Ultimately, the most important judge of any book is the buying public. So before hearing from the experts below, we offer portals to the best two sites for critiques by everyday readers: Amazon and goodreads. (One review at the latter platform came from an educator -- and prolific reader -- named Doc Freiberger; and his blog post might as well have been written by a pro.) Of course, Apple provides iBooks (via iTunes). But the growing number of Audiobook listeners also have an outlet for feedback, which includes the narrator's performance: Audibles.
We've selected the five most comprehensive reviews below. However, a slew of takes on Parcells can be found on our page dedicated to media coverage.
Budd Bailey for Blogging for Books: "It's interesting when the anecdotes take the reader behind the scenes into the locker room or negotiation room.....Parcells provides insight into why he was and is an interesting man, and why we are still drawn to him more than 25 years after his first championship."
Miriam Tuliao for bookreporter.com: "Parcells provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at NFL life on and off the field." Tuliao adds, "This compelling biography....offers multiple perspectives on the history of the sport."
Colin Fleming for the Boston Globe: "The pre-fame back story has the feel of an uncloaking to it, this notion that Parcells...is like every workaday schlub in terms of doubts, fears, and the need for help for all sorts of things from family and friends." Fleming adds, "One thing you want with books like this is locker-room dish, and enough scenes [in Parcells] are tantamount to the crazy stuff you see in a classic football insider’s account like Roy Blount Jr.’s Three Bricks Shy of a Load."
Mike Rigz for Bro Rated (Stuff Guys Like): "It contains 544 pages but surely you will just be like under a spell and you [will] finish reading it [in] 5 days or less." Rigz raves: "It was hard to put it down even for an hour. It was like entertainment, information and inspiration rolled into one."
Ilan Mochari for Inc. magazine: "How can you tell if your career is your calling?....[T]here are telltale behaviors you can use as indicators. How do you act when you're not at work? How curious are you to learn from the great achievers in your field? These are a few of the recurring tendencies chronicled in Parcells: A Football Life, the new authorized biography of legendary (and legendarily passionate) coach Bill Parcells written by former Sports Illustrated writer Nunyo Demasio. Among the many leadership, management, and team-building topics the book addresses, one thing is clear: Parcells's passion not only benefited his own five-decade career, it also benefited the careers of his players, his assistant coaches, and his employers.
Jacqueline Carter for the New Jersey Star-Ledger via it's website, nj.com: "The book does a great job of showing how Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells was formed in Hasbrouck Heights, described as a haven." The review's headline declares Parcells "a win for longtime fans of the coach."
Neil Best for Newsday: "While it does add depth and insight to events along Tuna's path, it is light on eye-opening revelations for fans who followed him closely over the decades." Neil Best, whose take on revelations contradicts every other reviewer, adds: "The book in some ways is at its best when it reaches the 2000s, a period during which Demasio had excellent access during Tuna's time with the Dolphins and can offer firsthand accounts of actions and interactions."