PINNED

Author Martino, also publisher of Listen & Live Audio, was a wrestler and coach, and his experience is apparent in this story. Two students from very different backgrounds, Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane, are training for the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship. Narrator Mark Shanahan captures student/ coach relationships, the journey to the finals, and the pain that Bobby and Ivan endure as they face death and divorce amid the everyday activities of high school. Most fascinating is the grueling training required of wrestlers. While Shanahan successfully conveys both loss and triumph, he excels in portraying the story’s two very different coaches--their methods, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]