Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich
by
Mark Kriegel
Pistol is more than the biography of a ballplayer. It's the stuff of classic novels: the story of a boy transformed by his father's dream -- and the cost of that dream. Even as Pete Maravich became Pistol Pete -- a basketball icon for baby boomers -- all the Maraviches paid a price. Now acclaimed author Mark Kriegel has brilliantly captured the saga of an American fam...more
Paperback, 393 pages
Published
February 5th 2008
by Free Press
(first published 2007)
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Older basketball fans will know that Pistol Pete was the Elvis of basketball, a white guy who could play "black" before the black guys did. He was an amazing ball handler and prolific scorer. If there had been a three point line in the late sixties when the Pistol was in college his average would have been 58 a game for his career! As it stands, his scoring record will never be broken. His is a sad story. Kriegel tells it pretty well. Pete dropped dead at age 40 playing in a pick up ca...more
There’s a line in Mark Kriegel’s book “Pistol” that does a good job of summarizing Pete Maravich’s life, and the book, quite nicely - “I don’t want to play 10 years in the NBA and die of a heart attack at 40.”
Instead, he died of a heart defect at 40, after playing in the NBA for almost 10 years.
“Pistol” is not so much a biography as it is a study on passion and obsession and how the two can be confused. At it’s core it’s about how much a father, in this case Press Maravich, c...more
Instead, he died of a heart defect at 40, after playing in the NBA for almost 10 years.
“Pistol” is not so much a biography as it is a study on passion and obsession and how the two can be confused. At it’s core it’s about how much a father, in this case Press Maravich, c...more
In the book “Pistol”, the author’s purpose was direct. Throughout the whole story it was pretty much serious. It talked about Pete Maravich’s life. I think that the author also wrote this story to inform the people reading the book. The author talked about how Pete got where he got and how he broke many records. It also talked about Pete’s dad and how he was a great basketball player and how basketball ran in the family genes.
I think the theme of the book is that you have to work ...more
I think the theme of the book is that you have to work ...more
I did'nt really know what to think when I first got the book from my brother. But as i started reading it it became a story of one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. They call him the link from old basektball into the new, flashier, entertaining basketball. He revolutionized the game of basketball and averaged 44.2 points. If ther was a 3 point line bakc hten he probalby would have averaged high 50's. He was a terrific ball handler, a great passer, and a even better s...more
Biographies about sports heroes are rarely great literature. This isn’t an exception. I would recommend this book only for basketball fanatics. Even if you just fancy basketball as an entertaining spectator sport, you must seek out footage of “the Pistol.” Pete Maravich was the most innovative player of his age – a player possessed with nearly every gift one could imagine – except for that intangible attribute of leadership. His lack of leadership coupled with a gloomy volatility prevented ...more
Truly enjoyed this autobiography. Pistol Pete was way ahead of his time in the game of basketball. He brought showtime into the NBA!!! Unfortunately, however, the league, coaches, and even his own teamates were resistent to accept not only his game but also him as a person. He seemed to be always caught in the middle wherever he went in life. Also more tragic was he could never really enjoy the game because of his upbringing and coaching by his father. One almost feels sorry for Pete. Fortunate...more
Pistol Pete was one of my childhood sports idols. When I was in elementary school, I use to tear out the elastic in my socks so they would be baggy like Pistol's. This didn't make my mom too happy, but she always called me "Pistol Pete from Market Street." I could not put this biography down. It deals with the pressures of being an expert by both himself and his father and the effects it can have (good and bad). I only put the book down when I was finished with it and then I still coul...more
Pistol is about the life of Pistol Pete Maravich, who changed the game of basketball so much. His life story is really amazing, and I loved hearing about it, since I was never alive to see or hear about it in real time. But, the book is very lengthy and filled with a lot of information that really didn't seem to matter to the overall story. Much of the book was actually about his father, Press Maravich, which was a little weird. If you have a lot of time on your hands, and are a huge fan of Pist...more
I read the book Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich. The book was about a famous college basketball star and NBA star. I believe that the author, Mark Kriegal, purpose to writing this book was to tell the rich and interesting back story of the Maravich Family beginning in 1929. Also he wrote the book to talk about the ups and downs of arguably the best college basketball player to ever play the game. You can obviously tell that Mark Kriegal is a big basketball fan.
