So it’s obviously been a while since I’ve posted on this blog. My love of football and my drive to get to Super Bowl L hasn’t diminished, I just haven’t been that great at getting online to update. I have some plans on what I want to do with this blog, but I never really had a starting point. Until now. I was lucky enough to read Mark Herzlich’s book “What it Takes”, and it hit me: I’ll write a review for the book on my blog, and it will inspire me to get back to blogging!
I first remember hearing about Mark Herzlich while watching NFL Networks coverage of the 2011 Combine. They profiled the upcoming college players who were hoping to make it to the NFL, and Marks story stood out to me because it focused more about his off-the-field life, mainly, his journey through beating cancer. On a personal note, it stood out to me a little bit more than the others because I had recently learned that my mother was diagnosed with cancer, so my interest was piqued. Through NFL Networks coverage, I was fascinated to hear what he had been through and I had every hope for him to get selected in the draft. Alas, that didn’t happen, but I still followed his journey and was thrilled when I heard he ended up signing with the New York Giants. And of course, we all know what that team went on to accomplish that season.
I thought to myself, what an amazing story and journey, and I kept thinking it would make a great movie or book, so you can imagine my thrill when I heard that he was writing a book about it. I immediately pre-ordered it and counted down the days to June 3rd, the estimated release date. However, it ended up shipping to me much earlier and I dove right in.
I’m pretty much the slowest reader in the world, but I finished this book in 3 days, which is pretty much a record for me. As cliche as it sounds, I couldn’t put it down. I carried it on me everywhere I went and any free time I got I dove right in again. I have read quite a few athlete autobiographies, but none are as involving and well written as this one is. From the very first page, Herzlich sucks you into his life, and even though it’s not always pleasant, it’s a great experience to be there.
I’m not going to delve too much into what happens in the book, as I feel that you MUST read it for yourself (and the fact he’s a public figure, most of you probably know what happens) but I will say what I took away the most was the pure emotion in the book. The way Herzlich describes his personal pain and struggles is absolutely outstanding. For example, it’s as if you’re right there in the chemo room with him, or right there on the football field with him as well. Not all the experiences are pleasant, obviously, but it was such a visceral experience that I couldn’t stop reading.
Not everything in the book is about pain though. There’s a lot of happiness too, for example, the Giants winning the Super Bowl and of course, the engagement to his girlfriend Danielle (again, he’s a public figure, so these shouldn’t be considered spoilers) and because of what he had been through leading up to those moments, it makes them so much sweeter, and how he describes everything going on around those events and leading up to them, you really get a sense of the raw, powerful emotion of the moments.
Once of the most amazing parts of the book, however, are the relationships. How he describes his family, his friends, and of course Danielle, is what truly makes this a remarkable book. Not only do you get a sense of how he was feeling throughout everything, but you also felt what they felt. Not being a parent, I wouldn’t be able to understand what it feels like to have a sick child, but through the description of his parents feelings and actions, I felt there emotion just as impactfully as much as his. One of the best parts of the books was the description of how he told his brother he had cancer. It was written so beautifully, it’s as if I was there. Hearing about what his family scarified and what his friends did for him, and how appreciative he was of everything, it’s great to know he had such an amazing support system.
In the book, someone says to him that he wasn’t put on earth to play football, but to inspire others (I’m paraphrasing) and with this book, he has certainly succeeded. He describes some of the cancer patients he got a chance to meet and inspire, and with this book, he’s now able to inspire more. But it’s not just about cancer. It’s a book for everyone who wants to achieve a goal, either something big or little, and it will give you hope to get there. I now sometimes say to myself “What would Mark Herzlich do?” WWMHD!?? His story will inspire you to get through the darkest times of your life, and it will also make you appreciate the great things in your life, something that a lot of us so rarely do.
When football comes to an end (at least the playing part of football) for Mark Herzlich, I truly hope he seriously considers writing on a regular basis. Despite the presence of cancer, this book was an absolute joy to read, and I hope to read more from him in the future.
Thank you, Mark Herzlich, for sharing your story so exceptionally, and for giving hope to warriors of all kinds of battles that they have what it takes.
GET me TO the SUPERbowl 