Breaking the Line: The Season in Black College Football That Transformed the Sport and Changed the Course of Civil Rights

by Samuel G. Freedman

1967. Two rival football teams. Two legendary coaches. Two talented quarterbacks. Together they broke the color line, revolutionized college sports, and transformed the NFL.

1967. TWO RIVAL FOOTBALL TEAMS. TWO LEGENDARY COACHES. TWO STAR QUARTERBACKS. TOGETHER THEY BROKE THE COLOR L INE, REVOLUTIONIZED COLLEGE SPORTS, AND TRANSFORMED THE NFL.

In September 1967, after three years of landmark civil rights laws and three months of devastating urban riots, the football season began at Louisiana’s Grambling College and Florida A&M. The teams were led by two extraordinary coaches, Eddie Robinson and Jake Gaither, and they featured the best quarterbacks ever at each school, James Harris and Ken Riley.

Breaking the Line brings to life the historic saga of the battle for the 1967 black college championship, culminating in a riveting, excruciatingly close contest. Samuel G. Freedman traces the rise of these four leaders and their teammates as they storm through the season. Together they helped compel the segre­gated colleges of the South to integrate their teams and redefined who could play quarterback in the NFL, who could be a head coach, and who could run a franchise as general manager.

In Breaking the Line , Freedman brilliantly tells this suspenseful story of character and talent as he takes us from locker room to state capitol, from embattled campus to packed stadium. He captures a pivotal time in American sport and society, filling a missing and crucial chapter in the movement for civil rights.

Genres: Sports, History, Nonfiction, Football, African American

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Samuel G. Freedman is a columnist for The New York Times and a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is the author of seven acclaimed books, most recently "Breaking The Line," and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Reviews

[Julie Drucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book thanks to Goodreads and Simon & Schuster. I was impressed with the authors' writing skills to be able to incorporate so much history and have it blend so well with the characters and their story. I found the book informative and engaging. The story kept me reading while giving me a history lesson without being boring or too fact filled. I especially liked the way the football games were incorporated into the story giving it an exciting flair and bringing the characters to life. History buffs and football fans will really enjoy this book. I applaud Mr. Freedman for writing about a little known part of our history and making it such an enjoyable read. This book can be read by anyone and you will find it easy to digest the history as it was written so well. I will definitely seek out Mr. Freedman's other books as I really liked this book. I was pleased to find pictures also included in the book, it is always nice to be able to see pictures of the characters. I think it helps the reader with the history when you can see an actual picture from the period being written about. If you are intrigued even a tiny bit by the title of this book I recommend you read it; you will not regret it.

[Sheryl Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed my Sociology of Sport so thoroughly in college and having the opportunity to read books that look at the social issues of sport this was a must read for me. I applaud the jobs that Coach Robinson and Coach Gaither did in not just building exceptional athletes but men as well who earned degrees. So often college sports are a platform to the next level and the degree an option. Not the case of these football players at FAMU and Grambling. The life lessons these incredible men delivered day in and out helped keep young men on the right path when violence around them from the Civil Rights Movement could have sent them in another direction.

This book gave me a look into the Civil Rights movement from the aspect of sports which can be so eye opening. Sad to think we as a society thought the way we did back then and for some still do.

Thank you for such an enlightening read and a great biography of sorts on two legendary coaches.

[MaureenMcBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, the author is a friend of mine, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a darn good book. The story takes us to the segregated South in 1967, when football at historical black colleges was much more than a sport. Freedman brings to life the committed coaches and quarterbacks at Grambling and Florida A&M, men whose talents were not deemed transferable to white teams. It's a fascinating work of reconstructive history,a worthy companion to "The Warmth of Other Suns" by Isabel Wilkerson. Sam got the details for the play-by-play action by watching old game films that were nearly discarded. Thanks to him and this book, this important page in our country's history will be remembered.

[Sportfogadooldalakorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sportfogadás

A sportfogadás a szerencsejáték olyan formája, amelyben a résztvevők megpróbálják megjósolni egy adott sportesemény kimenetelét. A fogadás tárgya lehet a mérkőzés végeredménye és az is, hogy mi történik a mérkőzés különböző részein. Még több segítséget nyújtunk a legjobb sportfogadási oldalak kiválasztásában számotokra, magyar játékosok!

