Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich

by George Tabb and John Strausbaugh

Book Overview

One of a handful of Jews in the WASPish enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut, and still under 100 pounds in his junior year of high school, Tabb was routinely kicked around by the other kids--one blind, another one with one arm--as well as his father. "Playing Right Field" refers to an early experience of the author and his brother, Lloyd, who played Little League together; they were forced to share one team t-shirt between the both of this because his...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932360409
• ISBN13: 9781932360400
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Soft Skull
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

effort is sweet, bittersweet, and never self-pitying

George Tabb is a man of the people. That is to say, he knows a heck of a lot of people and a heck of a lot of people know him. He is an approachable, likeable guy and when I began reading his Maximum Rock 'n Roll columns back in the late 80s I had no idea that he was actually such a friendly person. Due to his long-standing punk rock celebrity/credibility he doesn't have to be. The fact that he IS such a great person is a testament to his character, glimpsed here in "Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich." This book is a collection of essays that span Tabb's early childhood and teen years. It is all at once heartfelt and heartbreaking. When I finished it I felt the urgent desire to seek out and brutally punish anyone who'd ever been mean to George, and believe me when I say that would be a time-consuming process! The bottom line is that this book is full of poignant, bizarre, and sometimes upsetting memories presented in amazingly rich detail. Tabb's capacity for recall is the mark of a great writer and a true talent. I believe this book is an incredibly valuable manuscript that takes the reader back to the sometimes cruel state of childhood, all the while reminding us that back then we always strove to remain optimistic in our belief that Tomorrow would be a better day. I believe that George Tabb is still optimistic - despite everything - and that this both confusing and inspiring characteristic distinguishes him as a complex man with an important voice.

I laughed... I cried......... but mainly I laughed.

Not only was this book able to hold my attention for longer than 30 minutes, but I read through the book in 2 days because I couldn't put the damn thing down! Every story is told in such detail, I would forgot that these things happened to him - not ME! Just don't hate him when his writings appear in the 22nd Century Edition Bible. George Tabb is an absolute genius. I know this book is going to be part of a series and I can hardly wait for the next one to come out. So get a move on it George.

Standing O

I bought this book the minute it became available on pre-order because I am somewhat acquainted with George via the online Ramones areas & I knew him to be intelligent, funny & articulate. I've also seen signs of a soft heart under the old school punk rock outside but I digress. I'm a fast reader so it didn't take me long to get through it & just as I thought, it was enjoyable & funny. It isn't easy to keep a light touch when you are talking about a difficult childhood but he accomplished that. A good read from a good guy in every respect.

CinderFella Strikes Back!

Kids can be extremely cruel. Most people have horrible memories of childhood, and would rather not stroll down memory lane. Do we really want to read any more appalling stories about a 98 pound weakling getting beaten up daily by his classmates and bullies at school (as well as at home)? Do we need to read about these horrible kids torturing animals, eating sheep eyes to spew out onto enemies' faces, or dismembering a sea turtle with an axe? Do we have to read in detail about getting dry humped and ejaculated on by a 200 pound dog named Bear? Of course we do. Especially when George Tabb is the narrator. Nothing personifies the definition of punk rock like Tabb. According to the dictionary, punk rock is "marked by extreme and often deliberately offensive expressions of alienation and social discontent". This perfectly describes "Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich". Tabb certainly understands what its like to be on the outside looking in. He just doesn't care to be on the inside.After spending his first few peaceful loving years in Brooklyn, his folks got divorced and he was dragged up north to Greenwich, CT to live with his physically abusive father and new wife in Waspville. This made young George awfully miserable. His father certainly knew how to snatch defeat from his son's jaws of victory. His cruel stepmother, who liked nothing more than to humiliate and antagonize him, also treated him like CinderFella. Even his home wasn't a safe haven, but somehow Tabb made it through all the violence and mental abuse. Tabb's schoolmates were all anti-Semitic too, which also made his life a living hell. Nothing is worse than being ostracized as the local kike, since everyone in Greenwich seemed to have the Heebie-Jeebies towards him. Luckily the natives never strung him up from a tree, since the most brutal physical torture was saved for local animals. At least his friend Jimmy crucified a frog instead of Tabb. Even the blind kid who looked like a zombie and had no eyeballs beat him up on the head with his Braille typewriter for being a Member of the Tribe. Maybe he was trying to push down the horns he thought Tabb had growing on his head, being Jewish and all. The one legged kid didn't like him either; at least Tabb had the upper hand (or lower leg) with him. Something is seriously wrong when even the unaccepted won't accept you. It's a good thing Helen Keller didn't go to his school; she would have kicked his ass too. This is extremely ironic since Tabb was the only good-natured soul to befriend the one mentally retarded kid at camp, and took under his wing. Of course he got the crap beaten out of him for defending him, but Tabb eventually does get his revenge. Or as much revenge an angst ridden adolescent can dish out.The author has a candor and empathy when describing his experiences that is rarely found. This must be due to the endless persecution he endured. Fortunately Tabb still had a typical suburban childhood,

Punk Poignancy

When I was first introduced to Maximum Rocknroll in the early 90s, Tabb's pieces always stood out. When I outgrew MRR, I would still pick it up for Tabb. Soon after, I'd find his pieces in the New York Press, which became the only reason to pick up that weekly as well.Whatever the subject, whether talking about his rough childhood, what he did that week, or that time he thought he had an STD (the rash was the cause of masturbating too much), Tabb writes in short, clipped sentences, packed with bittersweet sadness or self-deprecating humor, usually both at the same time. While most perzine writers fell for the eloquent prose of Aaron Cometbus or the zany verbosity of Rev. Norb, my early first-person stories tried to emulate those simple Tabb sentences that expressed a gangly, awkward, outsider mentality that I found completely relatable.In this autobiographical collection of short stories, you can understand where that outsider mentality incubated. Tabb writes about his childhood, growing up a rare Jew in WASPy Greenwich, CT, where the physical and emotional abuse from his father gave no relief from the physical and emotional abuse from his classmates.Anyone else would tackle this in self-pity, but Tabb is Tabb: you can't help but laugh at the descriptions of him getting beaten up by just about everyone, including the blind and handicapped kids in his school; but the moments of humor strengthen the underlying sadness of the experiences, and while it's missing from the book, you can easily see how and why punk rock became his escape.