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Library Journal Review

With Michael Jordan's recent Rare Air ( LJ 11/15/93) selling like mad in the wake of his retirement announcement last fall, this biography is sure to attract the insatiable fans of ``His Airness.'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Enormously gifted and furiously competitive basketball star Michael Jordan, who retired in 1993, may well have been the best player ever to step onto the court. But his excellence was not unalloyed, claims this depiction of the Chicago Bulls superplayer by Hammond Times (Illinois) staffer Krugel ( Michael Jordan ). His exceptional abilities, which led his team to a record three successive NBA titles, caused Jordan to become impatient with his teammates, whom he pushed constantly to play harder and better. On the other hand, they, too, were competitive and resented not only his talents and his league-leading point totals but also their depiction in the media as his supporting cast. Finally Jordan's international fame made him a prisoner off the court: he could not leave Chicago Stadium without a phalanx of security guards. Though perceptive, this portrait is disorganized. Photos not seen by PW. $50,000 ad/ promo; author tour. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

There is nothing inherently wrong with Krugel's volume on ex-basketball star Jordan. The book is full of exciting moments in Jordan's career, accolades and analysis by his teammates and opponents, and numerous quotes from the star himself. Although more complimentary than Sam Smith in The Jordan Rules (S. & S., 1992), Krugel treats his subject objectively and with great interest. The greater question that his book raises is whether the market (or the universe) needs any more Michael Jordan accounts. Jordan is the most recognized sports celebrity of the 1990s, and his every move has already been dissected by the media. His retirement from basketball, gambling problems, the death of his father, and his attempts at playing professional baseball have been reported to the brink of exploitation. A true Michael Jordan fanatic will enjoy this book, but everyone else can probably pass. For comprehensive sports collections only.-Jeffrey Gay, Bridgewater P.L., Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

To the tune of Kermit the Frog's lament, "It Ain't Easy Being Green," Michael Jordan croons, "It Ain't Easy Being Mike." The retired Chicago Bull great and current White Sox wannabe provides a brief introduction to each chapter of Hammond Times reporter Krugel's surprisingly candid and objective biography. Krugel carefully examines Jordan's legendary competitiveness, concluding that it is both the source of Michael's athletic greatness and a kind of personal curse. We see the effect of his competitive spirit both in his gambling fiascoes, on the one hand, and in his night-in, night-out mastery of professional basketball, which, as Krugel explains it, was made possible not only by natural talent, but also by Jordan's remarkable ability to create a small challenge for himself in each game, whether it was teaching a rookie opponent respect or disappointing the home fans when the Bulls were on the road. Krugel also explores the stifling nature of Jordan's celebrity, detailing the horrors of living in a fishbowl. Though Jordan's relationships with teammates were often tenuous, they, too, recognized the double-edged sword of being the world's most famous person: As one teammate put it, "They couldn't pay me enough to be Michael." A fine biography as well as a thoughtful look at the burdens of fame in the modern world. ~--Wes Lukowsky