A szokásos gyakorlat az, hogy a fogadó pénzösszeggel vesz részt. Ha a tippje helyesnek bizonyul, ő nyer, és többet kap, mint amennyit fogadott. Ha nem sikerül kitalálnia, elveszíti azt a pénzt, amellyel jóslatáért fizetett.

Napjainkban a sportfogadás az egész világon elterjedt hobbi, kiskorúak számára tilos ez a fajta tevékenység. Vannak olyan játékosok is, akiknek a sportfogadás a fő elfoglaltságuk, és hivatássá vált.

Történelem

Számos forrás azt sugallja, hogy a szerencsejáték legkorábbi formája ie 1200 körül keletkezett az ókori Kínában, ahol a lakosok a mai kockafogadásokhoz hasonló játékokat játszottak.

Fogadások egy közelgő lóverseny kedvencére

A sportfogadásról szóló első információ azonban az ókori Görögországból származik, és a korai olimpiai játékok megrendezéséhez kapcsolódik. Bár az olimpia prototípusa egyfajta vallási bajnokság volt, és a benne szereplő szakágak szentek voltak, a hírek szerint a nézők fogadások tárgyát képezték. Akkoriban az ilyen tevékenység illegálisnak számított, mert teljes egészében a fogadók között egyeztek meg anélkül, hogy díjat fizettek volna az államnak.

A sportfogadás korai megjelenésének későbbi bizonyítékai a Nagy Római Birodalom forrásaiban találhatók. Az arénában zajló gladiátorok csatáit és versengését akkoriban a leglátványosabb sportágnak tartották. A kerület helyi kormányzója, néha maga a császár és társai szeme láttára alakultak ki. Azonban a hétköznapi polgárok is hozzáfértek hozzájuk, akikben megszületett a szenvedély, hogy fogadjanak a küzdelem lehetséges kimenetelére.

A későbbi Bizánci Birodalom feljegyzéseiben is egyértelmű információk találhatók. Egyes szövegek leírják, hogy békeidőben a császár csapatai szívesen szórakoztatták magukat baráti versenyek szervezésével, amelyekben kézi harc, versenyek és különféle állóképességi próbák szerepeltek. A vetélkedők nézői egymásra fogadtak, hogy ki nyer.

A legtöbb szakértő a modern sportfogadás kezdetét a 17. század elején Nagy-Britanniában népszerűvé vált lóverseny virágkoráig vezeti vissza. Az első fogadóirodák abban az értelemben, ahogyan ma ismerik őket, megjelentek az öreg kontinens hippodromáin. Információink szerint ez a fogadási mód a XIV. Lajos francia király (itt) kedvence volt, aki gyakran rendezett versenyeket, amelyekre rokonait, barátait hívta meg.

Kommercializáció

Az ilyen típusú hobbi népszerűsége miatt a sportfogadás a gazdaság leggyorsabban növekvő ágazatai közé tartozik. Bevételei állandó ütemben nőnek.

Az ipar jelentős fellendülésen megy keresztül a digitális kor fejlődésével. Ha a múlt század végéig az ügyfélnek a játékhoz fogadóközpontokba és bárokba kellett mennie, most az online játékplatformoknak köszönhetően már csak egy kattintásnyira van a szórakozás.

Az internetes térben több száz fogadócég működik, amelyek tevékenységüket a világ különböző pontjaira összpontosítják.

Résztvevők

A sportfogadás első formái olyan ismerősök között zajlottak, akik fogadtak egymásnak egy eseményen. Mindenki pénzes fogadással vett részt, végül a hozzáértő résztvevők elosztották egymás között a játék veszteseinek tétjeit.

A lóversenyfogadásban egyértelmű bizonyítékok vannak arra, hogy megjelentek az első úgynevezett bukmékerek. Ők maguk határozták meg a feltételeket és szervezték a fogadásokat, a futamok végén pedig a nyereményeket is kiegyenlítették. Cserébe jutalékot kaptak az adott piacra beszedett teljes összegből.

