Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds

There is no shortage of books that describe how participating in a particular sporting activity strengthens bonds between people. Falla's book accomplishes this feat through a collection of essays on backyard skating rinks and frozen ponds and how these local skating venues allow their participants to get in touch with the game of hockey in addition to building relationships with family and friends. The author, a sportswriter and author of Sports Illustrated Hockey, is the architect and CEO of his full-scale backyard rink, the Bacon Street Omni, around which neighborhood life seems to revolve during the long, cold months. Each essay is short and provides for excellent recreational reading for people interested in skating in general and hockey in particular. Throughout, the author's love for winter sports is clear, especially as a link between his New England childhood and his current life, but readers who have never put on a pair of skates may have trouble connecting with this well written book. --Library Journal

Jack Falla's work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Hockey News, Ameican Hockey Magazine, Bostonia Magazine, and many other national sports periodicals. He is also the author of Sports Illustrated Hockey. Falla is an adjunct professor at Boston University's College of Communication, and is also the architect, builder, and CEO of his backyard rink, the Bacon Street Omni, which has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Yankee Magazine, Inside Hockey, and on many television shows including CBC's Hockey Night in Canada