Being a native of rural Appalachia, we owe so much to Mr. Wiggington for the preservation of our culture. No other, in my knowledge has done so much. The entire seires of Foxfire books is a tribute to the plain, industrious, pragmatic, proud mountain ways that I so fondly recall from my childhood. Whether you are doing research, or simply trying to remember how granddaddy did it, these books are an excellent source of knowledge.

Despite claims that the book gives great insights into the top players, you'll find that it mainly focusses on Ania Bleszynski and Jonathan Stark. There is some thoughts on Stefan Edberg as well. I find Elliott Berry waxes poetic on too many occassions. He seems more intent on telling us how he knows a lot about tennis, and gives players insights that even they didn't realize. If you're into more of a wishy-washy view of the tennis scene, this may be fine. If you prefer a harder hitting account, look into buying Courts of Babylon by Peter Bodo, or a similar book.

Berry reaches for the literary high ground, but he stumbles on endlessly repeated imagery and numerous stunning errors of fact. He's obviously interested in his topic, and perhaps a less confident writer would have paid closer attention and gotten the details right.