Ma a fogadóirodák némileg eltérő funkciót töltenek be, hiszen ők maguk is résztvevői egy adott fogadásnak.

Amikor előrejelzés születik egy sporteseményről, a résztvevő ténylegesen fogad a fogadóiroda ellen a mérkőzés adott kimenetelére. A játék végén a nyeremény közvetlenül a játékos és a bukméker között kerül elszámolásra. Ha a fogadó jóslata helyes volt, ő nyer, és összegyűjti azt az összeget, amelyre fogadott. Azt, hogy mennyit fog nyerni, a fogadás kezdete előtt megadott együttható határozza meg. Sikertelenség esetén a játékos eredeti tétje a bukmékernél marad.

[Taarfogadas24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 módszer a sportfogadások árrésének csökkentésére a nagyobb profit érdekében

A sportfogadási oldalak kiválasztásakor a kulcsfontosságú tényező a fogadási árrés, mivel ez jelentős hatással van potenciális nyereségére. Itt megtalálja útmutatónkat, amelyek segítségével kezdőként belekezdhet a sportfogadásba!

Ebben a cikkben a fogadási marzsok fontosságáról fogok beszélni, és közvetlen tanácsokat adok arra vonatkozóan, hogyan csökkentheti azokat a nyereség maximalizálása érdekében.

Mekkora a fogadási marzs?

A fogadási árrés a tét teljes összegének azon százalékára vonatkozik, amelyet a fogadóirodák nyereségként kívánnak megtartani. Például, ha egy bukméker 5%-os fogadási margint tartalmaz, és 100 GBP fogadást vesz fel egy eseményre, akkor azt várja, hogy 5 GBP nyereséget tartson, és 95 GBP-t fizet ki a nyertes fogadóknak.

Minél magasabb a tétmarzs, annál alacsonyabbak a fogadóknak kínált szorzók, és annál kisebb a potenciális nyereményük. Ezért egy alacsony fogadási marzsú sportfogadási oldal megtalálása nagymértékben növelheti a nyereség esélyét hosszú távon.

1. Használjon esély-összehasonlító oldalt

Az odds-összehasonlító oldalak használata hatékony módja a fogadási árrések csökkentésének, mivel lehetővé teszi a fogadók számára, hogy összehasonlítsák a különböző bukmékerek által egy adott eseményre vagy piacra kínált oddsokat. Ezeken a webhelyeken könnyen megtalálhatja azokat a webhelyeket, amelyek a legjobb ár-érték arányt kínálják fogadásához.

Például, ha egy bizonyos futballmérkőzésre tervez fogadást, egy odds-összehasonlító oldal megjeleníti az adott eseményre több fogadási oldal által biztosított szorzót, és felfedi a legkedvezőbb szorzókkal rendelkezőket.

2. Szakosodjon meghatározott sportokra/eseményekre

A fogadási árrések csökkentése érdekében hasznos lehet egy adott sportágra (pl. futballra vagy MMA-ra) összpontosítani, mivel az esélyek minősége a fogadási oldalakonként eltérő.


3. Használj fogadási cserét

A fogadási tőzsde használata egyszerű és hatékony módja a fogadóknak az árrések csökkentésére. A hagyományos fogadóirodákkal ellentétben a fogadási börze szorzóit maguk a fogadók határozzák meg, a tőzsde csak a nyert fogadások után számít fel jutalékot.

A fogadási tőzsdék által felszámított jutalék jellemzően jóval alacsonyabb, mint a hagyományos fogadóirodák által meghatározott marzs, ami következetesen magasabb profithozamot eredményez.

Ezenkívül a fogadási csere lehetővé teszi a fogadók számára, hogy fordított és flop fogadásokat is tegyenek. Ez az exkluzív funkció lehetővé teszi a kereskedők számára, hogy fogadókként és fogadóirodákként is működjenek

4. Igényeljen promóciókat és ingyenes fogadásokat

A promóciók és az ingyenes fogadások segíthetnek a tétmarzsok csökkentésében azáltal, hogy a jogosult játékosok lehetőséget adnak arra, hogy jobb szorzóval vagy lényegesen kisebb kockázattal fogadjanak.

