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Nights in White Castle: A Memoir
Picking up where he left off in his acclaimed memoir Sting-Ray Afternoons, Steve Rushin brilliantly captures a bygone era, and the thrills of new adulthood in the early 80s.
It begins in Bloomington, Minnesota, with a 13-year-old kid staging his own author photo that he hopes will someday grace the cover of a book jacket. And it ends at a desk in the legendary Time & Life building, with that same boy-now in his early 20s and writing professionally-reflecting on how the hell he got there from what seems like a distant universe. In between, Steve Rushin whisks us along on an extraordinarily funny, tender, and altogether unforgettable journey.
From a menial summer job at suburban Bennigan's, to first-time college experiences in Milwaukee, to surviving early adulthood in seedy New York City, this deeply touching odyssey will remind any reader of those special moments when they too went from innocence to experience.
It begins in Bloomington, Minnesota, with a 13-year-old kid staging his own author photo that he hopes will someday grace the cover of a book jacket. And it ends at a desk in the legendary Time & Life building, with that same boy-now in his early 20s and writing professionally-reflecting on how the hell he got there from what seems like a distant universe. In between, Steve Rushin whisks us along on an extraordinarily funny, tender, and altogether unforgettable journey.
From a menial summer job at suburban Bennigan's, to first-time college experiences in Milwaukee, to surviving early adulthood in seedy New York City, this deeply touching odyssey will remind any reader of those special moments when they too went from innocence to experience.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
59 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
Steve Rushin
11 books130 followersAfter graduating from Bloomington Kennedy High School in 1984 and Marquette University in 1988, Rushin joined the staff of Sports Illustrated. Over the next 19 years, he filed stories from Greenland, India, Indonesia, the Arctic Circle and other farflung locales, as well as the usual nearflung locale to which sportswriters are routinely posted.
His first novel, The Pint Man, was published by Doubleday in 2010. The Los Angeles Times called the book “Engaging, clever and often wipe-your-eyes funny.”
Rushin gave the commencement address at Marquette in 2007 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters for “his unique gift of documenting the human condition through his writing.” In 2006, he was named the National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
A collection of his sports and travel writing—The Caddie Was a Reindeer—was published by Grove Atlantic in 2005 and was named a semifinalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The Denver Post suggested, “If you don’t end up dropping The Caddie Was a Reindeer during fits of uncontrollable merriment, it is likely you need immediate medical attention.”
A four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, Rushin has had his work anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Travel Writing and The Best American Magazine Writing collections. His essays have appeared in Time magazine and The New York Times. He writes a weekly column for SI.com and is a What TK to Golf Digest.
His first book, Road Swing, published in 1998, was named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and one of the “Top 100 Sports Books of All Time” by Sports Illustrated.
Rushin’s next book, a work of nonfiction called The Baseball Grenade, will be published by Little, Brown in 2013.
He and his wife, Rebecca Lobo, have four children and live in Connecticut.
His first novel, The Pint Man, was published by Doubleday in 2010. The Los Angeles Times called the book “Engaging, clever and often wipe-your-eyes funny.”
Rushin gave the commencement address at Marquette in 2007 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters for “his unique gift of documenting the human condition through his writing.” In 2006, he was named the National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
A collection of his sports and travel writing—The Caddie Was a Reindeer—was published by Grove Atlantic in 2005 and was named a semifinalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The Denver Post suggested, “If you don’t end up dropping The Caddie Was a Reindeer during fits of uncontrollable merriment, it is likely you need immediate medical attention.”
A four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, Rushin has had his work anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Travel Writing and The Best American Magazine Writing collections. His essays have appeared in Time magazine and The New York Times. He writes a weekly column for SI.com and is a What TK to Golf Digest.
His first book, Road Swing, published in 1998, was named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and one of the “Top 100 Sports Books of All Time” by Sports Illustrated.
Rushin’s next book, a work of nonfiction called The Baseball Grenade, will be published by Little, Brown in 2013.
He and his wife, Rebecca Lobo, have four children and live in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
February 2, 2020
Full Disclosure: I am a recovering journalist who graduated from high school the same year as Mr Rushin, and I love to watch baseball, all of which totally colors my very positive reaction to this book.
It was laugh-out-loud funny at many points, cringe-inducing at others, and really captured what being in college and immediately out of college in the mid to late 1980s was like for so many. (The high school stuff was pretty spot-on, as well.)
