Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't pack the punch of earlier works
Review: Although "The Punch" is an entertaining and interesting read, it doesn't measure up against some of Feinstein's earlier works such as the outstanding "A Season on the Brink"."Brink's" power was derived from the incredible, behind-the-scenes reporting of one man over the course of only six months. As a reader, you were given full access to Bob Knight's daily life, and lived the ups and downs of the 86 basketball season along with the players. On the other hand, "The Punch" is essentially a biography of Rudy T and Kermit drawn from interviews. The drawback in covering two entire lives from the perspective of an event that happened 25 years ago is that it lacks the quirky, precise detail that defines his earlier books. Where Feinstein dedicates entire chapters to brief events (like the day of the punch), the story is mesmerizing. Also interesting is when he draws parallels between the upbringing of Kermit and Rudy. But certain chapters (especially the ones detailing the last 10-15 years) don't really make a convincing case (to me, anyway) that this was more than a noteworthy event in the NBA (as opposed to groundbreaking). This book is recommended for NBA enthusiasts and is a quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: Misses his own point
Review: In the introduction, Feinstein tells us how compelling he found this subject and how he pursued Tomjanovich and Washington rather than writing a book on golf. Then he inexplicably rushes through the book without apparent editing or proofreading. As many of the other reviewers point out, the repetition is extremely distracting. Of course, Feinstein's work never really qualifies as fine literature, but he's usually a very good sports journalist. This plainly is not his best work, which is too bad because he was right -- there was an interesting story here.
Regarding that story, the author's presentation was reasonable but could have been more comprehensive. In particular, he presents the punch and it's aftermath as an unfortunate incident -- almost an accident. Although he mentions in passing that Tomjanovich came close to dying, he never explores just what that would have meant, both to Washington and to professional sports. Instead, he recounts both players' careers and alternates between sympathetic and pathetic portrayals of Washington. He seems to want us to choose sides and then tells us that there are no sides.
As for Washington, it's unfortunate that this one event has overshadowed all of the good things that he has done inside and outside of basketball. But I have to agree with John Lucas that Washington has never owned up and taken responsibility for his actions. He refers to events using the passive voice. He childishly blames someone else for starting the fight. Heck, Tomjanovich takes more responsibility for what happened than Washington does. And if we use the measure that bad people are people who do bad things, for one moment at least Kermit Washington was a bad person.
Rating:
Summary: Deja View all over again
Review: Like so many other reviewers, I concur with their repeated assaults on the repetitiveness of this book. I tend to read several books at a time, never having a problem picking up where I left off. However, with this book, I kept feeling that I was reading backwards with the rehashing of events and personalities time after time. A good story, yes, but a difficult read.
Rating:
Summary: Redundant as All Get Out
Review: The first 40 pages of "The Punch" will have you racing to the next page- It's a great opener to a great story about the most infamous fight in basketball history. Feinstein has a great oportunity to tell the story of Rudy Tomjonavich and Kermit Washington before and after the punch, and for the most part, the book is fairly interesting. The problem is that he describes the incident and the immediate effects brilliantly in the first 40 pages, so for the next 250 pages there is a strong redundancy. At times I was amazed that I was reading the exact same paragraphs I had already read previously in the book. The book would be exceptional if the author had the trust in the reader to know that they would remember the events of the books beginning and thus cut all the re-telling. Still- I enjoyed this book because it shed a lot of insight not just into these two players lives, but also the NBA and basketball as a sport. It is definatly worth the read but be prepared to skim-
Rating:
Summary: Redundant as All Get Out
Review: The first 40 pages of "The Punch" will have you racing to the next page- It's a great opener to a great story about the most infamous fight in basketball history. Feinstein has a great oportunity to tell the story of Rudy Tomjonavich and Kermit Washington before and after the punch, and for the most part, the book is fairly interesting. The problem is that he describes the incident and the immediate effects brilliantly in the first 40 pages, so for the next 250 pages there is a strong redundancy. At times I was amazed that I was reading the exact same paragraphs I had already read previously in the book. The book would be exceptional if the author had the trust in the reader to know that they would remember the events of the books beginning and thus cut all the re-telling. Still- I enjoyed this book because it shed a lot of insight not just into these two players lives, but also the NBA and basketball as a sport. It is definatly worth the read but be prepared to skim-
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad book, though overly long
Review: This is not a bad book, though it is overly long. Some of the repetition is due to Feinstein's need to describe "the punch" to establish the need to delve into the lives of the protagonists, Kermit Washington (the punch thrower) and Rudy Tomjanovich (the punch recipient). Feinstein then begins telling each of their stories through alternating chapters. By the time he gets to their meeting on 9 December 1977 the confrontation is anticlimactic, in light of the detailed analysis that opens the book. From a normative perspective, the punch and its aftermath can be summed up in three quotes from former NBA players. On Washington's culpability, as Calvin Murphy points out "Your first instinct is to protect yourself. You hear someone coming from behind, you turn and get your hands up. Then, if you need to throw a punch, you throw it. Kermit, turned, saw Rudy clearly, and threw the punch. He was angry. He wanted to hurt somebody. Not in the way he did, I know that. But this wasn't an act of self-defense. If it had been, he would have just been covering up" (page 52). On Tomjanovich's contribution, according to Wes Unseld "There is no one I respect more in the game than Rudy Tomjanovich, but he got himself into something that he was not prepared for. He made a mistake running in the way he did. That doesn't mean he deserved to the pay the price he paid - no one deserves anything like that. He was certainly the victim of something horrible. But regardless of his intentions - and I assume that they were good and peaceful - he is not blameless in what happened" (page 252). And on Washington's problematic quest for redemption, John Lucas observes, "You know what I wish? I wish [Washington] could just say, 'I'm sorry. I screwed up.' All the years, all I've heard over and over again is, 'I'm sorry but...' Sometimes in life, you make a mistake and there's no buts and no explanations....There's no peace in 'I'm sorry, but.' You can't find peace until you truly understand that the only thing to say is, 'I'm sorry,' period" (pages 343-4). Fascinating material, impressive reporting, but 300+ pages are not required to tell this story.
