Overview

It was a long way from the gritty streets of Springfield Avenue on Chicago's West Side, and hawking stockings in the old Maxwell Street marketplace, to a position as sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times, and a share in the Pulitzer Prize. But Ira Berkow made that improbable journey. In this joyful, moving, and often funny memoir, he describes how he climbed up to become not just a sportswriter but a writer. His early years were not exactly promising. For someone who suffered through poor grades in high school and flunked out of his first crack at college in his first semester, it was a revelation to discover as a junior in college that he had a passion for writing. He pursued it with determination and became one of America's most thoughtful writers on sports, a man interested as much in the people who play the games as in the scores and statistics. His father had not a little to do with forming Mr. Berkow's character and his concern for matters like truth and justice. But there were others who pitched in to help suggest a path for a young man who wasn't always sure what he wanted to do with his life. Like the great sports columnist Red Smith, a mentor who took the time to critique a young writer's efforts; and Red Holzman, the Hall of Fame coach of the New York Knicks, who inspired Mr. Berkow as well as his players. Add E. B. White, Muhammad Ali, Saul Bellow, Mike Royko, Ted Williams, P. G. Wodehouse, Michael Jordan—the cast of characters in Full Swing is as broad as Mr. Berkow's interests and as instructive as a day at training camp. This is a writer's memoir with the warts as well as the wows, and with all the intelligence and charm that readers of Mr. Berkow have grown accustomed to. With 12 black-and-white photographs.

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9781566637558

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Reviews

Not only do his words yield a fine read, but journalistic issues he raises merit attention in newsrooms and classrooms.--Jim Kaplan Nieman Reports

What a brimming bouquet Ira Berkow has delivered in Full Swing...a home run.--Dave Hoekstra Sunday Sun-Times

A sheer delight...Berkow proves that nothing can hold him back. And the result is a home run. -- Rick Telander, author, Heaven Is a Playground A classy writer, no matter what his domain... Berkow is a master of his trade. -- Studs Terkel He belongs to that rare breed...a writer who specializes in sports but whose subjects represent a broad range. -- Gay Talese, author of A Writer's Life A jewel in the New York Times' writing crown. -- Joe Goddard Chicago Sun-Times A champion of the counterargument, Berkow reveals in Full Swing what it's like to pose tough questions to legendary athletes. -- Lauren Murrow Chicago Magazine What a brimming bouquet Ira Berkow has delivered in Full Swing...a home run. -- Dave Hoekstra Sunday Sun-Times Beyond this memoir's revealing insights into a cast of characters...this book is a paean to writing, a craft which Berkow only discovered in his last year of high school. Saturday Evening Post Full Swing is like a great ballpark conversation, where everything and anything is fair game. -- Allen St. John The New York Times If there's anyone doing sports who is even close, I haven't read him. -- Mike Royko I follow Ira Berkow in the Times with unfailing interest. -- Saul Bellow Ira Berkow over the years has regularly given us sportswriting of the most elegant kind... -- David Halberstam Sports at its best is a kind of music...Ira Berkow is among the best-a Sondheim of the sports page. -- George F. Will, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post Ira Berkow is simply one of America's best writers, sports or otherwise. -- Jim Bouton A genial, leisurely...memoir from the veteran New York Times sports columnist. Kirkus Reviews Not only do his words yield a fine read, but journalistic issues he raises merit attention in newsrooms and classrooms. -- Jim Kaplan Nieman Reports Berkow is affable and very funny, often taking a breezy tone except when he's being passionate about justice and truth. Jewish Book World Such a treasure...Berkow raises sports writing to a new level. -- David Rothenberg Wbai 99.5 Fm The book...can be read not just as an enjoyable memoir, but a career manual of sorts. -- Carl Sessions Stepp American Journalism Review Like a great ballpark conversation, where everything and anything is fair game. -- Allen St. John The New York Times

Like a great ballpark conversation, where everything and anything is fair game.--Allen St. John New York Times Book Review

A sheer delight...Berkow proves that nothing can hold him back. And the result is a home run. -- Rick Telander, author, Heaven Is a Playground A classy writer, no matter what his domain... Berkow is a master of his trade. -- Studs Terkel He belongs to that rare breed...a writer who specializes in sports but whose subjects represent a broad range. -- Gay Talese A jewel in the New York Times' writing crown. -- Joe Goddard Chicago Sun-Times A champion of the counterargument, Berkow reveals in Full Swing what it's like to pose tough questions to legendary athletes. -- Lauren Murrow Chicago Magazine What a brimming bouquet Ira Berkow has delivered in Full Swing...a home run. -- Dave Hoekstra Sunday Sun-Times Beyond this memoir's revealing insights into a cast of characters...this book is a paean to writing, a craft which Berkow only discovered in his last year of high school. Saturday Evening Post Full Swing is like a great ballpark conversation, where everything and anything is fair game. -- Allen St. John The New York Times If there's anyone doing sports who is even close, I haven't read him. -- Mike Royko I follow Ira Berkow in the Times with unfailing interest. -- Saul Bellow Ira Berkow over the years has regularly given us sportswriting of the most elegant kind... -- David Halberstam Sports at its best is a kind of music...Ira Berkow is among the best-a Sondheim of the sports page. -- George F. Will Ira Berkow is simply one of America's best writers, sports or otherwise. -- Jim Bouton A genial, leisurely...memoir from the veteran New York Times sports columnist. Kirkus Reviews Not only do his words yield a fine read, but journalistic issues he raises merit attention in newsrooms and classrooms. -- Jim Kaplan Nieman Reports Berkow is affable and very funny, often taking a breezy tone except when he's being passionate about justice and truth. Jewish Book World Such a treasure...Berkow raises sports writing to a new level. -- David Rothenberg Wbai 99.5 Fm The book...can be read not just as an enjoyable memoir, but a career manual of sorts. -- Carl Sessions Stepp American Journalism Review Like a great ballpark conversation, where everything and anything is fair game. -- Allen St. John The New York Times

Author Information

Ira Berkow has been a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than twenty years. In 2001 he shared the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting with his article on ""The Minority Quarterback,"" later published by Ivan R. Dee in a book of the same name. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including the best-sellers Red: A Biography of Red Smith and Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar. He lives in New York City.

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