His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir
Acclaimed sportswriter Jenkins is still typing away at 84, and now, at long last, he’s written a memoir. The Jenkins byline first appeared in the Fort Worth Press when the author was in college, and in the sixtysomething years since then, his journalism credits have included Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and Golf Digest, where he still files a monthly column. And, of course, there have been many books, including the classic, Semi-Tough (1972). Jenkins tells his story in the same raucous, ­anecdote-rich, politically incorrect style that has defined his writing all these years. Despite his workload, Jenkins always found time for what he calls sitting around and hanging out, and much of this account reads like a homage to some of the country’s fabled watering holes (Toots Shor’s, P. J. Clarke’s, et al.). Between beverages, however, there was time for sports, especially on Jenkins’ two favorite beats, golf (63 consecutive Masters!) and college football (Life is just one Texas-OU game after another with fun in between). Anyone who has followed sports from the mid-twentieth century onward will relish the opportunity to relive the great moments with a guy who was there more than anyone else. --Bill Ott