Dirk Hayhurst. The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp., 2010, 340 pp., $14.95 (cover price). ISBN 978-0-8065-3143-3
There's no sense burying the lead, so I'll get right to the point: I loved this book; I think you'll love it too.
I always enjoy a good locker-room story. This book has plenty of them, and they're quite creatively told. Hayhurst does a nice job of relating all these hilarious hijinks without selling out or disrespecting his teammates. It has a lot of good fun.
In addition to all the craziness, Hayhurst lets readers inside his dark corners. He stirringly reveals his uncertainties and inner struggles. His battles with his personal demons are profoundly moving and inspirational. Maybe not cancer-survivor inspirational, but certainly self-doubt-survivor inspirational, which, actually, is easier to relate to.
Just so you're aware: like I said, there are plenty of great locker-room stories, and with locker-room stories, you get locker-room language. If you're sensitive to that kind of thing, well, proceed with care.
I can't recommend this book enough. It has the added benefit of having nice short chapters, so, if you're busy, it's still an easy book to read. But, it's so much fun, and it's so well written, you won't want to put it down. Grade: A+
2 comments:
Dirk is a great follow on twitter @theGarfoose
I totally agree with your review. I picked it up a month or two ago and read it cover to cover in just a couple of days. Couldn't put it down. I like that he thought enough about his team mates to change their names for the purpose of his stories so he wouldn't cause anyone any grief by writing the book. Seems like a good guy.
Post a Comment