By Steve Helling, Da Capo Press, $25.00, 242 pages
“…Tiger’s resilience has always been his strength; even though he won’t bounce back completely, the world will see a new Tiger Woods, one with foibles and flaws. Tiger Woods will no longer be considered an untouchable god; he has now proved that he is only human.”
Tiger: The Real Story written by Steve Helling, columnist for People magazine, is a fascinating read, reminiscent of driving by a car accident; you don’t want to look but you do it anyway. Tiger Woods has set records few have even come close to, putting the sport of golf on the map, in the big leagues with soccer, football, baseball and basketball. Tiger singlehandedly changed the game of golf, he won over hordes of people who previously had no interest in golf and in one night’s events, shocked the world with a darker side none was prepared to hear.
Helling takes readers on an adumbrate play-by-play accounting of Tiger’s parent’s humble beginnings to where he is today as a professional golfer and an every-day man. He attempts to disclose the inner workings of a mysterious and silent man based on news reports and interviews with friends and family. The author did an amazing job keeping the facts just that and weaving in the documentary of his life to portray this phenomenon aiding us to understand the man behind the golf club.
It’s difficult to see this icon fall, to be fallible like the rest of us but Helling’s book will give a realistic perspective of this gifted and private individual easing the trauma of reality.