Jewball A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Neal Pollack Peter Berkrot Brilliance Audio Books
Download As PDF : Jewball A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Neal Pollack Peter Berkrot Brilliance Audio Books
1937. The gears of world war have begun to grind, but Inky Lautman, star point guard for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, America's greatest basketball team, is dealing with his own problems. His coach has unwittingly incurred a massive gambling debt to the Bund, a group of American Nazis. His main basketball rival is self-righteously leading public protests against homegrown American fascism. It's more than Inky can deliver. He just wants to play ball and occasionally beat people up for money. When the Bund comes calling for what it's owed, Inky has to make a stand for his ragtag bunch of teammates and the coach that got them into this mess. With the Bund closing in, Inky's game isn't just basketball anymore. It becomes a battle that pits Jewish pride against Nazi fascism. The tides of history are flowing against a guy like Inky. Can he make his free throws and still make it through the season alive? Get ready. This...is Jewball.
Jewball A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Neal Pollack Peter Berkrot Brilliance Audio Books
"There was ball, and there was Jewball, and if they were gonna win, they'd better demonstrate the difference, with emphasis."I was leery when I first saw this book on Amazon's virtual bookshelf. I couldn't tell whether the title was pejorative or respectful. But based on the book's description and the low price at the time, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
A goy like me had no idea of the role that basketball played for urban Jews in the early 20th century. Unlike games like football that require large fields to play, basketball can be played on city playgrounds and inside gymnasiums, which made it the perfect game for big cities.
Jewball is the story of young Inky Lautman who is recruited to play in the SPHA:
"If no one played basketball quite like the Jews, then no Jews played it quite like the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association. People respected them when they traveled around. But in Philly during the SPHA's heyday, which lasted from the mid-twenties until the mid-forties, they were heroes..."
I loved this story. I loved the characters and I loved the setting. It takes place during the pre-war years in and around Philadelphia. I loved the exposure to a culture I'm not completely familiar with. Luckily I read it on my Kindle so I could look up a lot of the Yiddish words and phrases that were foreign to me.
Writer Neal Pollack admits to taking some liberties with the history, but at the end of the book he includes a "Notes on the History" section where he clears up the facts versus his fiction. And aside from a few parts that used a little too much kitsch for me, I thought Pollack's writing was great. He struck a very comforting balance between noir, romance, and sports. (There was one line that really bugged me though: "A sun the color of rancid butter wrenched itself over the rim of the Delaware.")
I'm not a basketball fan whatsoever, but the sport was a huge part of the plot and he integrated the game very well into the story.
I loved this book and I was sorry when it was over. There was enough material leftover that I could have kept reading for another 500 pages, but I'm not the guy doing the writing. I highly recommend this book to all audiences--Jew or gentile, male or female, basketball fan or not. It's as comforting as grandma's kugel. Well done Neal Pollack!
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Jewball A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Neal Pollack Peter Berkrot Brilliance Audio Books Reviews
Well told story line with great character development. I couldn't turn the pages cars enough.
I'll recommend this to friends. And, I look forward to exploring other Neal Pollack novels.
The language fits the era and sometimes the colloquialisms are hard to understand but this is a great read if you like history and basketball. Inky Lautman is a cool cat and I enjoyed his company for the two days it took me to get through this tale of hoops and bumbling American Nazis. That's quick for me by the way, so it means that I couldn't put it down...or it was short but I am sure it was the former.
Strictly speaking, this is an historical novel, but if that genre brings to mind royalty or knights or wars or monks, forget it. It's about Jews playing basketball during the rise of Nazi affiliation in the US. Many of the characters are historical figures. The author is very careful about letting the reader know what is and is not historically accurate, and the history lesson only makes the book better. You don't have to be Jewish or love basketball to love this book. It is stunning.
This was a fascinating little book. As one reviewe3r said, I too learned a lot about a period in time I had thought I know about but didn't. Thankfully, the author added much information at the end of the book sighting the real and not real history he drew upon. I didn't give it 5 stars because it was a bit hokey but really is a very decent book and one I did like.
As a longtime Neal Pollack fan, I've been waiting patiently for this release since the sample chapter zinged my interest a few months ago. Finally got to read JEWBALL on a flight back from NYC tonight, and it did not disappoint. It's a smart, funny, thought-provoking mover/shaker of a novel. (You know you're into a good book when you hear yourself say, "Dang! We're landing already?")
This high caliber of indie published fiction gives me hope for the future of American lit. Here's an author in the full presence of his craft, taking creative control and (sorry to mix sports metaphors) hitting it out of the park.
The writing was so stilted and filled with sports metaphors it detracted from the otherwise interesting story. Pro basketball in the 1930's was so different than today, it makes an interesting basis for the story line. Next time, don't try so hard to sound lie a radio commentator.
Despite the weird title, this is a great story told well and lovingly. The characters are (literally) real, and the story is engrossing and amusing. It reads easily and is full of atmospheric language and settings that reminded me of not only the American History I've read, but also of stories my grandpa told me of his days as a bootlegger and as a labor leader during the Thirties and Forties. Read this book.
"There was ball, and there was Jewball, and if they were gonna win, they'd better demonstrate the difference, with emphasis."
I was leery when I first saw this book on 's virtual bookshelf. I couldn't tell whether the title was pejorative or respectful. But based on the book's description and the low price at the time, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
A goy like me had no idea of the role that basketball played for urban Jews in the early 20th century. Unlike games like football that require large fields to play, basketball can be played on city playgrounds and inside gymnasiums, which made it the perfect game for big cities.
Jewball is the story of young Inky Lautman who is recruited to play in the SPHA
"If no one played basketball quite like the Jews, then no Jews played it quite like the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association. People respected them when they traveled around. But in Philly during the SPHA's heyday, which lasted from the mid-twenties until the mid-forties, they were heroes..."
I loved this story. I loved the characters and I loved the setting. It takes place during the pre-war years in and around Philadelphia. I loved the exposure to a culture I'm not completely familiar with. Luckily I read it on my so I could look up a lot of the Yiddish words and phrases that were foreign to me.
Writer Neal Pollack admits to taking some liberties with the history, but at the end of the book he includes a "Notes on the History" section where he clears up the facts versus his fiction. And aside from a few parts that used a little too much kitsch for me, I thought Pollack's writing was great. He struck a very comforting balance between noir, romance, and sports. (There was one line that really bugged me though "A sun the color of rancid butter wrenched itself over the rim of the Delaware.")
I'm not a basketball fan whatsoever, but the sport was a huge part of the plot and he integrated the game very well into the story.
I loved this book and I was sorry when it was over. There was enough material leftover that I could have kept reading for another 500 pages, but I'm not the guy doing the writing. I highly recommend this book to all audiences--Jew or gentile, male or female, basketball fan or not. It's as comforting as grandma's kugel. Well done Neal Pollack!
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