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Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan
The #1 Los Angeles Times bestseller from the host of NPR's Weekend Edition --"absolutely spectacular--wise and intimate, often funny, always touching" (Scott Turow)--now in paperback,
In a beautifully written narrative that runs from childhood to adulthood through times of war and peace, Scott Simon movingly traces his life as a fan--of sports, theater, politics, and the people and things he holds dear.
Sports Illustrated columnist Ron Fimrite says of Home and Away , "Rarely do you find in books of this genre a clearer look into mysteries and confusions of childhood . . . moving and often amusing portraits . . . insights into the complex and often corrupt world of Chicago politics, the city being this book's true protagonist. There are compelling scenes from Simon's years as a war correspondent, roving reporter, and political operative . . . There is also an emotional account of Michael Jordan's last championship season with the Bulls that is a book within a book . . .
"The writing is uniformly superb. This is, in fact, a memoir of such breadth and reach it compares favorably with another book that is allegedly about the nature of sports allegiance, Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes. And that, believe me, is saying something."
In a beautifully written narrative that runs from childhood to adulthood through times of war and peace, Scott Simon movingly traces his life as a fan--of sports, theater, politics, and the people and things he holds dear.
Sports Illustrated columnist Ron Fimrite says of Home and Away , "Rarely do you find in books of this genre a clearer look into mysteries and confusions of childhood . . . moving and often amusing portraits . . . insights into the complex and often corrupt world of Chicago politics, the city being this book's true protagonist. There are compelling scenes from Simon's years as a war correspondent, roving reporter, and political operative . . . There is also an emotional account of Michael Jordan's last championship season with the Bulls that is a book within a book . . .
"The writing is uniformly superb. This is, in fact, a memoir of such breadth and reach it compares favorably with another book that is allegedly about the nature of sports allegiance, Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes. And that, believe me, is saying something."
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2000
6 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Scott Simon
51 books122 followersSCOTT SIMON is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and from many wars. He is now the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday. With over 4 million listeners it is the most-listened to news program on NPR. Simon has won a Peabody and an Emmy for his reporting and also has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 19, 2019
I enjoyed parts of this, though not the parts I expected before I began reading. This book sat on my TBR pile of baseball books, as I had the impression that that was what this was about. But here, Simon interweaves personal stories of his family with stories of recent Chicago sports teams. And I found Simon’s family stories, and the sports stories where he is a character were more interesting than his perspectives on, for instance, Bull’s management during the winning seasons that were so long ago. I most enjoyed his descriptions of hanging out with some people who might be considered one step removed from athletic greatness – like family friend Jack Brickhouse, and Luc Longley, who Simon befriends and kind of becomes one of his posse members (can you picture that?). Simon doesn’t appear to have the personality to be the kind to hang out with your Jordans or Pippens or Ditkas or Graces. It comes across as sports-nerdy humblebragging. Overall, this was at its best when Simon talks about his family. The reportage on the Chicago pro sports teams of the 80s and 90s was a nice trip down memory lane for a Chicago sports fan, but was about what you’d expect from a reporter.
December 8, 2024
Probably 2.5 stars to be precise as an overall memoir. Maybe 2.25. I'm rounding down for one thing at the end
Let's say 2.5 for the memoir in general and a split 4/2 on different sports parts. (Edit: Give him 3-3.5 stars on the third team.)
I, like at least one of the 2-star reviewers, was disappointed in not getting more of the non-sports fan adult Scott Simon, as in the NPR, especially Simon in Bosnia. That missing part would make the non-sports stuff only an even 2, if other non-sports stuff, like dealing with an alcoholic dad, and having an accepting stepfather after that, weren't around 3.5 stars.
The sports?
It's 4 stars on the Bulls, but not 5. Personal fandom is good to very good; team analysis is OK but nothing special. Except for one thing.
Dude? Jordan pushed off on Bryon Russell at the end of that Game 6 1998. Ask John Stockton. Now, per Stockton also? Was it enough of a push-off to be called?
Cubs? Definitely 2 stars for him seeing the 1960s, especially later 60s under Durocher as manager, through childhood based rose-colored glasses. Biggie? He gets all sorts of stuff wrong about Ernie Banks. First, Banks was not nearly unanimous or whatever Simon said on his Cooperstown election. It was 83.8 percent. Couldn't find the exact phrase, though, because no index, which shoved it down to 2 stars overall. Second, Banks was NOT moved "all around" or whatever. Rather, after his old Army knee injury roared to life, he was moved for ONE SEASON to LF and a bit to 3B, and occasionally 3B after that, before being almost entirely 1B. Simon nowhere mentioned the bad knee, nor other Banks health issues. As for Durocher's lament about Banks? It was 100 PERCENT true. After his 1964 age-33 year? Banks never again broke 4 WAR. He was a WAR negative in 1969, after a 1-WAR 1966, Durocher's first year, then an Indian summer resurgence in 1967 and 1968.
