Four-time Super Bowl champ and current Fox Sports commentator, Bradshaw continues to mine the lovable goofball persona that he (and co-writer Fisher) first developed in his earlier bestselling It's Only a Game. The formula remains simple: Bradshaw discusses a range of standard truisms ("Having a positive attitude will definitely help you overcome failure") in a down-home style that mixes a great deal of self-deprecating humor ("There are people who think I'm loud, ill-informed and silly. Mostly, those are the people I try not to date") with just enough sincere personal revelation. In the last book, Bradshaw forthrightly discussed his attention deficit disorder; here, he discusses his three marriages and divorces ("I felt like my life had turned into the making of a great country album"). What is refreshing, and saves this book from being just another self-help lecture from a media/entertainment figure, is that, unlike most sports superstars, he is surprisingly open to understanding his problems as well as accepting the kind of basic Psychology 101 solutions that he needs. And the simple structure of each chapter—Bradshaw leisurely explores many tangents before tying all the loose ends together with a simple maxim—is remarkably entertaining. The overall effect is not unlike that of Dennis Miller's rants: while you may not agree with the author, there can be no denying that the writing is clever, entertaining and the product of a distinctive voice. (Oct.)
Forecast:Given the popularity of Bradshaw's first book and his own personal popularity, this one should quickly hit the bestseller lists.
