Synopses & Reviews
Ping-pong, played around the world by over 250 million people, cast a hypnotic spell on Jerome Charyn's childhood imagination. Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins portrays the great pongistes and includes photos and interviews with table tennis legends Marty "The Needle" Reisman and Dick Miles. From ping-pong detente in China to the underground bars of New York City, Charyn details the sport's history while capturing the intellect, excitement, and anarchic spirit of ping-pong's golden age. This offbeat and entertaining chronicle of one of the world's quirkier Olympic sports is presented in a completely redesigned trade paper edition. "Table tennis can now add to its two certified American superstar players a certified American superstar chronicler The New York Times "Both an informed history and an intimate memoir.... [Charyn's] book is a giddy delight and a sweet elegy." The Los Angeles Times Book Review
Synopsis
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 passionately arguing for its benefits in combating aging-related depression. The book includes photographs of ping-pong's champions.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Jerome Charyn