Thank doorknob this book was written before 2016.
Edit: Bears? 3-3.5 stars, but not really connected with childhood reminisces nor with adult globetrotting.
Blackhawks? There's only three major sports for Simon.
Let's say 2.5 for the memoir in general and a split 4/2 on different sports parts. (Edit: Give him 3-3.5 stars on the third team.)
I, like at least one of the 2-star reviewers, was disappointed in not getting more of the non-sports fan adult Scott Simon, as in the NPR, especially Simon in Bosnia. That missing part would make the non-sports stuff only an even 2, if other non-sports stuff, like dealing with an alcoholic dad, and having an accepting stepfather after that, weren't around 3.5 stars.
The sports?
It's 4 stars on the Bulls, but not 5. Personal fandom is good to very good; team analysis is OK but nothing special. Except for one thing.
Dude? Jordan pushed off on Bryon Russell at the end of that Game 6 1998. Ask John Stockton. Now, per Stockton also? Was it enough of a push-off to be called?
Cubs? Definitely 2 stars for him seeing the 1960s, especially later 60s under Durocher as manager, through childhood based rose-colored glasses. Biggie? He gets all sorts of stuff wrong about Ernie Banks. First, Banks was not nearly unanimous or whatever Simon said on his Cooperstown election. It was 83.8 percent. Couldn't find the exact phrase, though, because no index, which shoved it down to 2 stars overall. Second, Banks was NOT moved "all around" or whatever. Rather, after his old Army knee injury roared to life, he was moved for ONE SEASON to LF and a bit to 3B, and occasionally 3B after that, before being almost entirely 1B. Simon nowhere mentioned the bad knee, nor other Banks health issues. As for Durocher's lament about Banks? It was 100 PERCENT true. After his 1964 age-33 year? Banks never again broke 4 WAR. He was a WAR negative in 1969, after a 1-WAR 1966, Durocher's first year, then an Indian summer resurgence in 1967 and 1968.
Thank doorknob this book was written before 2016.
Edit: Bears? 3-3.5 stars, but not really connected with childhood reminisces nor with adult globetrotting.
Blackhawks? There's only three major sports for Simon.
January 29, 2019
Lovely memoir of family, news reporting, Chicago and sports.
October 8, 2019
Interesting read for a Chicago sports fan.
June 30, 2009
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been spending my evenings with Scott Simon, journalist and host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. I say that, because, while reading Scott's book about his life as a Chicago sports fan, it is hard not to feel as if Scott is right there with you. Those are the best best parts of the book; the parts when Scott's voice comes out from the page. This happens most during the first chapters, when Scott writes about growing up with an alcoholic father, the Cubs, and Chicago.
Unfortunately, the middle and end of the book is simply an ode to the Chicago Bears (football) and Chicago Bulls (basketball). They recount the great teams of Mike Ditka (Bears) and Michael Jordan (Bulls). These sections read more like a history book than a memoir. I was reading the book to get an interesting perspective on sports and being a fan. I was not reading the book to hear Scott tell me how cool it was to hang out with the Chicago Bulls after every playoff game.
Overall, a good read, but I began to miss Scott by the end of the book. I wanted his voice to return, but it never did.
Unfortunately, the middle and end of the book is simply an ode to the Chicago Bears (football) and Chicago Bulls (basketball). They recount the great teams of Mike Ditka (Bears) and Michael Jordan (Bulls). These sections read more like a history book than a memoir. I was reading the book to get an interesting perspective on sports and being a fan. I was not reading the book to hear Scott tell me how cool it was to hang out with the Chicago Bulls after every playoff game.
Overall, a good read, but I began to miss Scott by the end of the book. I wanted his voice to return, but it never did.
September 29, 2014
Memories of NPR's Scott Simon are set to the rhythm of the professional sports seasons in Chicago. It's a name dropper's delight, because Simon's father was in the entertainment business and because Simon has had access to many sports and political figures over the years; and the stories are told with affection and comic timing. It was especially fun for me, because I'm about the same age and was raised in the Chicago area, as Simon mostly was. To me, Jack Brickhouse, the play-by-play announcer for both the Cubs and the White Sox, was a mythical figure. To the author, he was Uncle Jack.
