Four Days to Glory: Wrestling with the Soul of the American Heartland
Sportswriter Kreidler, a columnist for theSacramento Bee, immerses himself in "the largest event of its kind  in the United States," the Iowa State High School Wrestling Tournament, and the  result is a deeply insightful look into how young athletes and their families  prepare for and participate in a yearly, four-day event where "Fathers and  sons, coaches and wrestlers locked in screaming matches are as commonplace as  injury timeouts." But this is no exposé: Kreidler paints a highly  sympathetic portrait of the struggles of two smalltown seniors to become the  15th and 16th four-time state champions in Iowa's history. One is motivated by  the doubts raised about his abilities by Iowa wrestling fans, while the other  struggles with a family history of depression. In Kreidler's final stunning  account of how both teens deal with the "recurring emotional whiplash" of the  tournament itself, he more than proves his contention: "The really great ones,  deep down, just don't give a damn" about doubts and struggles external to the  sport itself.(Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.