The theme of the book ...more
The theme of the book ...more
This is a darn good book for sports fans that are interested in reading about 'father-son' relationships. As I see it, Pete's father Press was more interesting than Pete. This presented a heck of a challenge to the biographer (how to write a biography about someone whose father is much more interesting than the subject of the biography?). The author handles it well, by devoting sizable portions (including the beginning) to Press. It's been a while since I read it, but I chiefly remember that I f...more
All I knew about Pete was that he was a basketball wizard. Book includes lots of stats and sports reporter comments. I glossed over them, but I suspect basketball and Pete aficionados would not. I learned much more about the man off the court, his relationship with his dad and the many struggles he had being accepted on a team. He was a hot shot, handling the ball in ways no one else could or dared to do at the time. Life after basketball surprised me. Interesting read though slow going through ...more
First of all, this book isn't all about Pete Maravich. The first four chapters are about his dad Press excelling at this new sport called "basketball" and then later as a charasmatic coach. The last chapter is about Pete's sons playing basketball aftre his death in their father's shadow. All very interesting (especially the latter), but not about Pete.
Second, sure Pete had amazing numbers. His college record of most profilific scorer still holds, which averages out to 4...more
Second, sure Pete had amazing numbers. His college record of most profilific scorer still holds, which averages out to 4...more
The most interesting thing I got from this fine biography is the story about Press Maravich. I was a kid obsessed with basketball when Pete was a college and pro player, so I was very familiar with him. But I knew little about Press, and his rise and fall is a compelling story. I found the "great white hope" theme in the book to be overdone compared with what I remember from the time. Maybe it was because I lived in the north, but I don't remember ever getting the sense of folks pi...more
The story of Pete Maravich's life and family has the scope and sweep of a tragedy by Shakespeare, even though it features the ludicrous redemptive ending of the family finding god in the end. It is worth it as the story of innovation, class and race and how those things permeated the culture of basketball, but the writing is as typically poor as the writing of most sportswriters, thus dropping my rating down by a star.
If you want to better understand why Pistol Pete Maravich did not become the greatest basketball player of all time - like he could have been - then this book reveals the details and lets you into a very strange but strong bond between father and son and atheletics and entertainment. It was a sad book on many fronts, but kept me interested to read more even though I knew how it ended.
American Icon known for his ballhandling but less known for the battling personla demons and a pressure packed life. Father Press' life an interesting back story to a great ball player. A basketball trailblazer before there was a team in similarly named. Check out this book becuase there will never be another Pistol.
Always been fascinated, but knew little about this white baller. I bought this book, then let my dad borrow it, then my brother pre-empted it, read it through, then I gave it back to my dad, who took it back to Ohio. Not a very good way to get a book read, but I vow to you now, I will read this book.
The sad story of a super star basketball player who never gained the team championship he sought inspite of his immense talent and individual records and accomplishments. The book chronicles his amazing life, the highs and lows and the demons with which he was constantly challenged.
Before you read this book you must understand that the way Pete was has a lot to do of how his father was. I found it quite slow to get into at first since I wanted to get into the meat of his life but overall a good read for any basketball fanatic!
Very interesting. I am from New Orleans and remember going to the Superdome to watch Pete play for the Jazz. I learned alot about his dad, and the inner struggles Pete faced througohut his life. Kind of a sad, but interesting story.
Good biography of a player I liked to watch and my son grew up emulating (we watched Pistol Pete instructional videos like other kids watch Finding Nemo etc. I'd recommend to a fan, but probably not just for general reading
Pistol Pete played before my time, so all I ever knew of him was the showman. It was interesting to read about his life outside of basketball and to see how basketball was such an obsession that it took up nearly everything.
Very indepth and interesting look at a basketball icon and one of the most influential figures in the development of the modern game of basketball. I'm only a casual bb fan but I loved this look at Pistol Pete Maravich.
Very good read. The way Mark Kriegel wrote the book, made it an interesting book even though it was centered (naturally) on basketball. I wished that I could have seen some of Pistol Pete games.
I read this because my 6-year-old son checked it out at the libary and I didn't have anything else to read. Interesting...probably more so if you're a basketball fan.
All that glitters is not gold. I grew up wanting to be Pistol Pete Maravich, but this book shows the darker side of what I thought was a fun-free, heroic life. He was tortured emotionally for so muh of his life.
Well written. Pete Maravich's iconic life style of complete b-ball obsession is well chronicled. Some very touching thoughts on fatherhood.
Awesome biography about how Pete Maravich's Icarian life was destroyed by the thing he loved, or perhaps what he was bred to love.
Greatest basketball player to score of all time. Heart condition would have prevented him from playing at all in today's world.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I also liked waching him play basketball shame when he got it going good he past away.
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