New York Daily News
sportswriter Vacchiano chronicles the journey of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and how he went from reviled to revered in the eyes of fickle Big Apple sports fans. Vacchiano starts with Manning's career at the University of Mississippi, exploring the last-minute deal that allowed the quarterback to come to New York, and Manning's rocky rookie season with the Giants and the struggles he endured in escaping the shadows cast by older brother Peyton and father Archie, both established quarterbacks. With insight from an abundance of Manning's coaches and teammates, and a well-documented chronology of the week-to-week roller-coaster ride of a young football player, Vacchiano's story culminates with Manning rewarding the faith the Giants had in him with a Super Bowl title. Still, while Vacchiano supports the story well with plenty of statistics and analysis from a wide range of football people, the reader learns little about what Eli Manning is like, aside from the three hours fans see him each Sunday. Vacchiano does compare Eli to the “stereotypical little brother, standing in the background as if he's trying to hide” compared to the overwhelming presence that is older sibling Peyton. But relationships with teammates are only touched upon. (Sept.)