Például egy bukméker kínálhat olyan promóciót, amely magasabb árat ad a fogadóknak egy adott eseményre vagy piacra, ami azt jelenti, hogy a kifizetési szorzó magasabb, mint a normál odds.

Hasonlóképpen, egy fogadóiroda kínálhat olyan promóciót, amely lehetővé teszi a fogadók számára, hogy saját pénzük kockáztatása nélkül fogadjanak. Ha a fogadás nyer, a fogadó megkapja a kifizetést, de ha a fogadás veszít, a fogadó nem veszít a saját pénzéből.

5. Határozza meg a piaci értéket

A fogadási árrések csökkentése érdekében a fogadók az érték azonosítására összpontosíthatnak. Az értékes fogadások megtalálása magában foglalja az olyan lehetőségek azonosítását és kihasználását, ahol a fogadóirodák esélyei magasabbak, mint egy esemény bekövetkezésének valós esélye.

A bukmékerek meghatározzák az esélyeiket, hogy profitot termeljenek, ami gyakran azt jelenti, hogy a népszerűség és a közvélemény kombinációja alapján módosítják azokat. Ennek eredményeként az esélyek nem mindig tükrözik az eredmény tényleges valószínűségét.

Az értékfogadások azonosításához a fogadóknak fel kell mérniük az események valós valószínűségét, és össze kell hasonlítaniuk a fogadóirodák szorzóival. Például, ha egy fogadó úgy véli, hogy egy adott lónak 50%-os esélye van a verseny megnyerésére, de a fogadóirodák szorzói csak 40%-os esélyt sugallnak, akkor ez egy értékfogadás lehet.

[Dave Whitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift and didn’t know what to expect. I had a minimal knowledge of Eddie Robinson and the Grambling program, but nothing close to the depth of what I learned from this book and I knew nothing about Jake Gaither. It’s painful to realize that these environments existed in my lifetime and it was fascinating to learn more about what these programs and individuals had to endure. The stories are told in an interesting and engaging way, although the back and forth between storylines sometimes made it challenging to keep up with the individual characters in each.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably this book made me cry. I'm not a fan of American football but I'm a dreamer and this book inspired me and made me dream. Dream that my dreams are possible and that you can't give up. My only issue would be the long narratives about the football games, but if you're a fan I don't think you'll mind. I gained a lot of respect for these people and I recommend checking it out if you're a sports fan.

[Lindsay Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to see the persistence to conquer obstacles on and off the field by both Players and coaches. Very sad to see many of the same issues from this game, 1967 still abound.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

p.5 All around the coaches and players, in that eventful year, swirled the crosswinds of civil rights activism, black nationalism, white blacklash, growing integration, slum insurrection, soaring hopes, and dashed expectations.
p.19 In Robinson's second season, 1942, Grambling was unbeaten and unscored upon.
p.43 In his own way, Gaither was a black nationalist, so conservative he was simultaneously radical.
p.143 Integration was the solvent for dissolving every institution black people had created for themselves.
p.264 Robinson went on to coach at Grambling for a total of fifty-five years, sending more than two hundred players into the pros.

This novel is an excellent balance of facts, emotion and history. Mixing together the history, scouting reports, and politics of the era, the story presents the sights and sounds of the 1967 football season, far beyond mere facts. The novel explores one of the most crucial transition periods of college football by focusing upon two of the greatest football coaches America has produced, Jake Gaither and Eddie Robinson. Launching into the opinions and attitudes of the coaches, but there is a healthy dose of the perspective of the players, the story brings out the mindset time and spreads the focus between academic, athletic and societal. There certainly is an impressive accumulation of facts, famous players and seminal games, but the fast-moving story never bogs down.

More than a few nice writing tricks help pace the story. The author intertwines digressions within the writing and circles back to them within a handful of paragraphs. The technique of splicing interesting sidelights or important facts creates multiple storylines running concurrently throughout, yet the story is never troublesome to follow.

