Sports and Pop Culture

SPORTS

The Boys in the Boat
Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Daniel James Brown

Viking, $28.95

An underdog story of nine working-class boys from the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew and their determination to win an Olympic gold medal racing against elite teams from England and Nazi Germany. (June)

Doc
A Memoir

Dwight Gooden and Ellis Henican

New Harvest, $27

The former NY Mets pitcher had a Cy Young Award and a World Series crown and the adoration of fans, only to throw it all away on drugs and alcohol; he details his struggles to get sober and his relationships with family and fellow players. (June)

Fantasy Life
The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who’s Lived It

Matthew Berry

Riverhead, $27.95

An ESPN columnist chronicles his experience in the popular world of fantasy sports teams, which has grown from a niche subculture into a serious national pastime. (July)

Loopers
A Caddie’s Twenty-Year Golf Odyssey

John Dunn

Crown, $25

One man’s account of how a carefree summer job as a caddy evolved into an irresistible lifestyle working on exclusive golf courses around the world. (May)

Straight Flush
The True Story of Six College Friends Who Dealt Their Way to a Billion-Dollar Online Poker Empire — and How It All Came Crashing Down

Ben Mezrich

William Morrow, $27.99

The author of “The Accidental Billionaires” returns with another tale of college friends gone wild, this time frat brothers who turned a weekly poker game into one of the largest online gaming companies in the world. (June)

POP CULTURE

The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines

Shohreh Aghdashloo

HarperCollins, $26.99

The Oscar nominated actress’ journey from a childhood in Iran during the Ayatollah Khomeini’s religious regime to her struggles as a Persian actress in Hollywood. (June)

My Lunches with Orson
Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles

Edited by Peter Biskind

Metropolitan, $28

This collection of transcripts from recently discovered tapes lets us listen in private chats between the two directors during the last years of Welles’ life, with sharp-tongued commentary aimed at everyone from Laurence Olivier to Woody Allen. (July)

Ava Gardner
The Secret Conversations

Ava Gardner & Peter Evans

Simon & Schuster, $26

The glamorous Hollywood star revealed much about her private and public life in late-night conversations with journalist Evans, including telling details about tumultuous relationships with Howard Hughes, Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra. (July)

I Wear the Black Hat
Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)

Chuck Klosterman

Scribner, $25

What makes someone a villain? Pop culture writer and “Ethicist” columnist Klosterman blends cultural analysis with observations on the complexity of the anti-hero. (July)

You Know me But You Don’t Like Me
Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music’s Most Maligned Tribes

Nathan Rabin

Scribner, $16

The author of “My Year of Flops” taps into the basic human need for community when he hits the road touring with two of music’s rabid fan bases: Phish’s hippies and Insane Clown Posse’s notorious “Juggalos.” (June)

Super Boys
The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — the Creators of Superman

Brad Ricca

St. Martin’s, $27.99

This history of the lifelong friendship between two boys who went on to create the Man of Steel details the real inspiration for Lois Lane, the origins of the first Superman story and Siegel’s secret work during World War II. (June)

The Bling Ring
How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World

Nancy Jo Sales

It Books, $15.99 paper

Sales expands on her Vanity Fair feature (the basis for Sofia Coppola’s upcoming movie) about teenagers from the Valley who robbed Hollywood stars. (May)

Self-Inflicted Wounds
Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation

Aisha Tyler

It Books, $24.99

Painful but funny humiliations, regrets, insults and cringeworthy moments that shaped the life of the comedian, actress and talk show host. (July)