#netgalleyarc This book was definitely a read for me and not for my library. It tugged at my Boston sports fan heart-strings and brought back so many great memories. This is definitely a great gift for any Boston sports fan.

As a die-hard Red Sox fan, I knew I was destined to love at least 25% of this book. I wasn't wrong! Reading about the 2004 ALCS had me smiling and racing to re-watch my World Series DVD. The marathon bombing was also stirring and gave me goose bumps. I'm not a huge fan of the other three sports so spent less time on them but the book does provide a comprehensive analysis of each. New England sports fans will devour this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This is Our City is a comprehensive summary of the four main professional sports teams in Boston. and their unprecedented number of championships. The reader should enjoy the extensive background information regarding the teams transactions and behind the scenes management decisions. The book is a good read especially if you live in the six New England States and are a sports fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Press. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In the book's description, it mentions this is "a valentine to Boston sports" and that is a very apt description. Tony Mazz does a remarkable job weaving 20 years' worth of stories among the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and Celtics, including both the highs of championship years and the lows that we Boston fans came to expect once upon a time. Although a lot of the book rehashes previously published stories, quotes, etc, it somehow comes across as fresh and revealing. There are many things you might have forgotten (oh yeah! forgot about that!) throughout those 2 decades, and some behind-the-scenes info you might not have known in the first place. I particularly enjoyed learning about the relationships among the 4 teams' coaches and how they help(ed) one another. Overall, an entertaining book for all Boston-sports fanatics, of which I proudly call myself one.
(3.5 stars, mainly because I'm not a huge football fan and a large part of the book is Patriots-heavy)

Love it or hate it, Boston has become a town full of championships. Just this past season, the Celtics made it back to the NBA Finals. I was interested in reading this book to see what is in the water in Beantown and while Massarotti doesn't have a magic bullet to explain it, he does do a good job of recounting all of the triumphs (and near triumphs) that Boston has experienced in the last 20 + years. Will I ever root for a Boston team? Of course not, but I think their success rates cannot be denied.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, sports fans in New England, and specifically Boston, have been blessed with excellence by the city’s professional sports teams in all four of the major sports. Between the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics, they have won 12 championships, made an additional six appearances in their respective sport’s championship game or series, and won over the hearts and minds of nearly every Bostonian. How each of these teams achieved this lofty status is covered in this book by Boston sports radio host Tony Massarotti.
As one might expect, the Patriots are the team that dominate the book, and it is their improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI that Massarotti uses as the start of the Boston dominance of professional sports. While the Patriots would certainly earn the distinction of getting the most text in this book with their six Super Bowl wins, each of the other three teams certainly gets a fair share of coverage as well. Even though the Celtics and Bruins each won only one title during the time frame covered by the book, the coverage of those two teams was very fair and complimentary. This is especially true for the Bruins, who, per the book, have won the fourth most games in the NHL during that time frame despite taking home only one Stanley Cup.
One surprising aspect of the book, given its title and occasional smug tone (totally justified with the teams’ records) was that the struggles of the teams were covered in detail as well as the triumphs. A great example of this was the implosion of the 2011 Red Sox in missing the postseason amid controversy over the actions of players in the clubhouse and the subsequent departures of field manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein. While most sports fans know the details, Massarotti’s writing brings a different perspective into the stories. The same goes for other shortcomings such as when the Bruins blew a 3 games to none lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, the two Super Bowl losses to the Giants by the Patriots and how the Celtics went quickly from riches to rags to riches to rags and riches yet again. That is not uncommon in the NBA, and explaining that is one reason I felt Massarotti was very fair in his coverage of all four teams when describing the times they did not win championships.
For fans who want to learn more about the recent accounts of the teams, here the book falls a little short, at least when comparing them to the early accounts. For example, there was surprisingly a shorter write up about the incredible comeback by the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, at least compared to their earlier wins. Same goes for the Red Sox and their 2018 World Series victory – this section was very short when compared to the 2004 and 2013 wins. This is not to say that a reader won’t learn more about that time frame for all 4 teams – indeed, there’s a good write up on the 2019 Bruins when they lost the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues – but it just isn’t quite as complete as the earlier chapters.
Overall, this is a decent book for readers who want to learn more about the Boston dominance in the last 20 years of professional sports. Be prepared for a little bragging and a little possible arrogance, but it is a great look at the professional sports scene in that city.
I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.