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Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame Hardcover – October 30, 2012

by Franklin Foer (Editor), Marc Tracy (Editor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 56 ratings
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A collection of essays by today's preeminent writers on significant Jewish figures in sports, told with humor, heart, and an eye toward the ever elusive question of Jewish identity.



Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame is a timeless collection of biographical musings, sociological riffs about assimilation, first-person reflections, and, above all, great writing on some of the most influential and unexpected pioneers in the world of sports. Featuring work by today's preeminent writers, these essays explore significant Jewish athletes, coaches, broadcasters, trainers, and even team owners (in the finite universe of Jewish Jocks, they count!).

Contributors include some of today's most celebrated writers covering a vast assortment of topics, including David Remnick on the biggest mouth in sports, Howard Cosell; Jonathan Safran Foer on the prodigious and pugnacious Bobby Fischer; Man Booker Prize-winner Howard Jacobson writing elegantly on Marty Reisman, America's greatest ping-pong player and the sport's ultimate showman. Deborah Lipstadt examines the continuing legacy of the Munich Massacre, the fortieth anniversary of which coincided with the 2012 London Olympics. Jane Leavy reveals why Sandy Koufax agreed to attend her daughter's bat mitzvah. And we learn how Don Lerman single-handedly thrust competitive eating into the public eye with three pounds of butter and 120 jalapeño peppers. These essays are supplemented by a cover design and illustrations throughout by Mark Ulriksen.

From settlement houses to stadiums and everywhere in between, Jewish Jock features men and women who do not always fit the standard athletic mold. Rather, they utilized talents long prized by a people of the book (and a people of commerce) to game these games to their advantage, in turn forcing the rest of the world to either copy their methods -- or be left in their dust.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Twelve
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1455516139
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1455516131
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Marc Tracy and Franklin Foer have compiled JEWISH JOCKS: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame, essays on 'the most influential Jews in sports,' from athletes, coaches, and owners to broadcasters and statisticians. David Remnick, David Brooks, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jane Leavy, and Steven Pinker are among the heavyweight contributors. You'll laugh, you'll cry."―Publishers Weekly, Top 10 Sports Books Fall 2012

Editor's Choice: "Fifty well-written brief portraits."―The New York Times Book Review

"Jewish Jocks' ends up convincing you of its theme: The history of Jews in sports is, in important ways, the history of sports."―Will Leitch, Wall Street Journal

"A must for the bookshelf of any Jewish sports fan."― Kirkus Reviews

"Belies the cheap punch line [to] prove that the Jewish sporting tradition is as rich as it is varied. Jewish Jocks features notable writers in peak form."―Sports Illustrated

"A skillful collection... through its sheer comprehensiveness, JEWISH JOCKS also makes the argument that the Jewish athlete isn't an anomaly."―Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Franklin Foer is editor of the New Republic and a Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation. He is the author of How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at the New Republic. Previously, he was a staff writer at Tablet magazine; the blog he edited there, The Scroll, won the 2011 National Magazine Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve; First Edition (October 30, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1455516139
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455516131
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

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  1. Franklin Foer

    Franklin Foer

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  2. Marc Tracy

    Marc Tracy

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    I am the co-editor of (and a contributor to) *Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame*, which collects 50 original essays about great Jewish sports figures. Now a staff writer at The New Republic, I formerly wrote and edited "The Scroll," the blog of Tablet, a daily magazine of Jewish life and culture. The Scroll won the 2011 National Magazine Award.

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
56 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the reading experience enjoyable and well-done. They also find the content interesting and educational in a fun method. Readers describe the writing style as well-written and funny. They mention the books are about more than sports and sociology.

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Reading experienceContentWriting styleEntertainmentGifting
18 customers mention "Reading experience"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an enjoyable, excellent read with lots of good stuff. They also say the stories are interesting and educational in a fun method.

"Great read even if you are not Jewish,I think most members of any ethnic group feels pride when one of them excells at anything positive and this..." Read more

"Jewish Jocks: was an interesting, educational and fun reading book.There are many different sports that I did not realize that jewish men..." Read more

"Great read and would make a terrific holiday gift for the older sports fan...." Read more

"...Lot's of good stuff. I wish some of the stories were a little longer." Read more

16 customers mention "Content"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very interesting and educational in a fun method. They also say it's a good solid read with a lot of info. Customers also mention that the book is about more than sports, with lots of sociology of the place sports.

"...story isn't the best, this book is chock full of charming and delightful tidbits that make it great for gift giving to any one of any age group...." Read more

"...book brings to light many things I was unawhere of,a good solid read with a lot of info and brings to light just how difficult it is for any..." Read more

"Jewish Jocks: was an interesting, educational and fun reading book.There are many different sports that I did not realize that jewish men..." Read more

"Several of the short biographies were interesting to read. On the other hand, some of them were for people who not significant, in my opinion...." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style of the book well-written.

