When Jay Neugeboren’s first novel, Big Man, was published, James Michener called it “as good a sports novel as has ever been written.” Now, nearly a half-century later, Neugeboren is publishing MAX BAER AND THE STAR OF DAVID (Mandel Vilar Press Trade Paperback Original; February 9, 2016), his 22nd book and a remarkable novel that is centered on the life of the world heavyweight champion, Max Baer.
The novel has received wonderful advanced praise from several critically acclaimed authors, including:
“Neugeboren has never been better than in this lush, joyful novel—as erotic and mysterious as The Song of Songs, and as clear as a heavyweight champion’s punch in the gut. I loved it.”
—ROBERT LIPSYTE, author of An Accidental Sportswriter
“Max Baer and the Star of David is a strange and strangely beautiful tale that conjures up a golden era of boxing in the way A. J. Liebling did in The Sweet Science. I was enchanted from start to finish, and when I closed the book I thought ‘Damn, this dude can write!’”
—GARY SHTEYNGART, author of Little Failure: A Memoir
“This lively, high-spirited novel is an irresistible tribute to the sweet science, and a thrillingly jaunty evocation of an almost forgotten era. Neugeboren has, as always, the gift of creating vivid characters and the imagination to put them through delicious travails.”
—PHILLIP LOPATE, author of Portrait Inside My Head
And here are links to some of the coverage running this week:
Visit Jay Neugeboren’s website and Mandel Vilar Press for more information.
