Mariah is the real thing and it shows up in this book. This book is warm, thoughtful, full of good advice, friendly, and funny. You don't even have to be or like jocks to find little gems of how to live a good life in these pages.
As a spoken word performer who cannot have an inspired "A game" every night, I especially enjoyed the chapter "B Is for B-Game", "prepare to win on an off-day." Mariah understands the nuances of excellence--no matter how hard you train, you have off nights or off games, but you can still win, or in my case win the audience over, with your B or C game--with the fall back on skill, training, hard-work, focus, AND, the surrender to what is, not what you'd like things to be. There are many moments of such wisdom throughout this book. Yes, Mariah, thanks.

Mariah Burton Nelson's new book, "We Are All Athletes", is an excellent guide for daily life. Rather than bland cliches, Mariah offers specific actions and thought patterns that can improve one's mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She offers concrete ideas for setting and pursuing exercise goals, thinking like a winner, turning defeat, or setbacks, into lessons and steps forward, and treating yourself and others with respect. This is not a book just for athletes; by using sports as a metaphor, Mariah shows us how we can participate successfully in all aspects of our life, and be proactive, rather than merely reactive. For Mariah, "vicissitudes" are defined as "opportunities". It's a short, easy read, and can be picked up at any point in the text and enjoyed. Another valuable addition to my library; thank you, Mariah!

This is a terrific book --- direct and right to the point. It is a short read, but long on food for thought. My "sport" is Duplicate Bridge and this book is just as relevant for that as it is for tennis, basketball or curling. Or even the sport of LIFE, as Ms. Nelson points out.

There are 13 essays about various sports and also includes and introduction and conclusion. Some of the essays were better than others, usually because of the sport the essay examined. Babe Didrikson is featured in more than one essay, which highlights her significance to women's sports. The essays really draw attention to the many contributions many women, who's names are not commonly known, have brought to their sports. As a knowledgeable sports fan I enjoyed learning new things about female athletics. The essay's covered Track and Field, Baseball and Softball, Tennis, Golf, Canoeing Kayaking, Rowing Sailing, Skiing, Figure Skating, Swimming, Equestrian Sports, Gymnastics, Soccer, Ice Hockey, and Basketball. I totally skipped the Boating, Equestrian, and Ice Hockey essays and skimmed the Skiing essay. These sports don't interest me even in men's sport (except Ice Hockey, but I can't buy the women's version of the sport). I would recommend this book and I'll keep it in case my 6 year old daughter one day wishes to learn more about one or more of these sports.

I would really like to exhale now that someone finally gave props to the female basketball players who have great talent, but are not in the WNBA or Over Seas playing on a "professional level". Nike is a Goddess went "underground"to the best pro-am basketball tourney for woman at West 4th.ST. in NYC. These are the woman who have played for years in college and many other pro-am basketball tournaments. These woman are "street legends" of NYC.
These woman are excellent players, professionals, mothers and SUPERB basketball players. I'm so glad someone noticed, Thanx!

I was so impressed with this book that I plan to include it in a graduate-level college course about women's sports.

... While it does have some valid points regarding sexism in sports and sexism of male athletes, it takes things a little far. Reading for any prolonged period tends to give one a very negative view of men in general and athletes in particular. In addition, the author underestimates the strength of women, and discounts the possibility that being viewed as a sex object can be both stimulating and empowering to them. Her depiction of cheerleaders and topless dancers, among other things, were very shallow. The whole book is very one-dimensional, and seems to be written by the kind of rabid feminist that gives feminism a bad name. Not everyone out there believes that all men conspire to bring women down and subjugate them.

This book does a great job of describing many of the obstacles faced by female athletes. It has greatly helped me redefine my athletic goals and understand what I may encounter as I continue my athletic pursuits.

This book is truly enlightening. While i know some of her claims are contestable (as all theory is), i still want to sew her thoughts into my brain so they will be available for instant access and referral. I have always been wary of our sports culture; Nelson tells me why. Nelson in no way condemns athletics or sports, but rather the sexism that has evovled around American sports culture, and the possible reasons for this evolution. Unfortunately i know that this book would not be palatable for many sports fans; for that reason it is so utterly poignant.

This book is nothing but riding on the current child-abuse hysteria!
I can't believe that someone like Mariah get applause for what she did! She destroyed a mans life, betrayed love and gloats about it! Shame on her and everybody that thinks there is any honor in that!

Mariah Burton Nelson has taken an abstract concept and made it concrete. The book is beautifully written and impeccably researched, making it perfect for a good read or for a more scholarly examination of the information cited. Using both secular and religious concepts, this book does not preach. It is full of love and will enrich your life.

Thus far, I've been spared the torments experienced by many of the people Mariah profiles in her book. Her book touched me deeply on a far less dramatic level: Daily life. Life at work, at home, and on the road can so easily be an assault of small irritations. Because of Mariah's gentle, insightful book, I now pause to think empathetically about the "perpetrator". Each day is now far more relaxed. Thanks, Mariah.

This book challenged me to think about my own relationship with competition--with my siblings, in my career, during my childhood, and for my future as an entrepreneur--and to recognize competition in settings where I was not recognizing it. In this well written and well referenced book, Mariah gathers together the thoughts of many women and interweaves them successfully with her own powerful experiences. Already I sense that reading this book has made a difference in my life. I eagerly look forward to reading other books by this author.