Head on: A Memoir, by Larry Csonka

 

Publication Oct. 4, 2022

Much to my surprise, I discovered Hall of Fame football player Larry Csonka and I have a bit in common. We were both born in rural areas in Ohio but spent many of our working years in Florida. That's where I first encountered Csonka, well, virtually via my tv screen, during his Miami Dolphin glory days. We both also felt Alaska calling us, although his call seems to have come much earlier than mine via a 1955 copy of Field & Stream that showed an Alaskan grizzly decimating a camp in Alaska on the cover. Mine call came from Gary Paulsen's "Woodsong", so I guess you can say we were both drawn by the power of images. I now live in Alaska and Csonka  operates a hunting/fishing tour in Alaska part of the year. Heck, he even lives in my general area. Yep, Alaska's call is strong.

In any case, while I found his football memories intriguing, it was the Alaska connection that drew me to his story, I must admit. That said, I'll never watch a football game again where the tv cameras pan to show us an encounter along the sidelines and just assume it's all business. The players may be focused on a game but the coaches and players are human, as are the officials, and Csonka  shares some humorous encounters and happenings in the process of telling his story. The injury levels are chilling, too. It'll help if you're a football fan, of course, but there's enough non-football to hold the interest of those who prefer the human story, the background that brought Csonka to where he is today, such as his sister being attacked and stabbed. It's also amazing to see how naive he was, even as a professional football player, "back in the day". Can you imagine any football player today, for instance, not being aware of female impersonators and the wonders and football mad frenzy of New Orleans when hosting a Super Bowl? Names like Elvis, Burt Reynolds, Joe Namath and, whoa, even Donald Trump entered and left his world. It's to his credit, although he was certainly no saint, that Alaska seemed to have a stronger hold on him than all the glamour of celebrity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you're a football fan, whether of the Dolphins or not, you'll find the recounting of games and players fascinating. If you simply like intriguing memoirs that show where someone famous came from, you'll find his memories of his early days and family influences of interest, not to mention the fact that, whoa, Larry Csonka was once bullied unmercifully. That farm boy has come a long way. He also survived a horrendous storm in a relatively small boat on the Bering Sea while filming his show "North to Alaska," a memory that gave me chills while sitting safely on my own couch.

Bottom line, this one is a winner. It may not compare to a Super Bowl trophy and ring, but Larry "Zonk" Csonka has a winner in "Head On." Thanks to #NetGalley and #BenBellaBooks - #MattHolt for giving me this peek into my fellow part-time Alaskan, Larry Czonka.