{"product_id":"back-from-the-dead-9781476716879","title":"Back from the Dead","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"An elegiac yet exuberant new memoir\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e)--Bill Walton's \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling memoir about his recovery from debilitating physical injury and how lessons from John Wooden at UCLA (and the music of the Grateful Dead) inspired his darkest hours.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn February 2008, Bill Walton suffered a spinal collapse so devastating he was unable to get up. It was the culmination of a lifetime of injury. Although Walton had played fourteen seasons in the NBA, he actually missed more games than he played during those years due to injury. From the time of his spinal collapse until his eventual recovery, he spent most of three years flat on the ground. The pain was excruciating, and he thought seriously about killing himself. But he survived, and \u003ci\u003eBack from the Dead\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of his injury and recovery, set in the context of his amazing athletic career. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWalton grew up in southern California in the 1950s and was deeply influenced by the political and cultural upheavals of the 1960s. Although Walton identified strongly with the counterculture, especially in music, the greatest influence on him outside his family was Coach John Wooden, a thoughtful, precise mentor who seemed immune to the turmoil of the times. The two men would speak every day for forty-three years until Wooden's death at age ninety-nine. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohn Wooden once said that no greatness ever came without sacrifice. In this \"frequently stirring memoir...Walton's love for life and the people and things in it--including his college coach, John Wooden--is infectious. You can't stop reading, or rooting for the man\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003ci\u003e Back from the Dead\u003c\/i\u003e shares his dramatic story, including his basketball and broadcasting careers, his many setbacks and rebounds, and his ultimate triumph as the toughest of champions. \"[Walton] scores another basket--a deeply personal one.\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWalton, Bill:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Bill Walton was NCAA player of the year at UCLA from 1972 to 1974, when UCLA set an NCAA record eighty-eight consecutive-game winning streak. A former NBA Champion and MVP, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and selected as one of the NBA's Fifty Greatest Players ever. He has also had a successful award-winning broadcasting career with ABC, ESPN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, Turner, and Fox, among others. He currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his family. Visit him at BillWalton.com.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50569819783442,"sku":"9781476716879","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a8763b50-7cf9-47f1-9d2f-e58d3ae842ba.jpg?v=1731957171","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/back-from-the-dead-9781476716879","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}