Also, I thought Mr Rushin (or his most recent editor/s) did a much better job of incorporating historical and business-related facts and context in this book than he did in his first memoir, Sting-Ray Afternoons. Overall the writing style seemed much smoother, less clunky.
I know Nights in White Castle was just published in 2019, but I found myself wishing there were already a third memoir, one that gives us his take on marriage and fatherhood. In the meantime, maybe I'll try to find some of his magazine pieces online; he is obviously a gifted writer and a very talented journalist. If I ever have a chance to meet him I will ask him if he has read The Courting of Marcus Dupree by Willie Morris. Bet you a nickel he has.
It was laugh-out-loud funny at many points, cringe-inducing at others, and really captured what being in college and immediately out of college in the mid to late 1980s was like for so many. (The high school stuff was pretty spot-on, as well.)
Also, I thought Mr Rushin (or his most recent editor/s) did a much better job of incorporating historical and business-related facts and context in this book than he did in his first memoir, Sting-Ray Afternoons. Overall the writing style seemed much smoother, less clunky.
I know Nights in White Castle was just published in 2019, but I found myself wishing there were already a third memoir, one that gives us his take on marriage and fatherhood. In the meantime, maybe I'll try to find some of his magazine pieces online; he is obviously a gifted writer and a very talented journalist. If I ever have a chance to meet him I will ask him if he has read The Courting of Marcus Dupree by Willie Morris. Bet you a nickel he has.
July 19, 2019
The fact that Nights in White Castle begins in high school, then travels through college and lands in Times Square gives it more of a disjointed feel than the warmly cohesive Sting-Ray Afternoons, and all in all it’s not quite as funny. Most of its laughs come early on, when Rushin’s still running “the Strip” (that would be Interstate 494) with his high school buddies in Bloomington. I reviewed Nights in White Castle for The Tangential.
October 8, 2019
Steve Rushin is a superb writer. This memoir covers his later high school as well as college years, into his early work that got him hired at Sports Illustrated at a rather young age. Rushin loves words; not all writers do, but Rushin loves to play with them, to connect them, to delight in them. He also evidently has a phenomenal memory--how does he remember all this stuff that happened to him as a young man? I have about half a dozen hazy memories, or so it seems to me. Rushin, on the other hands, fills page after page with hilarious anecdotes.
And I do mean hilarious. I read all the time and very rarely laugh out loud, but I did so multiple times just in the first few chapters. He's typical Minnesota nice, thus humble and unassuming, which makes his work all the more appealing. To be honest he deserves a better venue than what SI has become.
And I do mean hilarious. I read all the time and very rarely laugh out loud, but I did so multiple times just in the first few chapters. He's typical Minnesota nice, thus humble and unassuming, which makes his work all the more appealing. To be honest he deserves a better venue than what SI has become.
June 24, 2019
I lost count of how many times I burst out laughing while reading this book! Rushin continues the story he began telling of growing up in Minnesota in the 70-80's (see Sting-Ray Afternoons). Now he is a teenager, living in Bloomington, MN (a suburb of Mineapolis). In a house full of rowdy brothers, a little sister, and his parents.
I came of age in roughly the same era, also in the Midwest. I could relate to SO MANY of his exploits and adventures. From getting my drivers license, to infatuations with girls, to hanging with my buddies, and on and on. Who in that time didn't have a special place they would go, to see others and to be seen? In the author's case, it was the local White Castle burger joint.
The story continues on with his high school graduation, and to his college career in Wisconsin (again, just like me). He reminded me of so many memories of this time.
Finally, after college, Rushin gets his dream job. He chronicles his career as a writer for Sports Illustrated. Of the crazy hard work it entailed, the awards he received, as well as the fantastic things he witnessed while doing it. And of his success in finally conquering his shyness around women, and of meeting and marrying a WNBA superstar! Way to go, Steve!
I wish there were more books like this!
I came of age in roughly the same era, also in the Midwest. I could relate to SO MANY of his exploits and adventures. From getting my drivers license, to infatuations with girls, to hanging with my buddies, and on and on. Who in that time didn't have a special place they would go, to see others and to be seen? In the author's case, it was the local White Castle burger joint.
The story continues on with his high school graduation, and to his college career in Wisconsin (again, just like me). He reminded me of so many memories of this time.
