Moe Fields by Stuart Z. Goldstein

A stirring tale of resilience, loss, fatherhood, and family loyalty, Moe Fields: The Special Bond Between Fathers and Sons by Stuart Z. Goldstein is a raw biography about a different age, but one that resonates deeply in the present day.

Traversing the life of one Murray Goldman, from the desperation of the tenth round and the horrors of global war to the battlefronts of the bedroom and the pinnacles of self-made success, this biography is unfiltered, unflinching, and undeniably hard to put down. After enduring physical conflict throughout much of his life, the fight to see his wife walk again, and to patch his family back together, becomes the hardest battle this intrepid warrior has ever faced.

Stepping back and observing this story from a distance, the life of Moe Fields resembles a tall tale, but the nuanced details and the splashes of personality remind readers that truth is often stranger than fiction. Equally important, Goldstein doesn’t hold back from controversial themes or flashpoints in history. Racial violence and bigotry, as well as sexualized violence, broken boundaries, shattered innocence, and painful trauma are all explored over the course of this decades-spanning story.

For such a ripe subject, the prose is quite declarative, and can often feel somewhat sterile. Whether it is the thrilling roller coaster of an uncertain boxing match, tumbling throes of youthful passion, or sleepless nights of grief, there is a great potential for immersive prose, but the writing is often less expressive than the subject demands. At times, the sparse tone works in Goldstein’s favor, giving the authorial voice a touch of Bukowski, but other times the simplicity is less evocative.

As a whole, Moe Fields is compelling for its brutal honesty – about family, resilience, and accepting the scars of a well-fought life – and reveals Stuart Z. Goldstein to be an astute and passionate family historian.