Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins: Ping-Pong and the Art of Staying Alive [Paperback]

Jerome Charyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2002

Ping-pong, played around the world by over 250 million people, cast a hypnotic spell on Jerome Charyn's childhood imagination. Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins portrays the great pongistes and includes photos and interviews with table tennis legends Marty "The Needle" Reisman and Dick Miles. From ping-pong detente in China to the underground bars of New York City, Charyn details the sport's history while capturing the intellect, excitement, and anarchic spirit of ping-pong's golden age. This offbeat and entertaining chronicle of one of the world's quirkier Olympic sports is presented in a completely redesigned trade paper edition. "Table tennis can now add to its two certified American superstar players a certified American superstar chronicler — The New York Times "Both an informed history and an intimate memoir.... [Charyn's] book is a giddy delight and a sweet elegy." — The Los Angeles Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this series of essays, noted prose stylist Charyn (Blue Eyes) examines the game of Ping-Pong. Charyn provides an introduction to the history of the game, depicts its major players ("pongistes") from this century (e.g., Henry Miller), reviews playing styles and techniques, and details the evolution of the game's equipment. He laments the passing of Ping-Pong emporiums from the streets of New York, which he sees as a major factor in the decline in world-class players from the United States in recent years. The writing style is deeply personal as the author, a member of the U.S. Metro Ping-Pong team in Paris, strives to explain the mystique table tennis holds for him and his fellow enthusiasts. For most readers, however, his efforts may be unsuccessful. Ultimately, this is the epitome of a niche publication: it is of potential interest to a small, dedicated population only. For large sports collections. John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (September 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568582420
• ISBN-13: 978-1568582429
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Tennis

More About the Author

I was born in the mean streets of the Bronx and have remained a city wolf, dividing my time between New York City and Paris.

I grew up reading comic books and watching movies; you can see their influences in my books. I started writing novels at the age of eleven; Amazon carries 40+ titles, fiction and non-fiction.

For the past fourteen years I taught film at the American University of Paris.

I love Emily Dickinson's poems and William Faulkner's novels. I also love Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," which has the feel of a novel. (I wrote a book about Tarantino, "Raised by Wolves," after the film's release.)

My novel "The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson," published in 2010, inspired a community of more than 3500 Emily Dickinson Facebook fans dedicated to the poet's place in the 21st century.

"The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson" is now available in paperback in a reading group edition with online reading guide.

My most recent book, "Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil," was released on March 8, 2011, part of the Yale University Press series on American Icons. More than 1000 fans are already registered on its Facebook page.

I invite you to join me on Facebook for "The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson" or "Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil." Or visit my website: www.jeromecharyn.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for students of table tennis history, June 12, 2003

By 

SK (PDX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins: Ping-Pong and the Art of Staying Alive (Hardcover)

I checked this book out expecting it to be an instructional book of table tennis. Nevertheless, I proceeded to read beyond the first few pages of the book and was enveloped in a different side of table tennis that I have never looked into before.

For a person who would like an instructional book, "Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins," is not going to be the right book for you, but if you would like to read a book filled with witty anecdotes and info about the greatest players of all times (e.g. Dick Miles, Marty Reisman...etc) then this book should not be overlooked.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem of a Book, December 23, 2001

By 

"misterarge" (Sherman Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins: Ping-Pong and the Art of Staying Alive (Hardcover)

Delving into this book is like opening the lid of a treasure chest. It's filled with gems of information about a forgotten era when ping-pong was in its heyday in the borough of Manhattan--at a spot called Lawrence's Broadway Courts. There played the biggest names in table tennis from around the world and produced such U.S. champions as Marty Reisman and Dick Miles.

But the best part of the book is the delightful writing of Jerome Charyn. His sentences are so interesting and evocative that I couldn't stop reading it once I began. You actually look forward to picking up where you left off. If you've ever picked up a paddle and found yourself hooked, or if you are any kind of paddle or raquet sport enthusiast, this book is a must buy.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK reading. Little new., January 3, 2007

By 

Robert Neidorff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins: Ping-Pong and the Art of Staying Alive (Paperback)

Jerome Charyn is a good writer and also a table tennis lover. He writes about the sport with many colorful analogies and clever expressions, sometimes using French without translating it. For me, it got a bit tiring, but it could be enjoyable if you like his creative writing style.

Much of the book is rehashing of the stuff in Marty Reisman's "The Money Player" and Tim Boggan's books. But Jerome also interviewed many people for the book and adds new perspectives to some well known figures in the sport from these interviews.

I noticed an occasional mistake in the book, but not many. It is mostly well researched.