Speaking of Ferrari, most Hong Kong people don’t immediately think of Formula One, instead associating the name with luxury sports cars that symbolize status, but how much do you know about its founder?
Enzo Ferrari was born in the late 19th century and lived through the two world wars. He was a race car driver and built a race team. He became an entrepreneur after the Second World War, eventually founding the successful, world-renowned marque.
American author Brock Yates spent several years visiting hundreds of people who worked with Enzo, digging up details to give readers a comprehensive understanding of the legendary Italian. If you are interested in the racing legend, you should not miss this book.
About the writer: Uncle Shrimp loves reading, writing and athletics, and hopes he can continue exploring the world through sports.
相信看完這本書，你即使不至於立即效法他們環遊世界，但相信也會有衝動騎上單車，感受世間不一樣的景致。
I must cycle around the world even if I get nothing else by Wang Chien-chuan and Chang Ching-i
I cycled around Taiwan about five years ago. What I remember most was the cheering and assistance of all kinds I got from passers-by.
The Taiwanese couple who wrote the book were determined to cycle around the world after graduating and before starting work despite opposition from their parents. They weren’t rich so their trip was only possible with the donation of their relatives and friends. In two years, they had been to Japan, Europe, North America and Oceania and more.
The human touch moved me most reading this book. Despite all the challenges the authors encountered, people came to their aid. Most of these people had just a passing acquaintance with them but were willing to offer help from food to accommodation and even medical fees. Perhaps that’s what novelist Paulo Coelho meant by “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Even though you may not go as far as cycling around the world like them after reading this book, I believe you would have the urge to ride a bike to enjoy the exceptional scenery.
2016年，Lizzy Hawker辦了越野賽事UTMR（Ultra Tour Monte Rosa，環羅薩峰超級越野耐力賽）。這個賽事全長170公里，累計爬升11200米，難度比UTMB有過之而無不及。Lizzy Hawker，這是她喜愛的越野跑路線，很想各地跑者來體驗一下。早前，本地著名越野大神曾小強拿下了2017 UTMR冠軍，可說是為港增光。
作者古館春一在中學時期熱衷排球，及至成為漫畫家後仍對這項運動念茲在茲，決心要以此為題材獻出作品，結果在2012年他終可一嘗素願，開始連載。《排球少年》描寫虛構的烏野高中男排隊，在高中大賽中力爭上游。當然，這類熱血漫畫總少不免有些誇張，但整體而言算是實感頗重。如果想認識日本的排球精神，這部漫畫各位值得一讀。
Haikyū!! (volleyball) by Haruichi Furudate
The FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup, one of the biggest tournaments, will run in Japan next month. Japan has hosted the World Grand Champions Cup and the Volleyball World Cup since 1977, reflecting the country’s significant standing in the volleyball world. And while Japan’s recent volleyball achievements have waned since the 1970s, the country has never spared any effort to promote the sport and manage competitions well.
Japanese enthusiasm for volleyball is evident also from popular culture. A volleyball manga series called Haikyū!! has been popular within the country. Author Haruichi Furudate has loved the sport since he was in high school, and when he became a manga artist he was determined to put it in his work. His wish came true in 2012. Haikyū!! is a fairly realistic story of a high school student striving to win at volleyball, so it’s worth looking at for people who want to know more about the volleyball spirit in Japan.
Faster Than Lightning: My Autobiography
Author: Usain Bolt
The 100-meter world record holder Usain Bolt is a big fan of Manchester United. How big a fan? He almost died for them. In 2009, Bolt got into a traffic accident in Jamaica while speeding to watch Man Utd play live. He escaped with minor injuries but his car was seriously damaged. The harrowing tale comes in the foreword to his autobiography.
Despite all his medals, Lightning Bolt has had disappointments, fears and even hisses and boos from Jamaicans. All those elements are in his autobiography – how much effort he spent and the setbacks on the road to success.
Bolt will probably retire after the IAAF World Championships in London next month, so perhaps this is a good time to read the memoirs of this legend.
With this year’s Wimbledon tournament approaching, it’s a good time to reflect on the story of Chinese tennis queen Li Na. The subject matter alone is fascinating. Li recalls the misery behind the scenes before her French Open victory; being away from home from a very young age for training and matches, learning of her father’s terminal illness only at his death as he had hidden it from her to keep her focused, and facing challenges alone. Now 35, the mother of two has retired from professional play but remains committed to promoting tennis off the court. I was moved by Li’s poignant narrative and glad to learn about the full retired life of Asia’s leading tennis player.
《足球帝國——一窺英格蘭社會的華麗與蒼涼》
The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football
作者：大衛．哥德布拉特（David Goldblatt）
布萊克（William Blake）的名句：「從一粒沙看世界，從一朵花見天堂。」（To see a World in a Grain of Sand. And a Heaven in a Wild Flower.）這位英倫詩人想說的是：見微，足以知著。用一個新穎角度觀察，使我們對事情了解得更透徹之餘，其實也饒富趣味。
The Game of Our Lives:
The Meaning and Making of English Football by David Goldblatt
The quote “To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower” from English poet William Blake muses about getting an understanding of the larger condition by observing small things, and in the same way the English football can be said to reflect the development of British society. Sports writer David Goldblatt tells how the national sport mirrors the state of affairs in post-Thatcher Britain in The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football.
The book of over 400 pages covers the British economy, city identity, nationality, unification and independence, along with governance and gender, with Goldblatt’s observations demonstrating his familiarity with football trends and British society. At one point he compares the ineffectiveness of the British government with the mismanagement in the English Football Association that has produced poor performances by the England national team in recent years. His criticisms echo a Chinese saying: love well, chide well.
As the book was published in early 2015, football fans will find the book even more illuminating if they look back on major happenings in the English football world over the last two years such as Leicester City’s shock Premier League win that surprised many. With Britain about to hold a general election and Brexit looking inevitable, The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football may give readers food for thought.
蝦叔 