"...All the essays tie their subjects to their religion. The writing is uniformly good throughout; the only exception was Buzz Bissinger's essay on..." Read more

"...for more. They all seem to be very well written. I've already given one as a gift, and it was much enjoyed by therecipient...." Read more

"Well written and about more than sports, lots of sociology of the place sports has played in the American experience for Jews throughout the last..." Read more

"Well written essays on Jews in sports. Learned a lot...." Read more

4 customers mention "Entertainment"3 positive1 negative

Customers find the book very funny.

"Interesting, educational, funny and I'm sharing this via additional purchase with my 3 sons, two of them a biyt jockish!" Read more

"...a Jewish friend of mine - and he found it entertaining, informative, humorous. Apparently from what he said..." Read more

"Too frothy, too frivolous. Yes, it is unorthodox, but it is not entertaining, nor is it informative. A very disappointing book." Read more

"Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of fame.Great book. Learned a lot. Very funny, well written. I keep rereading for references. Very entertaining...." Read more

4 customers mention "Gifting"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great for gift giving to any age group.

"...is chock full of charming and delightful tidbits that make it great for gift giving to any one of any age group...." Read more

"Great read and would make a terrific holiday gift for the older sports fan...." Read more

"...Great anecdotes and Interesting subjects. Great gift for kids of all ages who need not be sports buffs. Fun read." Read more

"Great Gift for a Jewish Sports Fan!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Vicki Senzon
5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Read
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
Though the first story isn't the best, this book is chock full of charming and delightful tidbits that make it great for gift giving to any one of any age group. Young adults as well as the older generation who have a bit of curiosity will enjoy learning the role Jews play both in front and behind the scenes in many sports. It isn't even necessary to know the names of the sports figures, though I'm sure that adds to the enjoyment. I had bought the book intending it as a gift for one of my adult sons but I have been reading it and enjoying it myself.
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gammyjill
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for Jewish sports-junkies...
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012
Verified Purchase
"Jewish Jocks" is a compilation of short essays about Jews in the sports world. While the famous athletes - Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, Mark Spitz - are accounted for in the book, editors Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy add many less acknowledged Jewish sportspeople, including gambler Arnold Rothstein, fantasy-baseball founder Daniel Okrent, and Jack Molinas, a basketball "point-shaver" from the early 1950's.

Each of the 50 or so essays highlight a part of the subject's life. Most are based on their careers in sports or collateral industries, but a few concentrate on their lives outside sports. All the essays tie their subjects to their religion. The writing is uniformly good throughout; the only exception was Buzz Bissinger's essay on boxer Barney Ross. He writes in a stream-of-concienceness way, which may be how he normally writes. I don't know but I found it basically unreadable. Many of the authors have personal ties to the subject they're writing about; Jane Leavy writes about inviting Sandy Koufax to her daughter's bat mitzvah, for instance.

"Jewish Jocks" is basically a thought-provoking look at many Jewish sportspeople. I was prompted to look up many of the subjects to find out more about them. And, in a few cases, I looked on them in a different light than before I read the book.
4 people found this helpful
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Arthur Wortman
5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Anytime Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
The book has 50 separate essays about Jewish figures in all realms of sporting--athletes, managers, journalists, etc.--
and so you can sit down and just read one or two essays and then pick up the book again whenever you have time
for more. They all seem to be very well written. I've already given one as a gift, and it was much enjoyed by the
recipient. I anticipate at least one or two more such gifts.
Helpful
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Brian Sternberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Solid read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
Great read even if you are not Jewish,I think most members of any ethnic group feels pride when one of them excells at anything positive and this book brings to light many things I was unawhere of,a good solid read with a lot of info and brings to light just how difficult it is for any minority to excell when you have to overcome things that should not even have an impact.
Helpful
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penpal
4.0 out of 5 stars Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
Jewish Jocks: was an interesting, educational and fun reading book.
There are many different sports that I did not realize that jewish men
and women were involved in, such as a jewish matador in Mexico and
Spain who came from Brooklyn. I felt proud reading about many of these
sports figures in achiving great success in their field.
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Harold Graff
3.0 out of 5 stars Only fair
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
Several of the short biographies were interesting to read. On the other hand, some of them were for people who not significant, in my opinion. Thie rendered the whole book less tha good and only mediocre
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Badger75
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and would make a terrific holiday gift for ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
Great read and would make a terrific holiday gift for the older sports fan. As most of the bios are athletes of a bygone era (Sid Luckman, Red Auerbach) younger reader might find it less compelling. Well researched.
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Nancy
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Gift Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
Well written and about more than sports, lots of sociology of the place sports has played in the American experience for Jews throughout the last century. Great choice for Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts and for the parents, as well.
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