Concussion Book Reviews

1) Kids, Sports, and Concussion - A Guide for Coaches and Parents (Praeger 2011), by William P. Meehan, III, M.D.

This book sets the gold standard for books on sports-related concussions. It covers everything a sports parent and coach needs to know about concussions - and more. READ FULL REVIEW

2) Ahead of the Game: The Parents' Guide to Youth Sports Concussion (University Press of New England 2012) by Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Ph.D.

Moser brings to the subject matter a unique background: As a clinician who has treated hundreds if not thousands of concussed student-athletes at the Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey, she brings real world experience to the subject, not just as a neuropsychologist with specialized expertise on baseline and post-concussion neurocognitive testing, but in the management and treatment of concussions, including the academic accommodations that are often needed during the sometimes long road to recovery. READ FULL REVIEW

3) The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic by Linda Carroll and David Rosner (Simon & Schuster 2011).

The authors have done an excellent job of distilling a mound of information about the subject to fashion a highly readable book that chronicles a twenty-five year period in which concussions, once an issue no one wanted to talk about and about which medical science knew little, became a topic which now dominates the headlines, has prompted a growing majority of states to pass youth sports concussion safety laws, and triggered an explosion in medical research and product development. READ FULL REVIEW

The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic by Linda Carroll and David Rosner (Simon & Schuster 2011).

4) Throwaway Players: The Concussion Crisis From Pee Wee Football to the NFL (Behler Publications 2011) by Gay Culverhouse

I loved this book! It is a must-read for parents for one simple reason: as former President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, with a doctorate in special education and mental retardation, and as a woman and mother, Gay has a unique perspective on the concussion crisis in football. READ FULL REVIEW

5) Concussions and Our Kids: America's Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe.

Dr. Bob Cantu's new book, which he co-authored with sports journalist Mark Hyman, is just the latest in a slew of concussion books that I have read and reviewed over the past couple of years.  While it has much to recommend it, I ultimately came away from reading the book disappointed at several pieces of advice it gives that seem to ignore critical changes in the thinking of concussion experts over the past decade, including some from Dr. Cantu himself.  READ FULL REVIEW