Rating: 
Summary: Promises the world, delivers squat
Review: I hadn't read a sports book since junior high school, and if John Feinstein truly is one of the best authors in the genre, this stinker may well be my last. I expected so much more, and Feinstein promised a gripping tale: One split-second mistake overshadowing a lifetime of good works, forever altering two lives and changing how basketball operates. That's a great premise, but Feinstein never comes anywhere close to proving his point. He's not even in the same zip code. What he does prove is this: Kermit Washington (the puncher) grew up poor, had a so-so basketball career, almost killed a guy, got numerous second chances, but continues to blame everyone else -- racism, other players -- for something that most have forgotten. The punchee, Rudy Tomjanovich, got his face mangled by Washington, missed a year, then had a nifty comeback and became a rich and successful NBA head coach who for some crazy reason doesn't like talking about a dark period of his life. As for the league: It added another referee. Whoop de doo. Feinstein relies heavily on cliches and writes like a freelancer for "Basketball Digest." Chapters drone on and on recapping NBA seasons from the late '70s that could be summarized in a paragraph or two. "The Punch" could have been a fairly interesting 4-page magazine article. Too bad it stretches for more than 300 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Mind-numbing repetition, but strangely compelling
Review: If you are reading this, then you already know what the book is about, so there is no need for me to describe "The Punch" and who was involved. Unfortunately, the author does not share this belief and not only wants to tell you, but insists on telling you over and over again in mind-numbing repetition.
The reason for this is clear to me: this is not really a book. It is a long magazine article masquerading as a book. Some judicious editing would have shown exactly that. But the publishers would have had to issue the book at less than one-half its length which surely would have impeded sales. It is now a respectable length thanks to the author's need to describe the personalties of both men and the surrounding cast too many times. Nevertheless and despite my carping, it is a strangely compelling story and one that most sports enthusiasts may find interesting. Give it a try if the subject interests you, but don't have high expectations.
Rating:
Summary: The first and only book I'll read by Feinstein
Review: I was extremely disappointed by this book. I have listened to interviews with John Feinstein on several radio programs and always admire his vast knowledge of sports, including its influence on popular culture, and in addition have heard nothing but positives about his books (in hindsight, mainly by radio program hosts who were no doubt sucking up to him during the interviews...). I picked up this book because of this and due to the fact that the only thing I know about this incident (like many others, I presume) I have seen over and over in a 10 second video clip: Kermit Washington knocking Rudy Tomjanovich out with a devastating blow. Sounded like a fascinating incident with which to revolve a story around. This book, however, told me very little, and I was pained in turning the pages. Kermit grew up poor, worked hard, still denies he did it intentionally, blah, blah, blah. Rudy doesn't want to talk about it that much, etc. These points were repeated dozens of times. The only interesting things I found about the book were those ancillary to The Punch and how they were affected. And "the fight that changed basketball forever?" How? A third referee was added and fines and suspensions were increased? Oh boy. Gripping. Racism was mentioned a couple of times as a reason for Kermit's troubles after the incident, both by the author and by Kermit, but nothing more was mentioned (or explored?). Confusing. The author noted that he was originally scheduled to work on another novel, and wrote this book against the wishes of his editors. Next time, John, listen to them.
Rating: 
Summary: Not only for sports fans
Review: I picked up this book in an airport bookstore intending to give it to my brother. I found myself in dissolving into tears as I read the first chapter; I kept going for six solid hours as I traveled around the country. I find the repetition appropriate: the moment of supreme disaster replays itself again and again, in the book as in the lives of the participants. In an era when people like to affect a cavalier attitude toward violence, I especially appreciated Feinstein's determination to show how truly terrible and devastating even a single punch can be. It is obvious that many of the people who witnessed it were traumatized by the experience.
|
