Manute: The Center of Two Worlds

by Leigh Montville

Book Overview

He is the tallest man ever to play pro basketball; he can dunk the ball without leaving the floor. He has traveled from a small village in the south of the Sudan to the high-tech, glitzy arenas of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671749285
• ISBN13: 9780671749286
• Release Date: February 1993
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Diamond in the Rough

I was fortunate enough to find this book for ONE DOLLAR at a used book store. I must admit that it is the best dollar that I have ever spent. I watched Manute when I was a teenager and I just remember the extreme height of this man. Thankfully this book showed me that there is MUCH more to Manute than just a really tall Dinka. I learned a great deal about Sudanese culture and government, much more than I ever learned in school, and I have a Social Science Degree! I was amazed at the value of cows. I was shocked by the rites of passage to become a Dinka man. I was mesmerized by his journey to become an American icon. It's almost too much to believe. More than anything, this book taught me that a person's true self and personality are what make you special. Although Manute may be the strangest looking man on the planet, you instantly feel a connection to him. It's a shame that Americans hide behind so many walls, titles, etc. and never let their true selves shine as brightly as Manute

I Miss Manute

I had the great pleasure of working with this slender giant for a few years back when he blocked shots for the Bullets and I was an assistant there. I found this book brought back many memories and really captured the kindess of this man. His political beliefs and fight are so great still. He is like the Sudan's Muhammad Ali except stretched to cruel proportions like black taffy. The writing in this book is straight forward as it should be. I hope Manute knows how proud many of us are of his example. Highly recommended!!

captivating and informative

picked up this number used. definitely worth the seven bucks that i shelled out for it. the subject, "nute," is a very interesting one. the guy came from, basically, an iron-age existence in africa to emerge as american pro hoops player. albeit not a great player, but he DID make it, right? even if all of his "talent" was tied up in his height (an astounding 7'7"). an amazing story, and manute is portrayed as both intelligent and amusingly eccentric. still, montville's style of writing is a tad simple, so if you're used to and fond of, say, nineteenth-century russian-literature-in-translation, you'll find the complexity of syntactical structure and the level of descriptive detail to be somewhat lacking. then again, it's only a sportswriter talking about a ball-player. any hemingway fans out there?

captivating and interesting

i picked up this little gem for seven bucks (used), and it was well worth it. the subject, manute "'nute" bol, is a fascinating one. he came from an iron-age african existence to play pro hoops in the USA. not that he was a great player by any stretch of the phrase (ha!), but he DID make it, right? even if most of his "talent" was wrapped up in his astounding height (7'7"). still, montville's style of writing is a tad simple, so if you're used to and fond of, say, nineteenth-century russian-literature-in-translation, you'll find both the complexity of syntactical structures and level of descriptive detail to be somewhat lacking. buy, hey, it IS, after all, only a sportswriter and his tale of a ball-player, so what the heck can i expect? any hemingway fans out there?

The Dinka Dunker

Spectacular description of the life of the greatest shotblocker of all time. From killing tigers in jungles of Sudan to sending opponents' shots into the 10th row with the Rhode Island Gulls -- this one is a winner