Finally, after college, Rushin gets his dream job. He chronicles his career as a writer for Sports Illustrated. Of the crazy hard work it entailed, the awards he received, as well as the fantastic things he witnessed while doing it. And of his success in finally conquering his shyness around women, and of meeting and marrying a WNBA superstar! Way to go, Steve!
I wish there were more books like this!
October 2, 2020
Really great read and possibly my favorite Rushin book. Very similar to Sting Ray but less of a focus on history and just more about telling stories from his teenaged years. His prose is as strong as ever.
September 12, 2019
First appeared at https://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.c...
If you enjoy Steve Rushin's particular brand of humor and wit in his articles in Sports Illustrated, there is a 100 percent chance you're going to love his new memoir, Nights In White Castle. I, for one, enjoyed it immensely! But in the interest of full disclosure, beyond the fact that I already love Rushin's stuff, this book held particular allure for me because Rushin is a Marquette alum (I am too!), and part of this memoir is devoted to his four years in college in Milwaukee.
But I loved the rest, too. This memoir is about 10 years of Rushin's teenage and young adult years. We start when he's 13 years old (this is a sequel of sorts to another memoir, Sting-Ray Afternoons, but you don't have to have read the first one), growing up in a rowdy house in suburban Minnesota with two older brothers, one younger one, and a younger sister. He's a bit of a nerd, despite starting for his high school's elite basketball team. He and his buddies always wrap up their weekend nights at White Castle, which Rushin loves, both for the terribly great food, but also for the cross-section of people he sees there. He and his buddies start a basketball tournament in Flip Saunders' back yard called the Saunders Hoops Invitational Tournament (SHIT, for short), and writing about this tournament is his first submission to Sports Illustrated, his dream job.
He matriculates to Marquette in the fall of 1984 and participates in such Marquette rituals as living in the hallowed freshman dorm McCormick Hall nicknamed "The Beer Can," watching (but not participating, at least that he would admit) in the Naked Beer Slide at the bar The Avalanche, and eating late-night Real Chili. Obviously, I loved these parts. The Avalanche closed during my first year at Marquette and I never had a chance to set foot inside (no fake ID for me). Side note: The Avalanche was also one of Chris Farley's favorites during his time at Marquette. It was sure fun to read about its golden age!
After college in Milwaukee, Rushin lands a job as a fact-checker at Sports Illustrated, and is quickly indoctrinated into the fast-paced world of New York City, consumer magazines, and sports scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's quite the whirlwind!
But so, this is book entertaining as hell, whether or not you're particularly interested in basketball, or Milwaukee, or the suburbs of Minnesota, or the 1980s, or magazine writing. Luckily for me, I'm interested in most of these things. And so I loved it.
If you enjoy Steve Rushin's particular brand of humor and wit in his articles in Sports Illustrated, there is a 100 percent chance you're going to love his new memoir, Nights In White Castle. I, for one, enjoyed it immensely! But in the interest of full disclosure, beyond the fact that I already love Rushin's stuff, this book held particular allure for me because Rushin is a Marquette alum (I am too!), and part of this memoir is devoted to his four years in college in Milwaukee.
But I loved the rest, too. This memoir is about 10 years of Rushin's teenage and young adult years. We start when he's 13 years old (this is a sequel of sorts to another memoir, Sting-Ray Afternoons, but you don't have to have read the first one), growing up in a rowdy house in suburban Minnesota with two older brothers, one younger one, and a younger sister. He's a bit of a nerd, despite starting for his high school's elite basketball team. He and his buddies always wrap up their weekend nights at White Castle, which Rushin loves, both for the terribly great food, but also for the cross-section of people he sees there. He and his buddies start a basketball tournament in Flip Saunders' back yard called the Saunders Hoops Invitational Tournament (SHIT, for short), and writing about this tournament is his first submission to Sports Illustrated, his dream job.
He matriculates to Marquette in the fall of 1984 and participates in such Marquette rituals as living in the hallowed freshman dorm McCormick Hall nicknamed "The Beer Can," watching (but not participating, at least that he would admit) in the Naked Beer Slide at the bar The Avalanche, and eating late-night Real Chili. Obviously, I loved these parts. The Avalanche closed during my first year at Marquette and I never had a chance to set foot inside (no fake ID for me). Side note: The Avalanche was also one of Chris Farley's favorites during his time at Marquette. It was sure fun to read about its golden age!
