The Judo Twins [Paperback]

Stan Friedland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007

The Judo Twins is a compelling book that will capture both the heart and mind of the reader. It is the story of twin brothers who were given up by their dysfunctional parents as infants and sent to orphanages where they would spend their entire childhood. Yet, they grew up to become world class athletes in the noble sport of Judo and became known the world over as the Judo Twins!The difficult journey of the twins to this proverbial mountain top makes for a moving human interest story as they overcome considerable adversity to reach their goals. But, it was their great passion for the unique sport of Judo that provided the pathway in their unending quest for improvement and self-expression. Some of the biggest names on the national and international judo scene in the last 50 years voice their innermost thoughts in this book to explain why this sport has had such an overwhelming impact on their own lives.There is, however, another important dimension to this story and that is the strong and indestructible life-long commitment that the twins have had to each other. When all of these themes come together, the result is a multi-faceted tale that every reader can enjoy. The Judo Twins pulled and pushed themselves up to the top of their particular mountain and readers will be delighted to go along on this interesting and unusual ride.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stan Friedland has had an illustrious 50 year career in education, including stints as a teacher, guidance counselor, high school principal, college professor and president of his own educational consulting firm. He has a doctoral degree from Columbia University, has written extensively in the field of education and has had several innovative and successful radio and television shows dealing with education. This is his third book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434341798
• ISBN-13: 978-1434341792
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,863,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE JUDO TWINS('nuff said.), March 13, 2010

By 

David M. Goode "zen master of useless trivia" (Yonkers N.Y.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Judo Twins (Paperback)

If you're a fan of judo or a practioner of the sport you might want to purchase this biography written by Stan Friedland.This is a great human interest story about Robert and Bernard Lepkofer,twin brothers who grew up in New York orphanages from the ages of 3 to 18.Living a life of abandoment and deprivation,they still grew up to be champion athletes.The brothers became high school basketball stars,but discovered judo after graduating and enlisting in the USAF.They quickly earned the black belt rank while stationed in Japan,and upon discharge returned to the USA where they became pioneers in the American judo movement.They gave exhibitions and appeared on television shows like the Joe Franklin Show and the Tonight Show promoting the martial arts.Because of the rules that governed amateur athletics at that time,Robert was forced to give up competition and so he became his brother's coach/sparring partner.Bernard would become a world class judoka who would win four successive gold medals at the Macabiah Games.This is a good book and I especially recommend it to all of you who think that all judo books are just how-to manuals.It's part of judo's history in America.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of The Judo Twins, February 26, 2008

By 

Sam George Arcus (Tucson, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Judo Twins (Paperback)

This is a fascinating human interest story of how these twin brothers, placed in an orphanage at the age of three and not emerging from another orphanage until age 18, climbed to the very top of the Judo world! What an uphill climb they had to endure and the reader, whether you be a Judo fan or just an interested reader, will be most impressed by their perseverance and their talents in this unique sport.
I was a social worker and I worked in their 2nd orphanage and I knew the twins when they were there. However, I knew nothing about their adult lives and was astonished by their later impressive achievements as world class Judo champions. One of the twins, Bernard, went on to win four successive Gold Medals in four successive Macabiah Games in Israel, a feat no-one has ever duplicated, before or since.
As stated above, this book has something for everyone and I recommend it to all readers with great enthusiasm.
Sam George Arcus