Summer Reading List: Gary Swegan

What would summer be without a good reading list? Throughout the summer BGSU faculty, staff and students will share their picks for best summer reading. We hope you find time to read some of the selections and share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page!

WEEK 4 SELECTIONS BY

Gary D. Swegan
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions

My reading tends toward several broad themes, which include fiction, sports-related nonfiction, leadership, and religious/spiritual. My two favorite authors are John Grisham and John Feinstein. My favorite books, which span the past decade, include:

• The Firm by John Grisham
  One of Grisham's first, and still my favorite.
• The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball by John Feinstein
  The author spends a year following the Patriot League men's basketball teams, at the time the only Division I league, other than the Ivy League, attempting to compete in college basketball's highest division, without the benefit of athletic scholarships.
• A Civil War: Army vs. Navy: A Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry by John Feinstein
  Another great, but less well known, Feinstein effort. A year spent following the Army and Navy football programs.
• Destination Basketball: A Once in a Lifetime Adventure to Meet the Best Coaches in College Hoops by Andrew Hemminger and Dave Bensch
  Written by BGSU alumnus Andrew Hemminger '07, '10, '12 and his friend, these two were college students when they spent 15 months traveling around the United States speaking with college basketball's best-known men's basketball coaches.
• My American Journey: Colin L. Powell by Joseph E. Persico
  This autobiography of General Colin L. Powell is a book that offers significant inspiration in my personal and professional life.
• It Doesn't Take a Hero: General H. Norman Schwarzkopf by Peter Petre
  This is another very good read, from which much can be learned about leadership.
• That's Why I'm Here: The Chris and Stephanie Spielman Storyby Chris Spielman and Bruce Hooley
  The story of Stephanie Spielman's journey with breast cancer, her NFL husband's retirement from football to care for her and their children, and the spiritual journey this experience led them on.
• The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This Worldby Kevin and Alex Malarkey
  A very moving account of a 6-year-old's near-death experience.