Jimmy Breslin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist and author renowned for his incisive writing and focus on the lives of ordinary people. His career spanned decades, during which he penned numerous novels and columns for prominent New York City newspapers, including Newsday. One of his most famous columns, published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, poignantly highlighted the grave digger who prepared the president's burial site—a testament to Breslin's ability to humanize major events through the lens of everyday individuals.
Breslin's writing style was characterized by its gritty realism and sharp wit, often shedding light on the struggles and triumphs of working-class New Yorkers. His columns and books frequently explored themes of urban life, crime, and politics, earning him a reputation as a voice for the underrepresented. Beyond journalism, he authored several novels, further cementing his legacy as a storyteller who captured the essence of city life. His work remained influential until his retirement in 2004, leaving behind a body of work that continues to resonate with readers.
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
1971
2
World Without End, Amen
1973
3
.44 / Son of Sam (With: Dick Schaap)
1978
4
Forsaking All Others / Kill The Bull!
1982
5
He Got Hungry And Forgot His Manners
1988
6
I Don't Want to Go to Jail
2001
Non-Fiction Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Sunny Jim
1962
2
Can\'t Anybody Here Play This Game?
1963
3
How the Good Guys Finally Won
1976
4
The World According to Breslin
1984
5
Table Money
1986
6
Damon Runyon
1991
7
I Want to Thank My Brain for Remembering Me
1996
8
The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutiérrez
2002
9
The Church That Forgot Christ
2004
10
The Good Rat: A True Story
2009
11
The World of Jimmy Breslin
2012
Penguin Lives Books
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Abraham Lincoln (By: Thomas Keneally)
1960
2
Mao Zedong: A Life (By: Jonathan D. Spence)
1999
3
Mozart: A Life (By: Peter Gay)
1999
4
Marcel Proust (By: Edmund White)
1999
5
Crazy Horse (By: Larry McMurtry)
1999
6
Saint Augustine (By: Garry Wills)
1999
7
James Joyce (By: Edna O'Brien)
1999
8
Rosa Parks (By: Douglas Brinkley)
2000
9
Virginia Woolf (By: Nigel Nicolson)
2000
10
Woodrow Wilson (By: Louis Auchincloss)
2000
11
Herman Melville (By: Elizabeth Hardwick)
2000
12
Leonardo da Vinci: A Life (By: Sherwin B. Nuland)
2000
13
Dante (By: R.W.B. Lewis)
2001
14
Jane Austen: A Life (By: Carol Shields)
2001
15
Buddha (By: Karen Armstrong)
2001
16
Simone Weil (By: Francine du Plessix Gray)
2001
17
Andy Warhol: A Biography (By: Wayne Koestenbaum)
2001
18
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life (By: Marshall Frady)
2001
19
Joseph Smith (By: Robert V. Remini)
2002
20
Winston Churchill: A Life (By: John Keegan)
2002
21
Pope John XXIII (By: Thomas Cahill)
2002
22
Charles Dickens (By: Jane Smiley)
2002
23
Elvis Presley (By: Bobbie Ann Mason)
2002
24
Saint Therese of Lisieux (By: Kathryn Harrison)
2003
25
Robert E. Lee (By: Roy Blount Jr.)
2003
26
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Life (By: Ada Louise Huxtable)