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Irene P. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Shouldn't be missed!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2019
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The title of this book intrigued me. When I read the description, I decided to order it. I love stories where the main character triumphs and I especially love stories like that when they are also true. Besides, I'm half Italian too.

The book arrived this morning. I sat down to read the introduction and ended up reading the whole book. Not so good for getting any work done, but I sure enjoyed the book. Mike DeLucia tells a good story and I found myself reading "just one more page" until I reached the end. Before reading this book, I'd never heard of Hank Luisetti, the man who made such an impact on the sport of Basketball, but I know about him now and I'm glad I do.

Honestly, I'm not a Basketball fan. In fact, I don't particularly like sports at all, but this book was entertaining and really fun to read. Don't miss out on this book. It's well worth your time.
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Cyrus Webb
TOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful win, MADNESS by Mike DeLucia does the legacy of Hank Luisetti proud
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2019
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Before reading the book MADNESS by author Mike DeLucia I had never heard of Hank Luisetti. Now I can say it is by far a story that I am so glad I have had a chance to enjoy and now share with others. Based on the live of a man who changed not just basketball but what others thought was possible, this book shows us that with passion, determination and belief in self and your abilities there is no limit to what you can do.

I love that Mike allows us to know the man before the sport, the man that was driven by the sport and what it did for him and others. This is story that is sure to inspire others not to give up on their goals and dreams never knowing where they might lead.
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Suseeq
5.0 out of 5 stars Will read again!
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019
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Inspirational! Whether you’re into sports or not, this book you won’t want to put down! Not knowing too much about basketball and certainly not knowing the name Hank Luisetti, I learned very quickly that there was much more than sports between the pages!

With a few tear drops along the way, I passed this book to my mother and brother each stating so many lessons learned, so many compelling reasons to keep passing this book of Mike DeLucia’s around, and to encourage others to purchase, read and discuss!

Again, so much more than a basketball and a hoop, so not just another Michael Jordan super star story, but a heartwarming, page turning true story of a man who few knew of but surely won’t forget!
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Lucie
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful biography!
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2019
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I bought this book Madness by Mike DeLucia because I saw the author speak at an Italian Festival in Upstate New York. Although I myself used to play basketball as a teenager, I was never much of a sports fan and I still am not. But I am a big fan of biographies and autobiographies. The way Mike DeLucia verbally described Hank Luisetti's story about the way he revolutionized basketball all those years ago, I became really interested and curious as to the personal details. Only a really great speaker could get me interested in a book about sports! At first, I thought it would be written in documentary form and then surprisingly enough, I became riveted in the story once I saw that it played out as a novel. Anyone can see that the author did plenty of heartfelt research. I felt as if Mike DeLucia was a personal friend of Hank Luisetti and grew up with him, by the way he knew so many important details of his life. The story transported me smack into that time period as if I had stepped into a time machine. The book was excellently written, made me laugh, and even made me cry a little. Overall, it provided me with an awesome escape experience as any good book will do, except that now I learned a great deal about a figure in sports that I never knew existed, and greatly admire now. Mike DeLucia wrote in the Forward of his book that he has always dreamed about making a movie about Hank Luisetti's life, and I'm looking very much forward to his dream coming true!
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gregg s. lima
5.0 out of 5 stars A Childhood Memory Revealed & Retold
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2019
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I recently read the latest book by author, Mike DeLucia. Although I am not a basketball fanatic, I was drawn to this story based on a series of conversations that I had with my now deceased father, Phil. He imposed in his children a commitment to hard work & a passion for competitive sports. However, my father, who always had the "gift of gab," was a great story teller although, at times, I questioned the veracity of his words...

This book is more than a basketball story & a great story it is. Hank Luisetti, embodies the Italian American immigrant experience where he tied to his old world traditions but at the same time, longs to choose his own path in the newly adopted country of his parents. Despite early physical & familial obstacles, Hank triumphs both on the court & in his personal life. True, he revolutionized the game of basketball as we know it today, but more importantly, at least from my perspective, it gave me greater insights into the struggles & passions of a young Italian American youth who learns to overcome self-imposed burdens in his quest to leave his indelible mark in a society that imposes the burden of tradition on him & many others like him.

Mike captured my attention immediately with a handful of Italian phrases that I recall from my youth. He even incorporates the use of "broken English" to great effect to make his depiction of Hank's family all the more real & poignant. The reader is also absorbed in this suspenseful story as the clash between rival East & West Coast basketball teams in the 1930's is revealed & explored. The powerful & dramatic ending does not disappoint.

Thank you, Mike DeLucia, for helping me to reconnect with my dad. After all these years, I've come to learn that many of his "dubious" stories were actually grounded in fact. I'm sure that he was in attendance at the historic game between LIU & Stamford at the Garden. He was probably there with his basketball buddies, including Red Holzman, who later became the head coach of the Knicks in their glory years. I'm also certain that my dad probably concocted some story to get out of the house in order to escape, albeit temporarily, the "tyranny" of his parents.

This book is a wonderful read & a glowing reminder of the struggles that first generation Italian Americans (& perhaps all others) experienced in the first half of the 20th Century. Mike DeLucia has conjured all this & more in a truly inspirational story desperately needed in these troublesome times where the immigration debate rages on ...
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