Andre the Giant

VOYA

Professional wrestling has no respect for its past. Unlike baseball with its reverence for history, records, and a true Hall of Fame, there is little nostalgia in the squared circle. Any teenage baseball fan knows the importance of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, but few teen mat fans know the name of Bobo Brazil, one of the subjects in this series and grappling's great integrator. The new Wrestling Greats series attempts to add to that dismal historical record with a collection of books about some of the great names in wrestling's past. The books are textbook hi/lo with lots of short sentences using easy vocabulary and featuring wide margins and big print in an attractive font with sidebar quotes. The consistent style of writing is very similar to that of newsstand wrestling magazines. In these books, wrestling is real. They probably will not be of great interest to professional wrestling's casual fans, but for the few kids who get hooked on this odd entertainment as this reviewer did at age twelve, they are gold mines of information and loaded with rare photos within their somewhat dismal covers. The two volumes reviewed here might have more interest because of the nature of their subjects. Ric Flair, although inactive as of this writing, probably will emerge for one more run, whereas Andre the Giant, given his crossover appeal in the movie The Princess Bride and a well-received feature on the A & E network's Biography program, might appeal to a more general audience. All of the books have some regional interest, in particular the volumes on Bruno Sammartino and Gorilla Monsoon for libraries on the East Coast. Quick reads that just barely make it over the one hundred-pagelimit often required for book reports, these books are solid, albeit destined for a small audience. Glossary. Index. Photos. Further Reading. VOYA CODES:3Q 2P M J (Readable without serious defects;For the YA with a special interest in the subject;Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Rosen, 112p, $18.95. Ages 11 to 15. Reviewer:Patrick Jones—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)