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

by Jerome Charyn

Book Overview

Ping-pong, played in every corner of the world by over 250 million people, cast a hypnotic spell on Jerome Charyn's imagination early on. Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins portrays the great pongistes, from Ruth Aaron, the Ginger Rogers of table tennis, to writer Henry Miller. From ping-pong detente in China to the underground bars of New York, the playlands of Las Vegas, and the convention centers of Florida, Charyn details the sport's history while...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568582420
• ISBN13: 9781568582429
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Good book for students of table tennis history

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.

A Gem of a Book

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.