By the Grace of the Game

The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream

By: Dan Grunfeld

Narrated by: Chris Lutkin

When Lily and Alex entered a packed gymnasium in Queens, New York, in 1972, they barely recognized their son. The boy who escaped to America with them, who was bullied as he struggled to learn English and cope with family tragedy, was now a young man who had discovered and secretly honed his basketball talent on the outdoor courts of New York City. That young man was Ernie Grunfeld, who would go on to win an Olympic gold medal and reach previously unimaginable heights as an NBA player and executive.

In By the Grace of the Game, Dan Grunfeld, once a basketball standout himself at Stanford University, shares the remarkable story of his family, a delicately interwoven narrative that doesn't lack in heartbreak yet remains as deeply nourishing as his grandmother's Hungarian cooking, so lovingly described. The true improbability of the saga lies in the discovery of a game that unknowingly held the power to heal wounds, build bridges, and tie together a fractured Jewish family.

If the magnitude of an American dream is measured by the intensity of the nightmare that came before and the heights of the triumph achieved after, then By the Grace of the Game recounts an American dream story of unprecedented scale. From the grips of the Nazis to the top of the Olympic podium, from the cheap seats to center stage at Madison Square Garden, from yellow stars to silver spoons, this complex tale traverses the spectrum of the human experience to detail how perseverance, love, and legacy can survive through generations.

©2021 Dan Grunfeld (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Best basketball biography I’ve ever read

This book is one of the best you'll ever read on the Holocaust, immigrating to America, overcoming grief, the power of basketball, the unbreakable bond between a grandmother and grandson, Hungarian food, or what it's like for anyone who's tried to fill the massive shoes of a famous father.

I was blown away by this book on so many different occasions that I had to go back and write them all down. Buy it, read it, and gift it to someone in your family.

Exceptional

As a Jew and a former team manager during Ernie's senior year at Tennessee, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are many parallels to my family.
My parents are holocaust survivors. My dad was born in Budapest and also got to know Ernie as well as his parents while at UT. They spoke to one another in Hungarian. I'm so proud of the legacy of the Grunfeld family. Mazel Tov to you, Dan!

Great book

Dan writes a great story. He was nice enough to attend our bookclub meeting in Seattle and share additional thoughts and detail on the writing of his book. Can’t wait to see the miniseries! Thanks Dan for your great story.

Compelling

Well read but unfortunately a number of words were mispronounced. The family story is compelling though.

Amazing Story, Very Well Written

An amazing story written and told so well by Dan. Highly recommend for basketball and non-basketball fans alike

Loved it!

Inspiring, uplifting, mournful and funny! Grunfeld tells an incredible story about family, passion overcoming adversity and discovering what matters most in life.

powerful and great storytelling

powerful and great storytelling

amazing job of taking the reader through the highlights of some of the inner thoughts and fears and drives of humans

Fabulous Book, crummy narrator

I loved this book, and so did my teenage son. It is an incredible story, and it is told so well, with past and present weaving together almost perfectly. the author's turns of phrase and descriptions are perfect. I highly recommend the book. unfortunately, I don't recommend the audiobook. the narrator was possibly the worst I've ever heard. he talks in a monotone, splits phrases in random places, over-enunciates some words, and mispronounces everything possible, as well as some words I didn't think were possible to mispronounce. he also sound old enough to be the author's father, so you never forget that this first-person story isn't being told by the writer. also, my son has the hard copy which comes with family photos, but I couldn't find them with the audiobook. they should be included! bottom line: DO read this; DON'T listen to it.

Special

For a reader passionate about sports (basketball specifically) and ever interested in history and lessons from the Holocaust, this book hit my heart. Extremely well done.

No words do enough justice for this book

Just read it. I’ve not read such a compelling book in years. Inspiring. Educational. Soul-moving.