Customer Reviews

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

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2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.

THIS BOOK DOES NOT TEACH ANY PING PONG PLAYING SKILLS. Do not buy this book if you want to know HOW to do Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins.

This book only talks about older famous people who used to play ping pong. This book is not instructional AT ALL. I almost bought this POS thinking it would help me with my loops/counter loops and forehand chops, but luckily I looked inside it before I went to the register or I would have been really[mad]...