In the spring of 1982, I borrowed this book. I was in the 9th grade, and had to get a book for my English class. I couldn't put the book down. I was so touched by John Baker and his incredible courage and compassion for others. I soon bought the book and found myself reading it for inspiration when I joined the track team. John showed me something I never had realized--that by doing one's best, one can accomplish amazing things. I soon found myself putting much greater efforts in not only track, but also school and life.

In 1992 I became an elementary teacher. I have read aloud this book to my various classes. I have found my students loving the book. Many tell me it is their new favorite book. Together we come up with service ideas of how we can make our year "A Shining Season". This books reaches right into their hearts and stays there. John Baker is the role model that our children and young adults need. If you only buy one book this year, I recommend highly that "A Shining Season" be the one. I can never express enough how thankful I am for this book.

There are many books out there today about our sport and about people in our sport, but none touch the soul as deep as "A Shining Season." I along with many of the other reviewers read this book for the first time when I was younger and in junior high. This book is a MUST to read, runner or nonrunner this book with touch your heart and motivate you to look at your life and want to live yours in such a way that John would smile from heaven and be proud. As a middle school kid I can remember to this day wanting to call information and ask for John Bakers parents phone # so I could thank them for having such a great son. This book touched my life and I hope it will touch yours as well. God bless John.

An outstanding book.

I'm an emotional sap and cry at the drop of a hat, but if any one can read this book and not go through a few tissues they either have incredible emotional control or are extremely cold. I started this book yesterday after I got home, around lunch time. I finished it (250 pages) last night. I don't think I've ever done that before. It reads fast. It is the tragic, yet wonderful, true story of John Baker - one of American's best milers in 1969. He teaches elementary school kids and truly lives a life of purpose; a life well lived.

Buy this book now and read it, but stock up on the tissues. You'll come away wishing you had known him. This is mostly a book about teaching kids and heroic character and doesn't talk much about running.

As a teacher and sports fan, I found myself unable to put this book down. The book recounts the life of John Baker, an elementary teacher and track star, who was stricken with cancer at a young age. His stuggle to deal with the disease and continue his career, is an inspiration. In addition, you get to know his family and friends and how he helps them accept his disease. Reading this book will inspire you to not take what you have for granted and live for the moment!

This book takes AD&D too far for it to handle the situation properly. Each of the rules is tweaked to such absurd degree that I at times lost all recognition of what exactly I was reading. Unlike Skills and Powers which expands on the previuosly available data, Combat and Tactics adds far too much of the new and the unexpected. The mix of the combat rules is almost intolerable if you know of a game that used these rules first. It is as if TSR is trying to capture the popularity of other games by mimicking them. On the other hand, Combat and Tactics contains many useful materials - the much-needed critical hits table which allows for detailed damage, updated weapons tables ( sadly, these are less extensive than those in the Arms and Equipment), and several interesting variants of the initiative rules are explained in greater completion than they are in PHB or the DMG. But by the time the book is finished you will feel that now the combat is too drawn out and it becomes so much more of a chore - nothing of the elegant simplicity of the original rules. My advice - give Combat and Tactics a try, borrow it from a friend, copy the tables into your little notes folder, and use your judgement during combat.

This book and all the player's option books should be renamed to "Dungeon Master's option" While the book allows better unarmed combat rules, this book and the others allow the players creation of the "Super Character" and in the wrong hands and experienced player could walk all over an unexperienced Dungeon Master and make his job more difficult..However the fine points to this book are the Critical Hit tables make combat more effective to the players in thinking that their character is seriously injured as opposed to losing a few hit points, and for the descriptive DM monster Deaths can be quite gruesome and epic. Plus for the PC's that are tired of the standard sword and bow, there is a veritable plethora of odd weapons to choose from, that are arranged by "Age Periods"(i.e. Golden Age, Bronze Age, etc,etc..) This also includes firearms. All weapons listed come with speed and damage stats. This book can definately add some spice to the average joe adventure..

This is a very good book, I believe that everyone who wants more realistic Combat Rules and new Strategies, Proficiency's and Tatics will enjoy a lot this book. Many things is incluided like the new Critical Hit's System and table's of critical Hit's Severity. Ignore The guy that gave 1 star to this book, he probaly never read it or even have played AD&D because if he had, he will not say a stupid thing like a Goblin with a dagger taking off a arm from a Human. So if you want good and realistic Combat to your campaign you should already had this book! GET IT!