Scribe: My Life in Sports

As a student at New Jersey’s The Lawrenceville School, former Boston Globe sports columnist Ryan was nicknamed “The Scribe” by the school’s football coach. After graduating from Boston College in 1968, Ryan scored an internship at the Globe; he took advantage of it, writing about basketball and baseball, and was promoted to a full-time columnist in 1989. Ryan’s memoir predictably covers memories of games and athletes past: the Boston Celtics’ principled center Dave Cowens was the “most fascinating person I had ever encountered,” although golf is Ryan’s favorite sport to cover. As a guide for aspiring sportswriters or a personal reflections on a life covering professional sports, Ryan’s book falls short. He relies too often on anecdotes, almost like he’s writing an extended column. But that might be the point. The book shines when Ryan describes his childhood in Trenton, N.J., the foundation for his sports-filled future. (Oct.)