The NFL icon who first brought show business to sports relates the story of his rise and reign as "Broadway Joe" and discusses his struggles with alcoholism and the redemption he found in God later in life.
I have read everything about Namath for years... this new book is different, better than all of the ones before it in a sense. All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters is told in Namath’s words. And those words are powerful and instructive ... You can feel his pain.
Namath discusses, with unexpected candor, the world he grew up in—a world that shaped not only his athletic ability but also his approach to good times and bad times, to women, wealth and celebrity. And for all the X’s-and-O’s football nerds among us, he gives a vivid, first-person, play-by-play account of that iconic 1969 Super Bowl victory ... Mr. Namath is brutally honest about many aspects of his life, but he barely mentions his marriage and children ... So here we have it: a reflective football icon—76 years old, incredibly—and an elder statesman. He doesn’t tell all, but he tells a good yarn, guaranteed.
... make no mistake: the gifted athlete is not a natural author ... But let it go. Joe has stories to tell, and with the aid of Sean Mortimer and Don Yaeger, he does better than a passable job. His (their?) prose has a certain appeal ... The book deals cursorily with such substantive issues, leaving the reader hanging at times ... The reviewer, however, doth protest too much. Even casual sports fans will find this an enthralling read. For all his flaws – and the author does not hide them – Namath is a likable and lively raconteur. What’s more, his is a remarkable life.
