CORNERED - RON MacLEAN

 CORNERED

Cornered by Ron MacLean and Kristie McLellan Day

- RON MACLEAN -

Ron, the level headed guy opposite Don Cherry on Hockey Night In Canada's Coaches Corner...well, he comes across very level headed in this book. He shares the journey of going from local radio DJ to national sports caster / celebrity.

I read a few of the reviews before diving into this book and I found many were very critical of this book for being bland/boring and implying that Ron is just riding the coat tales (and crazy coats at that) of Don Cherry.

Well obviously the Ron and Don relationship is going go make up most of the stories - they've worked together, hung out together, and have been friends for like 30 years!

Ron's story is not all that exciting, to be truthful. There is no dramatic battle with cancer, fighting out of poverty, drug abuse, or anything like that. Ron seems like a regular old middle class guy who was really into radio and broadcasting. He's a bit of a workaholic who likes to be overprepared for everything he does...so it only makes sense that he would work his way up the chain and become a big name wherever he worked. With his love of hockey it happened to work with Hockey Night in Canada.

He does reveal a bit of his personal life. Again, it's pretty tame. He sounds like a really nice guy who works a lot...so not a whole lot of extras like climbing Kilimanjaro or playing in a folk band.

What I find about these type of books, ghosted by Kristie McLellan Day, is that they lack any flair in the writing and word choice. There is not a lot of literary language being used. It almost feels like a transcript written out from an audio interview. Which is great, in that is really gives you a feel for how someone speaks, the words they use, and the stories they tell...but it also seems choppy at times. But, at least it feels authentic.

Ron MacLean's Cornered

I picked up this book at a local thrift store for $1. There were a huge pile of biographies that someone had just dropped off. All in great shape, probably read once, and now were going for $1. A bookworms treasure pile!

Anyway, if you've followed hockey, kept up on the drama at the CBC, and watched Coach's Corner...you will not find a whole lot of new information in this book. There are not even a lot of behind the scenes stories. However, if you've watched hockey, kept up on the CBC drama, and watched Coach's Corner, you WILL like this book. It's like a trip down memory lane.

I liked it.