I finally got around to reading my pre-release copy this weekend. I'll preface by saying that this really isn't my kind of book at all. As an atheist who was reared in a strict, religious cult, I had more than my fill of this kind of motivational, self-reflective book growing up. I wouldn't say it is any better or worse than the mountain of generic, motivational, self-help, Christian works that attempt to help broken people find a sense of self-worth. The meat of the message could have been written by just about any of the dozen or so Christian ghostwriters that routinely write these types of books and then weave the personalized experience of the "author" into the text. I know of no evidence that Gresham used a ghostwriter, but the message is generic enough to have been written that way.
Enough criticism of the book itself. If you are here, you probably want to know what he has to say about the Seahawks, and the parting. It would be rude to reveal everything he writes, but I will say that there is less about the separation than I had hoped, combined with some interesting details about the post-separation period, that does answer the question of why he wasn't brought back when Frese went out for the season. There is also some interesting locker room detail, including some post-XLIX info, that gives just a peek under the veil of secrecy that shrouds the Carroll organization.
As a big fan of the Seahawks, it was worth the read. It wouldn't entirely surprise me to see one of his casual mentions discussed on those sports-talk shows that I pretty much ignore. It somewhat reopens the whole XLIX controversy.
It was interesting reading about what drives professional football players, and the emotions they go through during their careers, before and after big games, and especially after they are discarded. It could make you feel bad for them if you didn't stop to think that it is exactly how society treats everybody, these players are just given a bigger stage to succeed and fail on.
I think it is a worthwhile, quick read (took me about an hour), for fans of the team, but there is nothing earth shattering, or really even surprising, in there.