Simon wants us to know that he was on the right (left) side of the social issues of the day. His endless boosterism for the city of Chicago grows tiresome and reminds us that "The Windy City" was not solely a reference to the weather. He seems to be lobbying for sainthood for Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, even if it would be a demotion. But his recollections of his family life, the celebrity anecdotes, and the familiarity of his references made it worthwhile for me.
Simon wants us to know that he was on the right (left) side of the social issues of the day. His endless boosterism for the city of Chicago grows tiresome and reminds us that "The Windy City" was not solely a reference to the weather. He seems to be lobbying for sainthood for Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, even if it would be a demotion. But his recollections of his family life, the celebrity anecdotes, and the familiarity of his references made it worthwhile for me.
May 2, 2010
Scott Simon's novel Home and Away is a decent read- there are entertaining stories about the White Sox, Cubs, Bears, and Bulls, and they all revolve around his relationship to his father and stepfather. Those stories all make good points. What doesn't seem to fit is his stories relating to news that he's covered- they're awkwardly placed between the sports anecdotes.
I did learn a lot about some teams that I did follow- the Bulls with Michael Jordan, for example. Those were the pages that flew by, and as a whole, the memoir is an entertaining read. However, the news anecdotes might have been better placed in another novel.
I did learn a lot about some teams that I did follow- the Bulls with Michael Jordan, for example. Those were the pages that flew by, and as a whole, the memoir is an entertaining read. However, the news anecdotes might have been better placed in another novel.
September 13, 2009
I love intelligent writing about sports, about being a fan, and about how love for a sports team is tied into one's love for a place, and NPR dude Scott Simon does this wonderfully here (even though it's largely about the Cubs, and being a Cardinals fan, I hate the Cubs). It's also a really nice memoir of Simon's childhood, with his entertaining, charming alcoholic comedian father and lots of colorful Chicago characters.
March 30, 2013
This was a loving account of Chicago sports teams, their players and personalities, and on the influence of this thoughtful, intelligent writer.
It was most memorable and enjoyable because he was/is an honest and unconventional fan - he can admire the players and their talents but is reflective of their "humaness" as well. By weaving bits of personal history (especially about his family) he makes the stories more compelling than a simple sports memoir.
It was most memorable and enjoyable because he was/is an honest and unconventional fan - he can admire the players and their talents but is reflective of their "humaness" as well. By weaving bits of personal history (especially about his family) he makes the stories more compelling than a simple sports memoir.
July 15, 2014
This memoir by radio reporter Scott Simon is a bit too saccahrine for my palate. I grew up in northwestern Illinois and followed the Cubs and the Bears and still consider myself a midwesterner. But I did not follow the Bulls or the Bears after the 1960s, so Mr. Simon's stories of the Bulls and Bears did not resonate with me. Also, I found his recollections of his father and step-father too cloying. But this is a matter of personal taste.
August 23, 2015
I talk about this book constantly, because of its content, and its format. Alternating chapters between local politics and social history, and the sports franchises that define us. It is a great read for a Chicagoan whether a sports fan or not, but it also is, in a way an autobiography, and shares a bit of a window into who/how Scott became the journalist he is. And, the story about watching the bears at the bar in Georgetown is possibly one of the funniest bits of writing ever.
September 15, 2007
Scott Simon, of NPR Weekend Edition fame, writes this memoir as a love letter to Chicago, particularly to its sports teams. But this is a very unique ode to the City and its great teams and players as Simon weaves in the major historical events of the last 30 years, many of which he personally covered for NPR and his own touching story of growing up in "the city of broad shoulders".
February 6, 2009
If you are a Chicago sports fan, this is a great book to read. Scott Simon of NPR and NBC fame wrote about his love of Chicago sports from a fans perspective. Great chapters about the Bears Super Bowl win and about the Bulls 6 Championships.
April 14, 2016
I give this book 4.5 stars. As I progressed through this book, I liked it more and more. Each chapter discussed a different sport/team/era, but Simon also weaves in family history, relationships, politics, and world events. I really liked this book.
January 21, 2012
Some people have a copy signed by the author. I have a copy signed by the author, his wife, and his daughter!
November 23, 2012
If one is a fan of Chicago sports teams, this book is a must-read; if one is not, it's not.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews