch, there is plenty for fans to consider and debate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)