Definitely a five star book. But I try to resist books that I think are manipulating my emotions. Resistance is futile. It is moving and poignant and like Bob I shed tears as I finished the book.

A crew is an unusual kind of team. It requires a unity that is very rare. One can well imagine the satisfaction that comes from pulling together perfectly. We frequently have occasion to work in a coordinated way with others, receiving and making hand-offs. We don't need similar aptitudes to function in such teams and our intensity changes as we move in and out of our team function. One star can pull the team out of a difficult situation. It seems less so with a crew. No one can lean on a star. No star can attribute team success to himself.

The book created a longing in me for this and a sense of loss and resignation that achieving this was not a likely. It also caused remorse over my failures to step up. Another frustration was the realization that as much as one desires the experience of a team, as much as one is committed to it, one cannot create the team alone.

The coaches mix and match until they find a team that works but most of us must make the most of the team we've got.