Book Review

For our reading assignment I chose to read a book that I have started several times but never had the opportunity to get completely through it. This is an autobiography entitled Wins, Losses, and Lessons by Lou Holtz. This book, written by Coach Holtz, is one that I believe should be read by anyone, not just sports enthusiasts. Holtz talks about his humble beginnings, his stint as an assistant at Connecticut, and then head coaching jobs at William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. I think the best message in this book that a reader would get is that whatever his/her profession, we all strive to be two things, successful and significant. A successful person, a winning coach for example, is only successful while he/she is around. A significant person, whether it is a coach or a teacher, is successful long after they are gone, because these are the people who are able to touch the lives of others. Coach Holtz personifies this idea in that while he wasn’t the winningest coach of all time, he still touched the lives of many people, enough that he will be a successful person long after he is gone.