Pletzinger, Thomas

"The seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki is one of the great players in basketball history. With a devastating fadeaway and unexpected agility, the Dallas Mavericks superstar helped to pioneer the modern three-shooting game and became a global ambassador for the sport. Award-winning novelist and sportswriter Thomas Pletzinger traveled with Nowitzki for more than seven years, seeking the secret of his success and longevity. In novelistic detail, Pletzinger tells the dramatic story of how a lanky kid from the German suburbs became a top-five all-time scorer and NBA champion. He profiles the revolutionary training methods developed by Holger Geschwindner, Dirk's enigmatic mentor and coach, whose philosophical insights on performance, creativity, and freedom shaped Dirk's game"--Provided by publisher.

Journalist Daniel Mandelkern travels from Hamburg to Lake Lugano to profile Dirk Svenssson, a well-known and reclusive author of books for children, and as he learns more about Svenssson's bizarre household, including a Finnish woman, her son, and a three-legged dog, Mandelkern also comes to terms with his own past.