Hitting into the Wind: Stories [Paperback]

Bill Meissner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 087074416X | ISBN-13: 978-0870744167 | Publication Date: February 1, 1997

A collection of stories about baseball contains the tale of a minor league player who fears that he will never make it, an umpire experiencing marital problems, and a man who collects old baseballs. 20,000 first printing.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All of the 30 stories in this fine first collection by poet Meissner ( Learning to Breathe Underwater ) boast a baseball underpinning. As is the case in the best sports fiction, the game is usually a pretext for an examination of deeper issues and emotions. Most of these tales, few of them longer than 10 pages, are about the ways in which the game brings people together or drives them apart. A minor-league umpire, unable to deal with his emotions, finds his embittered wife drifting away from him in "Things Are Always So Close." Another variation on the theme, "What About the World," records the frustration of the wife of a middle-aged man who is obsessed with the game; she finally leaves him. In "Ancient Fires," the strongest offering in the book, playing catch becomes a vehicle for exploring the distance between a father and his son. Conversely, in "Baseball, Fathers and Dreams" the memory of the time an eight-year-old boy caught a foul ball serves as a poignant link among three generations of a family. For Meissner, baseball is a bulwark against change, against the painful, even tragic evanescence of life itself. The best stories in this collection express that feeling with great tenderness. Several others are little more than prose poems, evocations of the green geometry of the sport; a few are quite slight. At his best, Meissner's slightly out-of-kilter couples are reminiscent of Raymond Carver's.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Meissner's series of short stories and vignettes has baseball as the common element. One story concerns young boys who pick on a classmate because he can't hit or field; another is about a man who hits baseballs every night until his wife leaves him; another attempts to translate the secret language of baseball caps. There's also a poignant note to the wives of more than 30 baseball players and an ode to Hank Aaron. Meissner, an award-winning fiction writer, has a feel for both baseball's appeal and the people to whom it appeals. There's a little kid in every baseball fan, and that little fella (or gal) can appear at the most unlikely times and in the most unexpected places. Meissner's stories showcase a few of those times and places, some in routine occurrences, others lurking between the cracks of everyday reality. Perhaps the highlight is the story about a father and son who decide to unwind an old baseball found at the edge of a field. What if there's nothing inside? A lovely book. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Southern Methodist University Press (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087074416X
• ISBN-13: 978-0870744167
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,119,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories, March 26, 1999

By 

James P. Hughes (Genoa, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitting into the Wind: Stories (Paperback)

As a big fan of WP Kinsella, I was anxious to read these stories and they did not disappoint. Bill Meissner has used baseball as a theme in his stories but they are about much more than the great game. Bill is a great story teller in the way he develops the characters and makes you care about what will happen to them in end. These stories are filled with everyday life decisions and situations that we all can relate to. You do not have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Mr. Meissner's writing. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book, read it this summer out in yard. If you are a baseball fan than you can read it while listening to your favorite team on the radio.

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you're not a huge baseball fan..., January 31, 2008

By 

Jared Richardson "J-Rod" (St. Cloud, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitting into the Wind: Stories (Paperback)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not really a sports fan, but this book is about much more than baseball. The themes of fathers & sons, the assassination of JFK, and others make this a worthy read of anyone who enjoys short fiction. Kurt Vonnegut called Meissner "A storyteller with remarkable gifts," and he couldn't have been closer to the truth--Meissner's got a knack with his storytelling-techniques. If you like this one, make sure to check out his newest short story book, "The Road to Cosmos" and also his soon-to-be-released novel, "Spirits in the Grass."

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Writing and Baseball go hand in hand....., September 8, 2006

By 

A. Patterson "ondyp" (Crystal, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitting into the Wind (Hardcover)

Bill Meissner was my English advisor in college almost 10 years ago. He had mentioned he wrote this book and I picked it up out of curiosity. The stories are wonderful and so vivid. Every now and then I pick the book up and read aloud a story to my husband.