Alan Sontag's Bridge bum presents a vivid description of the life of a professional bridge player. The challenge match against the Italian Blue team wherein the winning team was to get five Lancia cars; the fierce competition at the Cavendish Calcutta - an event Sontag and his partner won despite the strong field; a rubber bridge game in Jamaica where Sontag played as a jockey; and a small local tournament where Sontag and his partner played on a sixty-five year young woman's team just to help here fulfil her dream of winning that championship are the main stories around which the narration revolves. The book itself is full of Bridge discussion, and would definitely help those who wish to do well in bridge tournaments.

Yes, and it is more than they play better bridge. They have a certain intensity (I'm convinced that most were ADD children), they rarely can sit still, unless it's their opening lead; then there is an eternity while they sit stone-faced and contemplate. The bridge pro has concentration that cannot be broken by topless girls dancing on his table, yet can scream with fury at someone cracking their gum. Yes, they are different. And how do they get that way?

Alan Sontag is your genial, if hyper, guide who takes you through a small story of what it takes. Alan is one of this generation's great pros, having won national and international titles with some of the best players in the world, and has put in his time as a playing pro with his students who you might think learned the game yesterday.

He has a good history, and some great stories to tell you. A few I strongly suspect are apocryphal like the famous match in Jamaica (see for yourself!). He also describes what it is like to "get in the zone" with an expert partner and know what it feels like, that particular time and that particular day to be the best in the world.

Obviously, "The Bridge Bum" will be fascinating to all who have ever attended that madness called a bridge tournament, but I think Alan's light hearted prose will appeal to the general reader and others whose interest is piqued by the unusual profession and what a special set it qualities it takes to be successful. Excellent read!

-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer