{"title":"James McManus","description":"James McManus's latest work, \u003cem\u003eThe Education of A Poker Player\u003c\/em\u003e, was published by BOA in 2015. Considered poker's Shakespeare, he is \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003ePositively Fifth Street\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCowboys Full: The Story of Poker\u003c\/em\u003e. He has written for the \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/em\u003e among others, and his\u003cem\u003e Esquire\u003c\/em\u003e article on stem cell research was featured in \u003cem\u003eThe Best American Science and Nature Writing 2005\u003c\/em\u003e, and was a finalist for the Nation Magazine Award. He is the recipient of the Peter Lisagor Award for Sports Journalism, as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations. He teaches at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Follow Jim on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jimbosweetness\"\u003ehttps:\/\/twitter.com\/jimbosweetness\u003c\/a\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-education-of-a-poker-player","title":"The Education of a Poker Player","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e-bestselling author James McManus offers up a collection of seven linked stories narrated by Vincent Killeen, an Irish Catholic altar boy, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Persuaded at age eight by his grandmother that entering the priesthood will guarantee salvation for every member of his family, Vince eagerly commits to attending a Jesuit seminary for high school. As the meaning of a vow of celibacy becomes clearer to him, however, and he is exposed to the irresistible temptations of poker and girls, life as a seminarian begins to seem less appealing. These autobiographical stories are enlightening and evocative, providing keen, often humorous insight into Catholicism, faith, celibacy and its opposite, as well as into America\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es—and increasingly the world\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es—favorite card game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for\u003cem\u003e The Education of a Poker Player\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,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\" height=\"25\" width=\"25\"\u003e “With this plainspoken, highly readable coming-of-age story, McManus adds another winning hand to a growing body of work on the hearts and souls lost to the game of poker.”\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e, Starred\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eWhat John R. Powers did for Catholic boys on the South Side of Chicago in his classic memoir \u003cem\u003eDo Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?\u003c\/em\u003e (1975), McManus does for their counterparts in suburban Chicago . . . This is well-trod ground, of course, but McManus enlivens the familiar material with zesty prose that goes beyond the jokes to capture that ever-melancholy transition from innocence to experience.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Booklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“In writing about poker Jim McManus has managed to write about everything, and it\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es glorious.”\u003cstrong\u003e—David Sedaris\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eMcManus has captured a Chicago Catholic kid\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es universe with an accuracy that made me laugh. A royal flush. Bravo!\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Sandra Cisneros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eReading \u003cem\u003eThe Education of a Poker Player\u003c\/em\u003e, I realized I had completely forgotten what it had been like to be a boy. McManus remembers it exactly. There are many things to admire—the delights of the Kennedy era Catholic household, the movement of a mind through time—but what stuck with me most was how McManus nails it dead: being a kid isn\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003et anything like being an adult. Instead it is something stranger, something wilder, and something we shouldn\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003et forget. Consumed with desire for girls, a place in the clergy, and a secret obsession with a certain gambling game that is played with 52 cards, McManus\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es narrator will help you reclaim something you may have lost. Pick up this book.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Jesse Ball\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eThe Education of a Poker Player\u003c\/em\u003e is a thoroughly refreshing read, and you know that with McManus you\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003ere going to get an engaging journey. McManus has been there and done it, and he certainly speaks with the voice of experience.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Sam Marsden, \u003cem\u003eJackpot.co.uk\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ePublication Date: October 19, 2015\u003cbr\u003eISBN:\u003cstrong\u003e 978-1-938160-85-1\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© BOA Editions, Ltd. 2015\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":8420414021,"sku":"9781938160851","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (Signed)","offer_id":45961788096741,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/TheEducationPokerPlayer_FinalFront.jpg?v=1527683366"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/collections\/159.1429812740.jpeg?v=1449014705","url":"https:\/\/shop.boaeditions.org\/collections\/james-mcmanus.oembed","provider":"Boa Editions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}