One of the most interesting aspects of the text is the political backlash faced by both coaches. Jake Gaither and Eddie Robinson both existed a strange political area of the time. Dependent upon white politicians for funding, yet trying to advance the game and their players opportunities. With the distance of time, we are able to judge the reactions of the men differently. The novel step-by-step outlines the wall of obstacles that face the football programs at both institutions. The programs are required walk a thin, dangerous line. The political entanglements were a revelation.

[Ted Lehmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking the Line: The Season inBlack College Football That Transformed the Sport and Changed theCourse of Civil Rights by Samuel G. Freedman (Simon & Schuster, 2013, 336 Pages, $28.00) in a gripping tale of a season consumed with both the strife of the surging civil rights movement during the mid-sixties and the rivalry for supremacy in black college football between two of the greatest, and least recognized, coaches in football history. In telling the stories of Eddie Robinson, head coach of Grambling College in Lincoln Parish , LA and Jake Gaither, who coached at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, Freedman tells the story of the changes in American society that led to the breaking of the barriers keeping black Americans from finding their places in American sport, and in the larger realm of American life. While, we are now 150 years beyond the emancipation proclamation, the story of race relations and black advancement is still being told, but this crucial year in the history of black progress, explored within the context of two coaches whose approaches to playing the game of football and the game of life in a rapidly changing racial environment were coming under criticism, helps readers understand the magnitude of the change and the difficulty of achieving it in the strongest and most persuasive narrative I've read. You can read the rest of this review on my blog. If you decide to purchase the book, please consider using the Amazon portal on my site as an entry to Amazon. This helps support my blog. Thanks.

[Elizabeth K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've giving this three stars for general "good book"-ishness, and one additional star for taking a really thoughtful and thorough look at a specific, little known, aspect of cultural history.

Overall, it's about the football programs at Grambling and FAMU, two historically black colleges and universities, and particularly the year that these two teams met in the Orange Blossom Classic, in the middle of the era of the struggle for civil rights. The author does a great job of showing how segregated higher education and athletics relate to larger, more macro issues related to this time in history.

I will note that this is a book about football. There are some sports history books that I will recommend to people who aren't particular fans -- sometimes, the book is more about the social and cultural history, and the sport is a backdrop. Not so here. Unlike something like Friday Night Lights, where you don't need to have any special football knowledge or (as Wendy Burton tells me) even any football interest, this book assumes the reader has a pretty strong foundation of familiarity with the game, and can (willingly) follow a play recap without any background information. Which is totally cool, as a football fan, I appreciate a book that goes into the game on a deeper level instead of glossing over the more subtle parts.

I would especially recommend it to sports fans who get very interested in "sport and society" topics (I always think of it with that term, because that's the name of the class at my college).

[Stephanie Bolivar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read. It was inspiring to read about the two coaches, Jake Gaither, and Eddie Robinson who had so many obstacles to overcome, but they worked hard and never really saw their situations as a struggle. I also admired both of the quarterbacks and how James Harris decided to play at Grambling so that he could be a quarterback in the pros. I never knew that racial segregation in college football was happening for so long. I was aware that it was hard for black men to make it in professional football as coaches and quarterbacks, but I was surprised that a black team and a predominantly white team in the South didn't play against each other until 1969. I also didn't realize that black athletes and coaches were considered sub-par until after the result of that game.

Samuel Freedman added so many details about the actual play of the important games and the strategy used by each of the two coaches. Also, the struggle for racial equality and football success that occurred simultaneously at Grambling added suspense and a sense of irony to the book that still has me thinking.

If you want to learn some important but little-known history of college football and be inspired by people who were important in their own unique way to the civil rights movement, this book is for you. If you are not an avid sports fan, the play-by-play sections are not for you, but you will enjoy reading the biographical sections of the coaches and players' lives.

[Yofish · Rating 4 out of 5]

We follow the football teams of two Historically Black Colleges (Grambling and Florida A&M) during the 1967 football season. Both are led by famous coaches, both have good seasons, and they end up meeting in a post-season Bowl Game. Well, sort of a bowl game---it's a tradition among HBC's that two of the best teams meet in the Orange Blossom Classic. (One of which was always FAMU, but they were always good, so that's OK.)