After college in Milwaukee, Rushin lands a job as a fact-checker at Sports Illustrated, and is quickly indoctrinated into the fast-paced world of New York City, consumer magazines, and sports scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's quite the whirlwind!
But so, this is book entertaining as hell, whether or not you're particularly interested in basketball, or Milwaukee, or the suburbs of Minnesota, or the 1980s, or magazine writing. Luckily for me, I'm interested in most of these things. And so I loved it.
September 7, 2020
I didn't think Sliders could trump Stingray bikes from the standpoint of nostalgia, but in this case, they did. After finishing Stingray Afternoons with a giant, 70's-style grin, my craving for more was answered by Nights in White Castle. Felt like I was suckin' on a chili dog outside the Tastee-Freez throughout the 80's flashback. This book helped me hold onto 16 a little bit longer, and now that changes have come around (making us women and men), I think I appreciate this book even more. Not sure if Rushin could have captured the essence of my Midwestern, sports-loving, girl-fearing, print-centric upbringing any better.
September 18, 2019
I've read Steve Rushin in Sports Illustrated for year and this was not what I expected by the title. As someone only two years older than him, I found he did a beautiful job of capturing what high school years in the early 1980s were like -- the music, the artists. Despite him growing up in Minneapolis and I in Nashville, I identified with so much of his writing. I believe the reviewers used the word 'elegaic,' and it's a fine word to use: It's sentimental without being sappy or having bathos. Great read.
September 27, 2020
While I didn't grow up in Minnesota and Steve is a few years older than me, I could relate to a lot of his stories about his high school and college years. He is a terrific writer and throughly enjoyed his account of fulfilling his dream of becoming a sports writer and author.
January 27, 2024
This book fills me with whimsy and nostalgia and just all around feels. Rushin truly has an amazing way with words. The uncertainty of the teens and twenties....
February 2, 2021
Can’t say enough good things about this book and Sting-Ray Afternoons. Longing for a memoir trilogy!
December 29, 2021
-4.25- This was overall an excellent biography. I recently read Alex Trebek's flaccid and dull as dirt "Oh I am dying so I have to produce something profound" turd of a book and wasted a few hundred pages of my reading life. Fortunately that was not the case with this biography. A good biography should be compelling and engage the reader. Also, it should be warts and all not just some turd trying to cement your legacy. Pretty quickly Rushin jumps in here with hilarious observations. One glowing example is a guy he grew up with being especially proud of a rather epic shit and he grabs a buddy to show him the size of this monstrosity. The buddy duly notes it as a real "three coil Python." Now as disgusting as some may find this anecdote, this is life in all its glory. Not just some dumb cliche you pass on as a former game show host because you think it is "deep." Rushin goes on to describe growing up in the late 1970's and 1980's in Bloomington, Minnesota. I am Rushin's age within a few months, so I throughly enjoyed this journey back to my youth through the looking glass. Many of his experiences were similar to my own and yet uniquely different. I feel the book lost some of its momentum when he arrived at college. Perhaps if he was less of a nerd and bit more dynamic it would not have been so dull at this point. I did like his observation on an illegal sleazy hack driver in New York wearing a Members Only jacket and he speculated just who won't they take as a member. Gold Jerry, gold. I recommend this book as a nice time capsule of a vanished time in America.
March 20, 2024
Having thoroughly enjoyed his earlier book, Sting-Ray Afternoons, I decided to read the follow-up. It did not disappoint. Steve Rushin could write a phone book, or an instruction manual, or a recipe book, and make it interesting, funny, and verbally dexterous.
This book details his journey through high school and college, and ends as he begins his career as a sportswriter at Sports Illustrated, fulfilling his lifelong dream. Although not as consistently uproarious as his earlier book, it is still very entertaining. And there were times I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. As with the earlier book some of the titles are references to phrases in popular songs of the day; the title itself--a summary of Rushin and his friends usual destination--is a riff on the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin".
I love that Rushin, like me, is a Steely Dan fan. Although his experience of college and incipient career were different than mine, there were times when his story was very reminiscent of mine. Both of us growing up in a large and loud family probably has a lot to do with that. Being a trivia buff myself, I love the little tidbits of knowledge that he drops from time to time, like those little sprinkles on ice cream.
I'm not doing the book justice. But then, I'm no Steve Rushin.
This book details his journey through high school and college, and ends as he begins his career as a sportswriter at Sports Illustrated, fulfilling his lifelong dream. Although not as consistently uproarious as his earlier book, it is still very entertaining. And there were times I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. As with the earlier book some of the titles are references to phrases in popular songs of the day; the title itself--a summary of Rushin and his friends usual destination--is a riff on the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin".
