New Releases by Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan spent his childhood on a military base in Europe, where community meant everything, and life, though idyllic, was different. For one, when people referenced football they meant soccer. So when Michael''s father suggested he work toward a college scholarship by playing football in Texas, where tens of thousands of people show up for a weekend game, the odds were long. Yet he did, indeed, land a scholarship and from there a draft into the NFL where he scaled the league''s heights, broke records, and helped his team win the Super Bowl, as a result of which he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. How? By developing "Strahan''s Rules" -- a mix of mental discipline, positive thinking, and a sense of play. He also used the Rules to forge a successful post pro-ball career as cohost with Kelly Ripa on Live! -- a position for which he was considered the longshot -- and much more. In Wake Up Happy, Michael shares personal stories about how he gets and stays motivated and how readers can do the same in their quest to attain their life goals.

Following a magical season that ended in Super Bowl glory, one of the NFL’s biggest stars delivers a no-holds-barred, hardhitting hitting account of life in the league. Michael Strahan is one of the NFL’s most talented players, and he is also one of the game’s most vocal personalities. In Inside the Helmet, Strahan exposes all of the pressure, pain, and glory of life in the NFL, venturing into territory no previous football author has had the nerve to tread. Bringing the reader right into the middle of the action, Strahan recounts exhilarating victories and reveals the hair-raising details of the ruthless grit required for every win. He gives an honest account of the brutality on the field and the myriad injuries from which he continues to suffer. He describes the relationships among teammates (including an account of his well publicized feuding with Tiki Barber), the practical jokes players use to preserve their sanity and the violent blow-ups that occur when the pressure gets too intense, and the challenges of taking orders from head coach Tom Coughlin and his squadron of assistant coaches. Strahan also writes about dealing with the relentless media coverage, rabid and demanding fans, and the struggle to live up to a multimillion-dollar salary. Finally, in two new chapters for the paperback edition, Strahan writes about the ups and downs of a truly sensational 2007 season that saw the Giants overcome the odds to win the Super Bowl. For the millions of rabid NFL fans, Inside the Helmet is an all-access pass into the huddle, the locker room, and the minds of the warriors on the field.