Review of
Flashing
Before My Eyes, by
Dick Schaap ISBN 0380975122
Five out
of five stars
Oh, the
names you will read about
I have long been an intense fan of adolescent
sports fiction and books by sports figures. Over the years, I have read many books
“by” professional athletes where the author was listed as, “The name of the
athlete following by something similar to ‘as told to Dick Schaap.’” His name
has appeared as a co-author of many books, and his assistance has clearly made
the books more interesting and entertaining. This book can be strongly described by both of
those adjectives.
This book belongs in the name dropper hall of
fame. The people that Schaap interacted with are some of the most famous people
in the world, some before they were famous. There was his interactions with a
teenager named Cassius Clay, who expressed surprise when he met people that
knew who he was. There was the budding comic Lenny Bruce, simultaneously brash
and insecure. Many other encounters are described, covering the major sports
and other forms of entertainment.
At the time the book was written Schaap was
the only person that voted for both the Heisman and Tony awards. One interesting aspect of this book is that
there is no index at the end. It would have been one of the few indexes that
would have been entertaining to read from A to Z.