I love that Rushin, like me, is a Steely Dan fan. Although his experience of college and incipient career were different than mine, there were times when his story was very reminiscent of mine. Both of us growing up in a large and loud family probably has a lot to do with that. Being a trivia buff myself, I love the little tidbits of knowledge that he drops from time to time, like those little sprinkles on ice cream.
I'm not doing the book justice. But then, I'm no Steve Rushin.
September 5, 2019
Sometimes starting out reading Steve Rushin's books is a little difficult in that it's written like no other memoir. It's almost a stream-of-conscious thing with him remembering some nostalgia or product or person and then jaunting off on the history of it before returning to the main story. Also, Rushin is brilliant in word play and he leads the reader on the path to set up that word play.
But once you get into the style, you find it's an excellent journey. Although he ended up at Sports Illustrated, a dream for most writers, readers can relate. I grew up in northern Minnesota about the same time Rushin lived in Bloomington. I remember the Twin Cities' 'dominance' in sports and life in general and felt us, those living in the Northlands, were forgotten.
I was amazed at how Rushin captured that essence of growing up, the jokes, the names, the places. It was also interesting to see how he progressed in his writing at SI. I hope his third book is more about his job, the places he went to, the athletes he covered and the games he saw.
I first read his book "Road Swing," about searching for the heart of sports in America, and it's still one of the Top 5 books I've ever read. Since then, anything he's written has been a treat.
But once you get into the style, you find it's an excellent journey. Although he ended up at Sports Illustrated, a dream for most writers, readers can relate. I grew up in northern Minnesota about the same time Rushin lived in Bloomington. I remember the Twin Cities' 'dominance' in sports and life in general and felt us, those living in the Northlands, were forgotten.
I was amazed at how Rushin captured that essence of growing up, the jokes, the names, the places. It was also interesting to see how he progressed in his writing at SI. I hope his third book is more about his job, the places he went to, the athletes he covered and the games he saw.
I first read his book "Road Swing," about searching for the heart of sports in America, and it's still one of the Top 5 books I've ever read. Since then, anything he's written has been a treat.
February 15, 2020
The sequel to Rushin's memoir of Midwestern childhood, "Sting Ray Afternoons," this book continues his trajectory from Minnesota to New York, from aspirations to their fruition, from timid and geeky youth to slightly-less-so budding sportswriter in the big city.
I read and loved his first book and passed it on to my husband (who grew up mostly in Michigan and so felt even more connected to it than I did) and then to other friends, who in turn passed it on to more contemporaries.
Like "Sting Ray Afternoons," this is an account of growing up in the suburbs and all that entailed in the 70s and 80s. It's warm and fuzzy to recall so many common feelings and experiences as Rushin passed through them at the same age I did. Commercial jingles, TV theme songs, and even the smells of dinner cooking come rushing back into my brain, accompanied by thoughts of my parents and grandparents and childhood friends.
Also like "SRA," this is a love story about sports and family and the thrills and fears of growing up. Even if you're younger than I am now -- or older -- I highly recommend this as a means of gaining greater understanding of Generation X and where we come from and the world that formed us.
I read and loved his first book and passed it on to my husband (who grew up mostly in Michigan and so felt even more connected to it than I did) and then to other friends, who in turn passed it on to more contemporaries.
Like "Sting Ray Afternoons," this is an account of growing up in the suburbs and all that entailed in the 70s and 80s. It's warm and fuzzy to recall so many common feelings and experiences as Rushin passed through them at the same age I did. Commercial jingles, TV theme songs, and even the smells of dinner cooking come rushing back into my brain, accompanied by thoughts of my parents and grandparents and childhood friends.
Also like "SRA," this is a love story about sports and family and the thrills and fears of growing up. Even if you're younger than I am now -- or older -- I highly recommend this as a means of gaining greater understanding of Generation X and where we come from and the world that formed us.
