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QB  By  cover art

QB

By: Steve Young,Jeff Benedict
Narrated by: Steve Young,George Newbern
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Publisher's summary

In the most candid and compelling sports memoir since Andre Agassi's riveting bestseller Open, former San Francisco 49er, Super Bowl champion, NFL MVP, and Hall of Famer Steve Young gives listeners an unprecedented and stunning inside look at what it takes to become a super-elite professional quarterback.

Steve Young was not expected to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. A devout Mormon, he had a perfect GPA in school, studied Latin and calculus, and was blessed with a photographic memory. His mother pleaded that he not play football. But Young was determined to become the next Roger Staubach.

QB tells the story of a boy with a gentle demeanor who overcame personal fears and his teammates' and coaches' indifference to reach the pinnacle of America's most violent game. Football was a test and a quest: listed eighth on the depth chart at Brigham Young University, Young was told he'd never play quarterback in college. He went on to endure intense media scrutiny as the highest-paid player in sports history before he ever stepped on the field as a professional. As a 49er, he went head-to-head with the legendary Joe Montana in what became the NFL's greatest quarterback controversy.

But Young's biggest hurdles were invisible to the public: the physical pain that comes with being an ordinary-size man in a league of giants; the loneliness of playing sixteen seasons as a bachelor; and an undiagnosed case of separation anxiety that made him dread getting out of bed and caused him to vomit in locker room bathrooms before games. Through sheer grit, Young put on a helmet week after week, season after season, leading his team to a Super Bowl championship, endearing himself to both the city of San Francisco and football fans everywhere.

©2016 J. Steven Young. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Featured Article: The Best Football Audiobooks to Get Into the Greatest Minds and Controversies of the Gridiron


The players and coaches who dominate the football field regularly capture the attention of fans, but their insights don't end there. From stories of gridiron leaders to accounts of bravery to stinging indictments of the industry’s dark side, our list of the best football audiobooks includes selections for veteran fans and casual viewers of one of our nation’s most beloved games.

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What listeners say about QB

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,984
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Uplifting and motivating

I've read several books on Steve young throughout the years. This is by far the Best! But it is much more than a book about a football player and a game. The struggles he had through his life with anxiety, overwhelming odds, discouragement, fear, etc. speak to everyone! You or someone you know is suffering with one or more of these trials right now and his story can help give courage and motivation to us all!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

George Newbern Embarrasses

This is a fine book. Perhaps the most personal sports biography I have ever read / heard.

Steve Young discloses the details of his lifelong struggle with anxiety, and important, intimate details of his spiritual life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The year-by-year, game-by-game, play-by-play memoir is compelling and satisfying. One really appreciates Steve's determination, courage, will power and skill

1 Star may be a bit harsh to assign to a narration otherwise quite admirable. However, I cringed every time narrator George Newbern murdered the name of one of Steve's famous opponents or teammates.

Really, didn't ANYONE with knowledge of NFL player personnel actually proof-hear this audiobook before it was released to the public? We can be sure the following stars did not:

Bobby HER-berT
Mark Rih-PIAN
Junior See-OOH
Jesse SUH-puhlooh

One would think that, for an autobiography of one of the NFL's greatest players, a narrator with a reasonable familiarity with the cast would have been chosen.

Four big thumbs down for George Newbern's failure to prepare for the game.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A lot of game by game

It's May 8th, 2015 and I'm writing this like the book. Too much like this.

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5 people found this helpful

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Fascinating Insight- Young Should Narrate Entirety

Would you consider the audio edition of QB to be better than the print version?

Not Necessarily but it was really well done. The audio version would be superior if Steve Young narrated the entire book and not just the first chapter. That first chapter was amazing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Steve Young. I was impressed at his vulnerability and honesty. Knowing many people who suffer with anxiety, it was refreshing to see the struggles behind Steve Young's success.

Have you listened to any of Steve Young and George Newbern ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Life Behind the Spiral" serves two meanings. It's a pretty clever title. Maybe a movie title would be just "Spiral"

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing leadership and spiritual example

Steve young is a fantastic example of leadership, perseverance, hard work, and spirituality. Loved it. This was an amazing biography.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Deal with Anxiety? Read this!

any parent with a child that has anxiety should read Steve Young's book. I wish more athletes would do this!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it

loved the book. I learned so much about Steve's life. worth every minute and I couldn't put the book down.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book!

Definitely worth spending the money or a credit. Very candid and revealing! The narrator could've spent 2 minutes to research the proper pronunciation of player's names. That was really bad. However the book and story is fantastic

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3 people found this helpful

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For football fans, Mormons, & anxiety sufferer's

it's great. There were parts I felt got left out or maybe glossed over a bit. For example he never mentioned when his separation anxiety was overcome or left. It's kinda implied that it did, giving way to the anticipation anxiety. But I would have liked to know more. Anyway, is great as a fellow anxiety sufferer to read about such a public figure and hero battling with it as well. His duty is fascinating and should appeal to football fans, Mormons, and anyone looking for help with their anxiety or to help someone they know with it.

The audio producer should have done his homework and known when to have the narrator say things like "wack" instead of spelling "W A C".

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3 people found this helpful

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GREAT book...

It's nice to hear that people still have morals and values - especially pro athletes!! Entertaining read, will definitely recommend it to my friends.

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