The Free State of Jones: Mississippi's Longest Civil War (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies) by Victoria E. Bynum 2001

Story of the Southern Yankees in Mississippi in the Civil War and the mixed race descendants of their leader, Newt Knight. It's an interesting read and says a lot about the Southern mentality.

Operation Yao Ming: The Chinese Sports Empire, American Big Business, and the Making of an NBA Superstar by Brook Larmer 2005

This is a great book about 7'5" Yao Ming's journey from the sports camp in Shanghai to the NBA. It's a fascinating read about how Red China did sports back in the day.  I got in lots of extra detail from the Taoster, whose cousin was a ping pong sports camp in the 1980's.  Read it.