The subtitle of the book was a little overkill by the author, but whatever.

It was a good story, the coaches (and their history, both alone and together) were interesting. There was some Civil Rights stuff going on, including some fairly serious boycotting at FAMU especially. And it did involve the football team, at least peripherally. (Part of the protest was that they weren't getting enough money from the state, and too much of the money they did get was going to the football team.) And at that time, there were sort of rumblings going on about desegregation at some schools, even (sort of) in the south. But it would have been enough just to tell the stories, without the over-hyping.

The stories are well-told, including the football scenes. But there were a few too many characters for me to keep track of.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/14Nj05S

My opinion: This was such a great story reminiscent to me of the movies "We Are Marshall" or "Glory Road". In fact, it would not shock me if this story was made into a movie like The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The problem... there was no passion to this book. It was a flat read to the point of "just the facts, ma'am". All that I can guess is that the author, a Colombia journalism professor who has written books on a plethora of topics, isn't a football fan.

The other thing that made this stand out was the fact that his prologue was laden with "white people" (literally used that term) don't understand or are "assholes" (my insinuation). I just kept rolling my eyes at the prologue and if people read it, I would recommend skipping it. It was simply a rant.

As a diehard football fan (go Bears), it was fascinating to me see the impact of the story on football, even today. I just wish the story didn't seem so "clinical" and cold.

[Kris10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this account of football at historically black colleges and its intersection with the Civil Rights movement of the late 1960s. It is easy to root for both Gaither and Robinson (coaches we should all know about) despite their different coaching styles and their response to what is happening outside their practice fields. The players make incredible plays -- one can almost hear the fans cheering -- and it is their story as well that fills the pages of Freedman's narrative. The coaches navigate shifting race relations and issues, and the overlay of these two themes makes for a fast and enjoyable read. Freedman opens a great window into the historically black college football programs, as well as two great coaches and the players who made their mark. Will recommend to others.

[Michael Nye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freedman's book focuses on the 1967 college football season and two coaches, Eddie Robinson and Jake Gaither, of black college, Grambling and Florida A&M, respectively. Both men are pulled in opposite directions by the Civil Rights movement of the era: a "steady as she goes" form of integration versus an aggressive "power to the people" movement among the youth.

This is a well-written, strongly researched book that leaps into the past to bring Robinson and Gaither into focus. The game details are terrific, and the various men and women who swirl around their lives (star players, adminstraors, university presidents, politicians, and rival coaches) during the season. The narrative is captivating, the characters sharp, and its satisfying to history buffs and sports fans alike.

[Kenn Staub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good social history that explores the Civil Rights movement of the mid-1960s and southern college football from the perspective of two historically black colleges (Grambling and Florida A&M). Easily readable, it gives a unique look at the playing and coaching experience at historically black colleges and how they differed from those at segregated and non-segregated institutions during the time covered. An interesting read that broadens the understanding of college football during a turbulent time in American history.

[The Advocate]

"There is a lot of meat on the bones of this story — the personalities and individual triumphs of the two coaches, the impact of the civil rights movement on their campuses, the highlights of both teams’ seasons — and Freedman skillfully weaves all of the elements into the narrative."
Read more here.

[Adamdaigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, this was such a great book. I initially got it because it featured Eddie Robinson, but the book was so, so much more than that. Freedman was excellent in his buildup to the 1967 Orange Blossom Classic, but the final chapter -- the bonus story of the FAMU-Tampa game -- was well chronicled.

[Frank Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story about the trials and triumphs of two legend African-American college football coaches. Highly recommended to learn how these coaches had to endure setbacks and prejudice during their long careers.

[Budd Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://allsportsbooks.blogspot.com/20...

[Peter Edelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam does it again...another angle on the civil rights story during the 60s.

[Michael Kallan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about the 1967 Grambling and Florida A&M football teams which lost a bit of momentum in the second half (of the book).

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful. Provided a great glimpse into a very important time in history. Great read. Highly recommend.

[Maurice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really. The book had great subject matter and content, some gaps that I found to be disappointing, and some stylistic elements that weren't my favorite. Absolutely worth a read though.