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sarahjsnider's review
4.0
I'm a fan of the author's Book Fight! podcast. He has discussed the story of this book. It was published by Random House, he got a decent price for it--essentially everything hopeful authors want. Then, it got no promotion, is now out of print, and apparently The Silver Linings Playbook is the Eagles fans' book of choice.
So what is this book that came so close to success? It's the story of author's attempt to fill emptiness in his life. He swings wildly between being a decent human being and being a raging force of id. "My dad is so wise. I wish he were still alive." "I stole a police barrier and set it on fire." "My future wife is intelligent and kind. I wrote her a poem." "My friends and I pushed a ten-year-old who cheered against the Eagles." At times it was strange and uncomfortable to read.
It's compelling to hear someone write well about something they feel passion for. It was a bit like an origin story for Book Fight! And honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd care for a book will so much football in it, but I read the whole thing in a day.
So what is this book that came so close to success? It's the story of author's attempt to fill emptiness in his life. He swings wildly between being a decent human being and being a raging force of id. "My dad is so wise. I wish he were still alive." "I stole a police barrier and set it on fire." "My future wife is intelligent and kind. I wrote her a poem." "My friends and I pushed a ten-year-old who cheered against the Eagles." At times it was strange and uncomfortable to read.
It's compelling to hear someone write well about something they feel passion for. It was a bit like an origin story for Book Fight! And honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd care for a book will so much football in it, but I read the whole thing in a day.
lnprad's review
4.0
1st Confession: I am a faithful listener to the podcast Book Fight!, hosted by Tom McAllister and Mike Ingram. Because the podcast takes the form of an hour-long conversation between friends, one begins to assume that he is included in this conversation beyond his role as a passive listener. He focuses on the host’s congeniality instead of their inherent distance from his computer in Iowa. He begins to feel as though he would be welcomed to pal around had he a microphone with a 976-mile cord. Which is all to say, it is as though I am a friendly acquaintance of Tom’s, no matter if we’ve never met.
2nd Confession: As is the M.O. here on Goodreads, one’s review must comment on the relatability of the text. Bury Me in My Jersey rates high on relatabiliy. Things I have in common with Tom, each to their varying degree: I was born in Germantown, Philadelphia and grew up near the city. I was in a long-distance relationship for two years with the woman I would then marry, a nurse and admittedly, a much better person than I am. I moved to Iowa City for school. I am a fan of the Eagles. Dalessandro’s is the best steak shop in the city.
3rd Confession: The format of this review is stolen from the second chapter in the book, which may have been a poor choice on my part because I cannot comment on the book directly. I am force to be redundant, as in a third grade book report. “I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is great.” We know I like the book. We know because I think it “great.”
4th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is explicitly “not a story about the redemptive power of sport…not a story about how football saved my life. It is not about how football helped me overcome my grief, nor how football caused my grief.” I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is about “isolation and the things we do to overcome our loneliness…about emptiness, and not knowing how to fill it.”
5th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it isn’t reductive about sports fandom. Tom is capable of giving heart to the violent fervor, while being honest enough to share the residual guilt. We read of his path as a fan from the early years of watching the Fox29 football broadcast with his Dad and brother to the later years of rage & commotion in rushing the line for playoff tickets, of busting a stadium seat out of sheer anger when the Eagles “once again [played] like they didn’t care who won or lost.” We read of his mellowing out.
6th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because I called my dad after finishing, told him about the book, offered to lend it to him, and then I said “love you” as a goodbye. I know, in part to Bury Me in My Jersey, how fortunate I am.
2nd Confession: As is the M.O. here on Goodreads, one’s review must comment on the relatability of the text. Bury Me in My Jersey rates high on relatabiliy. Things I have in common with Tom, each to their varying degree: I was born in Germantown, Philadelphia and grew up near the city. I was in a long-distance relationship for two years with the woman I would then marry, a nurse and admittedly, a much better person than I am. I moved to Iowa City for school. I am a fan of the Eagles. Dalessandro’s is the best steak shop in the city.
3rd Confession: The format of this review is stolen from the second chapter in the book, which may have been a poor choice on my part because I cannot comment on the book directly. I am force to be redundant, as in a third grade book report. “I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is great.” We know I like the book. We know because I think it “great.”
4th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is explicitly “not a story about the redemptive power of sport…not a story about how football saved my life. It is not about how football helped me overcome my grief, nor how football caused my grief.” I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it is about “isolation and the things we do to overcome our loneliness…about emptiness, and not knowing how to fill it.”
5th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because it isn’t reductive about sports fandom. Tom is capable of giving heart to the violent fervor, while being honest enough to share the residual guilt. We read of his path as a fan from the early years of watching the Fox29 football broadcast with his Dad and brother to the later years of rage & commotion in rushing the line for playoff tickets, of busting a stadium seat out of sheer anger when the Eagles “once again [played] like they didn’t care who won or lost.” We read of his mellowing out.
6th Confession: I like Bury Me in My Jersey because I called my dad after finishing, told him about the book, offered to lend it to him, and then I said “love you” as a goodbye. I know, in part to Bury Me in My Jersey, how fortunate I am.
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