Publishers Weekly
“The same zest for life and disarming wit that have made Simon an award-winning host for National Public Radio serve him well in these recollections of a life intertwined with sports. A native of Chicago who relishes the city's reputation for down-to-earth grittiness, Simon is also a proud iconoclast: "I voted for John Anderson; I thought he would win. I actually liked the New Coke." His talent at telling a good story and his writing skills allow him to roam seamlessly between his own postwar coming of age--including his father's alcoholism, his parents' divorce and his own rise as a journalist--and the sports teams he roots for, most notably Chicago's beloved football and baseball teams, the Bears and the Cubs. Simon has always been immersed in the sports world: as a young boy, he called himself Billy after Billy Pierce, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. He has also enjoyed remarkable access to sports figures; his father, a comedian, was friends with Chicago baseball announcer Jack Brickhouse. Simon describes his interactions with some of Chicago's sports luminaries, such as Cubs' Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and the Bulls' Michael Jordan, as well as his encounters with world events--he interviewed Fidel Castro and covered the Balkan wars. If some readers wonder why a tender man who values his relationships with his father and stepfather doesn't delve into his present family life, that's only a small missing piece in an eloquent, compassionate book.”
Library Journal
“Simon, the host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, has written a charming reminiscence of a sports addict’s coming of age in Chicago. Simon’s parents divorced when he was a child, and there are some bittersweet pages as Simon recalls his sickly, alcoholic father, an always-struggling standup comedian. It was his father’s passion for baseball that created a true bond between father and son. Simon, ever the sure-eyed reporter, intertwines the personal thread with the broader fabric of Chicago sports and politics during the last half century in an amusing and anecdotal manner. Simon provides brilliant short portraits of such Chicago legends as Jesse Jackson, Mayor Harold Washington, Ernie Banks, Michael Jordan, and others. This enjoyable title bears some resemblance to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Wait Till Next Year (Touchstone, 1998), though its Midwestern tone--laced with sarcasm and wit--makes it truly unique. Even readers outside the Midwest will enjoy. Recommended for most libraries."
“The subtitle of this extraordinary book by the host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition is Memoir of a Fan, and while the book is indisputably that, it is also much, much more...The writing is uniformly superb. This, in fact, is a memoir of such breadth and reach that 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.”
Washington Monthly, Jonathan Alter
“I hope...this fine book the audience it deserves. It is about much more than the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, and Bulls...Simon...has near-perfect pitch for the way sports and politics shaped the city from the 1960s to the 1980s....”
The Boston Globe, Joseph P. Kahn
“Boys and girls, as the beer commercial says: It doesn't get any better than that.”
USA Today
“...engaging and intelligent...Simon is a wonderful storyteller...”
“Whether reporting from Wrigley Field, Utah's Delta Center, or from a checkpoint in Croatia—where knowledge of Toni Kukoc helps get you through the country—Simon's Home and Away is a rich, vivid memoir of Chicago and its beloved sports... Home and Away puts sports in its proper perspective, as a unifying entity about which people care deeply.
The National Public Radio Weekend Edition host offers witty stories about how the ups and downs of Chicago’s teams paralleled his childhood pleasures and traumas. Like his beloved teams, Simon has dedicated followers on weekend mornings. Home and Away will add to his fan club.
“...throughout the pages of this winning book, Simon's life as a fan comes through loud, lively and clear...This is a book that has a whole lot going for it and through it...Funny, often touching, carefully crafted, "Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan" is a thoughtful and fresh take on the world of sports.”