September 16, 2021
Is it possible that Steve Rushin's new memoir "Nights in White Castle" is better, even funnier, than his acclaimed first work "Sting-Ray Afternoons?" Even to ask this question is reveal how good I think this book is. It picks up where his first one left off telling the story of growing up in Minnesota. Steve is now an adolescent in the 80s, playing sports, avoiding girls, working terrible jobs, forging an identity and all the time dreaming of writing for Sports Illustrated. This book feels more personal than his earlier one. In "Sting-Ray," Rushin was trying to express the sense of the 70s in general and hitting on the themes that anyone alive then would have experienced. In this book he makes those points but is unafraid to simply tell his story. The genius of the work is the Rushin's story is so normal yet so captivating. And it is "Laugh Out Loud" funny. This is the kind of book that wakes up other people because you are LOLing and when they tell you to be quiet you make them read three pages of the book instead. I would just point to a paragraph and say "start reading here" and then sit back and wait for the chuckles. This is a great book and I recommend it for anyone who is even close to Steve Rushin's age or who grew up loving sports or writing or both.
December 19, 2019
Nights in White Castle by Steve Rushin (Little, Brown & Co. 2019) (Biography) (3405).
This is the second hilariously entertaining memoir by Steve Rushin. The first installment (which I rated four stars) was entitled Sting Ray Afternoons; that volume carried the author through his early teen years in Minnesota. Nights in White Castle sees him through high school, college, and into his early years as a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine, which like the author, I read cover-to-cover growing up.
Steve Rushin is a fabulous memoirist. He reminds me a great deal of Bob Greene, who is another of my favorites authors in this genre.
I'm already looking forward to the next volume which presumably will cover the years of his courtship and the early years of his marriage to Rebecca Lobo (a star in her own right) along with the really good stuff: parenting his growing brood!
Well done, Steve Rushin! (I see what you did with the title. You owe an apology to both Procol Harum as well as to the hamburger chain we call "Krystal" in the South.) My rating: 7.5/10, finished 12/18/19.
March 16, 2020
"I wouldn't say it changed my life to read this book -- much of it is sort of silly, breezy word play and passing references -- but it was a pleasure."
that was the end of my 4-star review of his earlier memoir "sting-ray afternoons", and it applies to this one [which picks up the story in high school in the early 1980's and carries him through college and into his first "real" job as a fact checker for sports illustrated living in NYC]. Again a pleasure to read of his love of sports, memories for so many events (as tragic as Challenger disaster and as joyful [for him] as Twins appearances in the World Series) both public and personal [hijinx with his high school friends and his siblings; what sounds like the same lousy dishwashing job i had........], and his love of family and friends.
really enjoy his writing style -- recalling a great game in state champs quarterfinals of high school basketball, he says "Everything is easy. I feel like a precision component in a Swiss ass-kicking machine" (p. 103). Go get 'em, Steve, and I'll look forward to reading the next volume in your story.
that was the end of my 4-star review of his earlier memoir "sting-ray afternoons", and it applies to this one [which picks up the story in high school in the early 1980's and carries him through college and into his first "real" job as a fact checker for sports illustrated living in NYC]. Again a pleasure to read of his love of sports, memories for so many events (as tragic as Challenger disaster and as joyful [for him] as Twins appearances in the World Series) both public and personal [hijinx with his high school friends and his siblings; what sounds like the same lousy dishwashing job i had........], and his love of family and friends.
really enjoy his writing style -- recalling a great game in state champs quarterfinals of high school basketball, he says "Everything is easy. I feel like a precision component in a Swiss ass-kicking machine" (p. 103). Go get 'em, Steve, and I'll look forward to reading the next volume in your story.
April 4, 2023
I did not want this book to end, which is the same way I felt about the author's previous "Sting Ray Afternoons." The Sports Illustrated writer seamlessly found a way to combine the pop culture of the 1980s with the angst of being a teenager and a desire for a career in sports writing, all of which — and so much more — I could relate to (though eight years older than Rushin). The mere mention of Tandy computers and their balky acoustic couplers — which I often used — brought back laughs and memories. Seeing your first byline, being tongue-tied before interviewing famous people and imagining that someone is paying you to cover ballgames are other memories that he wrote about that I share. His getting a job almost out of the blue at Sports Illustrated — the Holy Grail of sports writing in the era he joined it — is a feat many budding writers of the era would have coveted. My years of reading SI ended before Rushin joined the staff, so I'm ashamed to say I've never read any of his work until his memoirs, but he sounds like he'd be a good guy to meet. Highly recommended.
August 26, 2019
Nights in White Castle, do do do do do do do...
Nights in White Castle is an entertaining, funny memoir by Steve Rushin, a writer for Sports Illustrated, that covers his escapades and successes through high school, college, and beyond.
