Paterno

By: Joe Posnanski

Narrated by: Joe Mantegna

From America’s premier sportswriter, the definitive, #1 New York Times bestselling biography of Joe Paterno and the story of America’s love affair with football.

Joe Paterno believed that football was a way to teach young men how to live. He coached at Penn State for 62 years. In the course of his years as a head coach, his teams won 409 games, a Division I record. At the end of his life, more than 100 of those wins were invalidated by the NCAA because of the crimes of a longtime assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, and Paterno’s alleged knowledge of those crimes—knowledge Paterno denied until his death. In the process, the name Paterno—the name he had spent a lifetime building—came to represent scandal and controversy.

Joe Posnanski lived in State College, Pennsylvania, through the turbulent final months of Paterno’s life and was with him and his family as the scandal that eventually consumed him unfolded. Now with a new afterword, Posnan­ski’s book delves deep into the life of Joe Paterno, going back to his childhood days in Brooklyn and his college days at Brown, and looks at him through the eyes of the young men he coached. It is a portrait that goes beyond the daily headlines and into the life of a stubborn idealist, a teacher, and a flawed but principled man who, to the very end, loved to coach.

Extraordinary Highs and Tragic Lows

You don’t have to be from Penn State or even be a football fan to enjoy this book.

I went into this hoping that it wouldn't be entirely about the scandal that was all over the news. This book covered the scandal, but I was very pleased to find that it covered much more. I wanted something that was fair and honest, and I think this book is exactly that.

This is definitely a well written and interesting biography and I feel as though the author did his best to remain neutral. This book will give you a better understanding of Paterno’s character, his legendary career, and the scandal that solidified his fall. The narrator did a great job with this book and I felt that he captured the emotions well without making it overly dramatic.

Everything Paterno did was meant to last forever and I really do believe that in time, people will see he tried to do the right things.

Overall, this is a great book. I highly recommend it for anyone that is looking for a moving, emotional, and real story.

One of the best books I ever purchased

This book was written extremely well and the narrator was perfect, it was not drawn out it was right on target. Excellent job!!!

Fair handling of events

Any additional comments?

It was a very good book about Joe's life and not just the scandal at the end. It was obvious that the author liked Joe, but did show that Joe did make some mistakes with the scandal. I thought overall it was very even handed. Joe was not perfect, but he was also not a monster. If he had known the gravity of the events he would have done something. His mistakes were being too single-minded on football. That made him a great coach, but also allowed things to go on around him that never should have.

The Truth about the Real JoePa

I listen to three or four books a month, try to rate most of them but seldom write a review. This time I am obligated. Let's preface it all with stating I am a Penn State alumni. I bleed Blue & White. But it isn't because of a school known for football (and gymnastics and ice hockey and volleyball and wrestling), but, more importantly, because it is a great academic institution. Being Penn State proud I wanted to know the REAL, full story about JoePa. The author began and almost finished this biography before the Sandusky incident, but, as he explains, he could not write an honest biography without getting into all the circumstances surrounding that terrible issue. I am sure many of those who believed in Paterno will want to hear this story; but it is those who did not, or lost faith in this man, they need to hear the whole story. I will admit I cried more than once listening to how this coach dealt with many of the incidents of his life and his coaching career. This is a good book, a moving story, and an emotional ride.
And it would be remiss on my part to fail to mention the tremendous job Joe Montenga did in narrating this book. The texture of his voice, the empathy of his reading, was first rate.
Thank you Joe Posnanski for a most thorough story on the full life of Joe Paterno.

Great book, great story

I loved the book. And the reader does a great job telling the story. It wasn’t just about a coach it was about a lifestyle. Masterful.