Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose contributions Wooden  ignored and tried to bury.

Compiled with more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach. The players tell their stories in their own words.

Click the book to read the first chapter and for ordering information. Also available on Kindle.

Avatar: The Way of Water (8/10)

by Tony Medley

190 minutes.

PG-13

For $400 million, one would think a movie should be perfect and wonderful. This one isn’t. Oh, one can appreciate the amount of money spent to make it because the special effects are fabulous and worth the price of admission. And that’s good because the story isn’t just weak, it is absurd.

I know, this is fantasy, but to have a stone age people with bows and arrows taking on an advanced, sophisticated society with post-modern weapons, makes one wonder who is kidding whom?

Character development? Forget it. These are puppets on a string. You see one, you’ve seen them all.

Let’s get back to the special effects. This is the best 3D I’ve ever seen. Unlike other 3D films, it does not weaken the color impression of the film and the 3D is real 3D, not just the stuff that came out in the earlier part of the century. This leaves a very positive impression on the viewer. Unlike other 3D films, I was generally always aware of the 3D, and it was pleasing.

The story, as I said, is silly beyond words so I won’t waste any more words on that. It makes me wonder why director James Cameron would waste the money hiring stars like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet when they disguise themselves in motion capture costumes that make them look totally different. These films are basically cartoons and three hours plus is far too long.

The special effects are worth the price of admission. Once you have seen them though, there’s no law that says you have to sit through the entire film because the story is so silly, even in the realm of whatever this is, the only thing this has to offer is visual.