The stories in this novel are entertaining in their own right, but to me this book was so much more. As a girl who was raised in Des Plaines (a suburb of Chicago) who read SI religiously, often traveled past the Bong Recreation Area (I finally know where the name came from!!!), wore Rebecca Lobo shoes while playing high school basketball, and who went to Billy Goats (no fries!), this novel not only told me stories of Steve Rushin’s life, they reminded me of all kinds of stories from my own. I really enjoyed this book, and often found myself laughing aloud.
If you like funny memoirs, check out Steve Rushin’s Nights in White Castle!
Thank you Little, Brown for an ARC of Nights in White Castle, given in exchange for an honest review.
Nights in White Castle is an entertaining, funny memoir by Steve Rushin, a writer for Sports Illustrated, that covers his escapades and successes through high school, college, and beyond.
The stories in this novel are entertaining in their own right, but to me this book was so much more. As a girl who was raised in Des Plaines (a suburb of Chicago) who read SI religiously, often traveled past the Bong Recreation Area (I finally know where the name came from!!!), wore Rebecca Lobo shoes while playing high school basketball, and who went to Billy Goats (no fries!), this novel not only told me stories of Steve Rushin’s life, they reminded me of all kinds of stories from my own. I really enjoyed this book, and often found myself laughing aloud.
If you like funny memoirs, check out Steve Rushin’s Nights in White Castle!
Thank you Little, Brown for an ARC of Nights in White Castle, given in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2019
Nights in White Castle by Steve Rushin is, essentially, a sequel to his previous memoir (Sting-Ray Afternoons). In this volume, he writes of a time of great change in any person’s life—from his senior year in high school through college to his earliest years as a sportswriter. It is both a personal memoir and a memoir of what seems like a different age—a time during which personal computers, email, and compact discs were the newest technology one could buy—or hope to buy. Throughout, he recalls his life and the 1980s with memory-prodding detail, gentle sentimentality, and much good humor.
I’ve been reading Steven Rushin for some time—more than 10 years, at least—so I’m probably biased—but even so, if you grew up in the 1980s, I’d recommend this book.
Favorite Quotation: “The following pages are set during that quicksilver time—high school, college, and leaving home forever—when the great wheel is still spinning and, for a moment at least, everything in life remains possible.”
I’ve been reading Steven Rushin for some time—more than 10 years, at least—so I’m probably biased—but even so, if you grew up in the 1980s, I’d recommend this book.
Favorite Quotation: “The following pages are set during that quicksilver time—high school, college, and leaving home forever—when the great wheel is still spinning and, for a moment at least, everything in life remains possible.”
October 31, 2019
If you loved Sting-Ray Afternoons you will love this just as much. A perfect sequel to it, with the same irreverence and humor. If you were school age in the 80's this will ring true; if you were school age in the 80's in the Twin Cities this is a must-read. Reading this is like listening to my boyhood best friends older brothers brag about their exploits, and I mean that in the best possible way... Shout out for the Purple Rain references, which I remember as being look out for the guys from Saint Paul Central who were in the crowd. Marquette University grads from this era will like this as well, and I am glad to say that I got to belly up to the Avalanche Bar once before it closed, though I did not witness any naked slides...
November 9, 2019
I was excited to pick up Steve Rushin's second installment of tales from his youth, growing up in the Midwest. Even more intriguing to me were the tales of his time at Marquette University, which is my alma mater as well. Steve and I wouldn't have crossed paths, as I graduated the year he matriculated, but he nailed all the high points. As with his previous memoir, I was amazed at how well he remembers all the details of days gone by. I enjoyed his quirky sense of humor and like an artist, he paints a wonderful picture of his childhood. His mother would be proud.
**my only quibble with his book was the ending. Steve, the demolition of McCormick was just completed late this summer. There is no shiny new replacement yet....
**my only quibble with his book was the ending. Steve, the demolition of McCormick was just completed late this summer. There is no shiny new replacement yet....
February 11, 2020
Like Stingray Afternoons, Steve Rushin's earlier memoir, this book felt familiar because he grew up so close to me in location and time. I enjoyed this book much more because it went beyond telling a brief story or memory and then name-dropping brands or restaurants or whatever that filled Stingray. His early jobs and high school activities were fun to read about, but I really connected with his love of reading, writing and word play. Even when (especially when) Steve left the Bloomington neighborhood I knew, his stories became more interesting - at Marquette, in New York, and on writing trips. I loved his writing style and his self deprecating manner of sharing his insecurities. This was really fun to read.
