Jay R. Tunney

I was drawn to this book by extraordinary juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate types, the American boxer and the Irish man of letters. I was not expecting to find such a superbly written piece of work nor to be as moved by experiencing through that writing the friendship of these two deeply intelligent, expressive, and thoughtful men. Jay R. Tunney, the son of heavyweight champion Gene Tunney, not only describes his father's unexpected literate nature and eloquent manner of expression, but seems to have channeled both men of his topic in their ability to draw poetry from language. This is a wonderfully well-written book, and I came away with a new knowledge of the prizefighter and a greatly changed understanding of the playwright. In these days when intelligence and elegance of thought seem to be the clarion call for ridicule and dismissal, it is grandly rewarding to read of two men, from wildly different backgrounds, who found a common bond in the written word and lived, each of them, for the purpose of loving it, expressing it, and championing it. That boxing is at the center of their relationship makes the story the more remarkable, and it also provides for real thrills in the telling. This is a thoughtful, rich, and wonderfully pleasurable book, made more so by the unusual (for today) focus on the treasures of friendship.… (mere)