No Blood, No Foul: A Novel

by Charley Rosen

Jason Lewis is a star college basketball player just back from World War II. He’s a hero, missing two fingers on his shooting hand. He can’t play any longer, so he makes the ultimate ballplayer’s he becomes a referee. Set in postwar New York during the founding of what will eventually be the NBA, No Blood, No Foul is the story of a man who must come to terms with a debilitating injury and chase after dreams of perfection in a decidedly imperfect world. Charley Rosen gives us not only a lovingly faithful insider’s look at the game of basketball, but a passionate story about what it meant to face life in an America that had lost its innocence.

Genres: Sports

280 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Charles Elliot Rosen is an American author and former basketball player and basketball coach. Rosen has been selected for induction into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024.

Reviews

[Ahmad Barakat]

This book is one of the most creative and very well thought books of Charley Rosen. This novel is about a man named Jason Lewis, a star college basketball player who had to leave to war after his championships. When he came back, he had lost 2 fingers due to war, and it was on his shooting hand. He went back to playing with his friends and trying his best, but his shots were off, and he wasn't as good as he used to be. Instead of following his dreams of becoming a pro basketball player, he became a basketball referee. This way he can still watch the game and be with it.

The reason he wanted to become a referee was because he always criticized the referees when he played in his games. He wants to make the other players have an extremely fair game and only call fouls when it is really necessary. He runs into many referees that say they are only doing it for money and to put food on the table, he then argues about their calls and starts contradicting many different ideas of other referees until he becomes one of the best referees in their time.

This is a very ironic novel, due to the fact that the book's name is named after the way that Jason referees. Charley Rosen did a very good job of showing that and makes the reader realize it later on in the book. The way Jason refereed was only based on hard fouls, and legitimate mistakes made by players. Charley also made it ironic, when he had Jason point towards the other side of the court with his fingers which he didn't have and then Jason realized that he couldn't point to that direction with that hand because the players wouldn't realize it, so he had to use his other hand to point in that direction.

In conclusion, the reason that Jason Lewis was a very fair referee, was because he had the knowledge from his earlier years in high school and college. If he hadn't lost his fingers, he would've been a professional but instead he did something many others would do, and that was making the game fair for other players and not having bad calls.

[C 2Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay Henry
Bauman
ELA 11
1 May 2016
“No Blood, No Foul” Triple Threat
In the story “No Blood, No Foul”, Jason Lewis comes out of World War II injured and plays college basketball. Charley Rosen introduces Jason to the story by giving a flash back of his decision to join the military. In the beginning of the story, Jason is eating dinner with his family. When Jason said, “I am joining the military for personal sacrifice”, his family started tearing up and asking questions (Rosen 29). The reader sees that Jason is a courageous man after he spreads the news. This decision would change Jason’s life forever. After the war, Jason is playing college basketball with two missing fingers. In the middle of the story, Jason is in pain and debating his future career. When Jason said, “I think my basketball career is over”, the reader sees that the war has influenced Jason in a negative way (Rosen 118). Even though Jason is done with basketball, he becomes a high-paid referee which shows his love for the game. This love for the game turns for the worst at the end of the story. Jason starts valuing his referee job over his wife Brenda. When Jason said, “My marriage is mortally wounded” (Rosen 227), the reader sees that he only cared about basketball and not his family. This teaches a lesson that family should come before everything.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read to page 115 of this novel. It's pretty decent, but I wanted to move on to other books. I could see some of my basketball boys reading it, but it is a lot about the main character coming back from the war in Europe and growing up. He's stuck with a wife and a dead end job selling insurance. He decides to cross the line and become a referee.

[Joleen Richwine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about the beginnings of professional basketball and the professional (?) referring associaition, interwoven with a personal story.