Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up: The Inspiration of Jimmy V--One Coach, 11 Minutes, and an Uncommon Look at the Game of Life

by Justin Spizman, Robyn Spizman, Nick Valvano (Foreword)

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
Jimmy V was a catalyst. He was a dreamer. And he served as an inspiration to so many. Facing his own mortality, he stood tall and found the courage and bravery for one last call to arms. He took the world's biggest stage and delivered some of the world's biggest lessons. These lessons were the heart of the speech and the inspiration for this book. But it all started with a speech...

Genres: Sports

87 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Anthony Mallamaci · Rating 1 out of 5]

As others have mentioned here, I purchased hoping for thoughtful insight into Jimmy V's speech and life lessons. What the reader receives is a juvenile and repetitive rehashing of quotes from his brother and generic life advice.

Such a poorly written book that I barely made it halfway through.

[Sally Kairouz · Rating 1 out of 5]

We hired Justin to re-write a case study. We had a contract with Justin to re write and re structure the entire study and edit the final copy. We paid $13,000 before he started the job and he did not end up full-filling his contractual agreements and only done 30% of the editing. He did not do any of the re writing & re structuring that was outlined in the contract. The total editing is only to the value of $3,000 and we were out of pocket $10,000 for work he did not complete. Mr Justin refused to do the work at the start soon after we signed the contract. He only started several weeks later after much back and forth via email. I very strongly do not recommend Justin Spizman for any book writing or ghost writing work. BE CAREFULL OF THIS FAKE GHOST WRITER. If you want more info you can email me at theresecataldo@hotmail.com

[Jonelle G · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW talk about Enthusiasm and having a Purpose in life so infectious people join you on the journey.

[Andy Schmitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick read (coffee table sized book) on perhaps one of the most memorable sport speeches out there. I find it intriguing to learn the background to these figures and why they were the way they were. The best line has to do with living each day to three emotions, laugh, cry, think. That’s a full day. I also enjoyed the tip on enthusiastic people, most want to be involved with them.

[Collette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible! I was sad because I had watched a fantastic 30 for 30 on Jim Valvano and thought he was so inspirational. I was hoping for a book that would give me more insight or something, but this really was a rehashing over and over of his famous ESPY speech. Other than the original speech, the writing was terrible. It was like a highschooler was assigned to write a report on it. It was super redundant with widened margins and blank pages. Quotes and anecdotes were used several times and reworded in six different ways. I'm thinking just looking up his other speeches on YouTube will be the way to go.
I actually wanted to quit reading it several times (and it's less than 100 pages), but my husband said "you can't quit a book about not giving up!" That was my only motivation to keep going.

[Rick Marcello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is book is an excellent read and inspirational. However, the words do not do Jimmy Valvano speech justice. The books comes with a dvd that contains the famous 11 speech by Valvano. It is a must watch especially for the courage and heart that Valvano showed knowing that cancer ravaging his body. The minuses of the book it that it gets a bit repetitive. I understood that each chapter had to represent each of the values that Valvano believed in. On there other hand, there could been more creative ways to make points. His speech, ESPN, and the foundation that bears his name are the main topics in the book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

In the words of the great Jim Valvano:

Cherish Time, Treasure the Moment
Make a Habit of Wild Enthusiasm
Laugh, Think, and Cry
Live the Big Picture
Out-Dream Yourself
Believe in Something Passionately
Don't Ever Give Up

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book!Even if you are not a basketball fan this book is a must read.The book is based on Jim Valvano's 1993 speech given at the ESPY awards.It is the most inspirational speech I have ever heard and the bottom line is:"Every day we are alive is a blessing and an opportunity."

[Jena Andrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most amazing speach. This changed my life.