A thoroughly entertaining exploration of baseball as a font of meaning.
Virtue, courage, beauty, justice—it’s all there on the baseball diamond, according to Sheppard’s lyrical paean to America’s enduring pastime.
In Homer’s Odyssey, the mighty Odysseus returns home from the Trojan War after vanquishing his foes only to find his wife Penelope surrounded by a bunch of pesky suitors bugging her to finally forget him and marry one of them. Definitely not one to shrink from a challenge, Odysseus (in disguise) proceeds to win the hand of his beloved by executing an incredible display of athletic prowess and virtuosity that immediately awes Ithaca’s populace. In the author’s careful estimation, this is the very same kind of excellence baseball legends like Willie Mays, Carlton Fisk, and Andre Dawson once exemplified in ballparks and stadiums all across the country. “Baseball can help us recover this essential sense of excellence. Every ball game tells once more the ancient story about virtue and victory that modern folk can witness with their own eyes,” Sheppard observes. A close examination of the Chicago Cubs’ remarkably dramatic 2016 World Series Championship win yields further authentic insights into baseball’s revelatory power to lay bare the human condition: “Even as we come to credit the truth of our victory, we still ask, what does it mean?” the author muses. Such lofty sentiments might strike some as being overly romanticized if they were not accompanied by Sheppard’s earnest and very personal reflections on what the game of baseball has always meant to him. He shares this love of the game (and of the Chicago Cubs in particular) with daughter Cecilia as she grows, and their dynamic is enough to hook any reader—whether they understand what made Nolan Ryan such an intimidating force on the mound or not. “I have cultivated a connoisseurship of the game and indulged in a fanatical passion for the Cubs,” the unabashed author confesses. “I have given baseball the same quality of attention that priests give to scripture, that Buddhist monks give to sutras, that the ancient philosophers gave to Homer’s epic poems.” Sheppard may have long ago given up his Catholic conception of God, but he still worships the game of baseball.
A thoroughly entertaining exploration of baseball as a font of meaning.Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9798886453041
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
“Protect your passion,” writes an NBA star in this winning exploration of how we can succeed in life.
A future basketball Hall of Famer’s rosy outlook.
Curry is that rare athlete who looks like he gets joy from what he does. There’s no doubt that the Golden State Warriors point guard is a competitor—he’s led his team to four championships—but he plays the game with nonchalance and exuberance. That ease, he says, “only comes from discipline.” He practices hard enough—he’s altered the sport by mastering the three-point shot—so that he achieves a “kind of freedom.” In that “flow state,” he says, “I can let joy and creativity take over. I block out all distractions, even the person guarding me. He can wave his arms and call me every name in the book, but I just smile and wait as the solution to the problem—how to get the ball into the basket—presents itself.” Curry shares this approach to his craft in a stylish collection that mixes life lessons with sharp photographs and archival images. His dad, Dell, played in the NBA for 16 years, and Curry learned much from his father and mother: “My parents were extremely strict about me and my little brother Seth not going to my pops’s games on school nights.” Curry’s mother, Sonya, who founded the Montessori elementary school that Curry attended in North Carolina, emphasized the importance not just of learning but of playing. Her influence helped Curry and his wife, Ayesha, create a nonprofit foundation: Eat. Learn. Play. He writes that “making reading fun is the key to unlocking a kid’s ability to be successful in their academic journeys.” The book also has valuable pointers for ballers—and those hoping to hit the court. “Plant those arches—knees bent behind those 10 toes pointing at the hoop, hips squared with your shoulders—and draw your power up so you explode off the ground and rise into your shot.” Sounds easy, right?
“Protect your passion,” writes an NBA star in this winning exploration of how we can succeed in life.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780593597293
Page Count: 432
Publisher: One World/Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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