June 2, 2021
Just finished journalist/writer Steve Rushin's 2nd memoir about growing up- Nights in White Castle. His first 2017 book Sting Ray Afternoons was an affectionate look at growing up in Bloomington MN during the later 60s and 70s. This follow up is even more in depth as Rushin examines the period of high school (and nights at the White Castle) to college (studying Journalist at Marquette University) to his eventual job/career as a award winning writer for Sports Illustrated. As in his first book, Rushin is writes such humorous/in depth prose on the transition from adolescence to adulthood with a sharp eye for cultural mores as commentary and transitions. This is one of the best memories I've ever read and as a 1980s college man myself something I can very much identity with. Recommended!
November 12, 2022
The follow up to Stingray Afternoons, and Steve Rushin doesn’t disappoint. Nights in White Castle covers Mr. Rushin’s time in high school, college, and the start of his career at Sports Illustrated.
The book has the same feel as Stingray Afternoons with color stories that bring a smile to you face. Mr. Rushin does a great job growing up in the Suburbs of Minnesota in the 1980s. He then expands to his tome at Marquette, before finally talking about his first few years in New York City working for Sports Illustrated. The locations change, but the stories are still excellent.
Overall this was a fun read that I blew through. Probably helped as I grew up in Suburban Minnesota about 10 years behind Mr. Rushin, but even if you didn’t you will enjoy this book.
The book has the same feel as Stingray Afternoons with color stories that bring a smile to you face. Mr. Rushin does a great job growing up in the Suburbs of Minnesota in the 1980s. He then expands to his tome at Marquette, before finally talking about his first few years in New York City working for Sports Illustrated. The locations change, but the stories are still excellent.
Overall this was a fun read that I blew through. Probably helped as I grew up in Suburban Minnesota about 10 years behind Mr. Rushin, but even if you didn’t you will enjoy this book.
February 5, 2020
Steve Rushin’s writing has the ability to transport me back in time to my childhood and teen years in MN. I think what I love most is that his pure love and pride for MN comes through so clearly in both his memoirs. Without even realizing it, I found myself with tears rolling down my face as I relived the Twins first World Series victory and as he wrote about starting out in his first job with excitement, insecurity and exhaustion while at the same time loving every second of it, I was reminded of my own first years out of college. So much talent in his pen or typewriter...the pride of Bloomington indeed!
May 17, 2020
Nights in White Castle is the follow-up to Steve Rushin’s outstanding love letter to being a child of the 1970s, Sting-Ray Afternoons. This sequel, however, follows the author through his teen years and early adulthood in the 1980s.
While this memoir is very entertaining I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original. Mr. Rushin is a talented author, and certainly has a way with words, but there were times when I felt the story dragged, or just the opposite, the author seemed to be in a hurry to finish. But this is only a minor criticism on my part and I have no doubt that if you liked the first book you will happy with this one too.
While this memoir is very entertaining I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original. Mr. Rushin is a talented author, and certainly has a way with words, but there were times when I felt the story dragged, or just the opposite, the author seemed to be in a hurry to finish. But this is only a minor criticism on my part and I have no doubt that if you liked the first book you will happy with this one too.
May 1, 2021
What an absolutely delightful memoir! Steve Rushin, an award winning writer for Sports Illustrated, recounts his teenage years growing up in Bloomington, Minnesota and then attending Marquette, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His vivid recounting of the ‘80’s replete with song lyrics, tv shows, movies, musicians, and major athletic events return us to this bygone era. His delightful wordplay and witticisms enrich the story and had me laughing uncontrollably at various moments in his storytelling. If you need a wonderful escape or a fun summer read, I strongly recommend this memoir; you won’t be disappointed!
October 3, 2020
If you are a child of the 1970s and 1980s and enjoy a trip down memory lane, Steve Rushin is a great story-telling guide. This book picks up where Sting Ray Afternoons ends as Rushin navigates life in high school, college, and post-college. Great writing, but also manages to conjure up cultural elements from an era that I have forgotten; phrases, places, social dynamics...Rushin paints an accurate historical retrospective. This is a great read overall, but especially in 2020 where many of us need an escape from reality and a trip back to when times were (likely) a bit better and simpler. Can't recommend this book and his first book enough!!
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