Customer Reviews

Perfect, Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me

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I loved, loved, loved this book! I read it in one day, breaking only for dinner - which is a rare thing for me. Hoose's childhood baseball memories jibed with my own in so many ways - and as a reviewer noted above, without resorting to cliches. I may have been a girl born a decade later than the author, but I could relate completely in my own love for the game. (There was a bonus waiting for me in the appearance of his daughters later in the book, much to my delight. It has to do with my own favorite team, and a little bit of irony that followers of that team esp. can appreciate.)

This true story could have written itself, it's got so many great elements, but thankfully for us, Hoose is a gifted writer with a unique and engaging voice that he employs to personalize one of the greatest baseball stories ever - Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Hoose interweaves his "Christmas Story"-like Indiana childhood with his discovery of and all-consuming passion for baseball - which reaches fever pitch when his parents drop a bombshell on him one day - that he's related to N.Y. Yankee Don Larsen - his cousin "once removed" - one year before Larsen's perfect game.

How many people get to revel in the reflected glory of a cousin's immortal baseball achievement at the age when that matters so much? The answer is one, and luckily for us, he lets us in on the experience.

Unlike one of the above reviewers who thought the book bogged down with the story as seen from his recent adult years, I have to say I loved that part, too - it's absolutely amazing in this day of endless replays that no full visual record of Larsen's game exists, and it's quite poignant when Hoose goes in search of one. His ultimate piecing together of the game itself, via the audiotapes left to history, is priceless, and his story of a recent visit to Larsen is, as with the rest of the book, so human. He also offers an inside take on Larsen the man that's unavailable to the average baseball fan - and the average writer, for that matter.

Also, anyone who loves baseball and yet sometimes tires of the Bill Jamesian analyses of the game these days should be able to appreciate the magic of Larsen's feat, which nothing that came before could have predicted. (If James is your thing, go for it - but I suspect any statistician would cry, "The sampling's too small!") Actually, the sharpest, most wizened old scout couldn't possibly have fared any better - Larsen and that game simply came out of nowhere to stand alongside other larger-than-life baseball moments like Ruth's called shot, Gehrig's farewell speech, Willie Mays' "The Catch" and Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World."

As Hoose's beloved Sporting News might have said, the book's a true four-bagger that rockets out of the park - and lands right in the reader's heart. The baseball gods are most surely applauding.

Phillip Hoose remembers just about everything about growing up in Speedway, Indiana, during the height of the 1950s. In fact the clarity of his recollection is suspiciously clear, unless he remembers every schoolyard insult with Sony Trinitron transparency. But I think creative nonfiction has reached a point where we give our authors a lot of rope, and let them make up dozens of re-imagined conversations without doubting the substance overmuch. In young Hoose's case, he was a chubby little bespectacled kid with a passion for baseball that didn't cut him much ice when his father's job caused the family to movie to Speedway. But his stock rose dramatically when his dad revealed that Don Larsen, the Yankees pitcher, was a first cousin.

Larsen was an unlikely hero in many ways, for his record was wildly erratic and he lost as many games than he won, but evidently he inspired a lot of affection among the Yankees of the day, a powerhouse club that employed Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, many other legends. And when little Phillip got to go to Chicago and meet the Yankees in person after a game, his stock at school rose even higher, especially when he showed off the autograph of Mickey Mantle himself. Mantle comes across as a morose, grumpy, almost malicious outlaw, whom his teammates treated with kid gloves. Very unpleasant! I guess this eventually led to the crisis in American masculinity as boys were trained to emulate Mantle's sporting prowess but there wasn't very much left over to admire: his sullen art--his undisclosed anger--his drinking to escape or whatever. In contrast, Don Larsen, still alive as he approaches 80, seems veery much a man of the people.

Then as Phillip follows the 1956 world series, a subway series between Brooklyn and the Bronx, an astonishing thing happens and Don Larsen pitches his famous "perfect game." There had been "perfect games" before and since, but Hoose convincingly argues that, in terms of importance and in terms of the batters faced, the October 8, 1956 game was far and away the "most perfect."

It's a book to bring tears to the eyes of anyone who loves baseball. And even if you don't love the game, you'll love Phillip, his family, his town and his cousin "once removed."

Perfect, Once Removed, by Phillip Hoose is a delightful book, both because of what it is, and what it's not, and because it far transcends being just another book about baseball.

Given its premise, it could easily have been a self-indulgent descent into banal baby-boomer nostalgia. To his credit, Hoose steers well clear of that, and in doing so he tells the story - his story - in a manner that's far more meaningful than a trite trip down memory lane.

The plot is simple and straightforward. Better still, it's entirely true. A very young boy (a geek for the most part, but interesting and likable nonetheless) moves to Speedway, Indiana - just outside of Indianapolis - in early 1956 and tries to fit in as best he can. He latches onto baseball as a "raison d'ętre," but (given his rather "bookish bent") he enjoys less than limited success on the playing field. Nevertheless, he doesn't give up, and although he's unable to manage even one base hit in his entire first season of organized baseball, he becomes a virtual encyclopedia of baseball knowledge by immersing himself in the baseball periodicals of the day.

As the story unfolds, Hoose - with no apparent plan or design - uses baseball to connect with the immediate world around him. Then, like finding a $100 bill on the sidewalk, he discovers that he's connected (by blood, no less) to a starting pitcher for the legendary New York Yankees. Don Larsen (the Don Larsen) is his cousin, albeit once removed. That - in turn - connects him to a world far beyond grade school in mid 20th century middle-class middle America - a world of glory, glamour, fame and celebrity. And as if that weren't enough, cousin Don proceeds to pull off a feat that connects him, and everyone who feels a connection with baseball, with something singularly historic, epic, extraordinary and grand: He pitches the one and only "perfect game" in the history of the World Series against the fabled Brooklyn Dodgers. Thus, heaven becomes manifest for the young Mr. Hoose.

Like they say, you can't make up stuff like this.

It's hard not to love this unpretentious little book because it succeeds so well on so many different levels, but the best part is its spiritual underpinnings: Without being obvious or heavy-handed in doing so, it makes you think about and appreciate the connections that we all have to our childhood, our families and friends, and how we are all connected to where and when we grew up and all the countless things that have happened to us over the course of time, and all the people whose paths we have crossed.

All told, this is a great book - pure and simple - because it's a terrific story, well told. At the same time, there is no way to read it without connecting to your personal sense of your own past, who you are and how you are connected to the world around you in countless ways, big and small, whether you're young with virtually all of your future before you, waiting to happen, like the book's young and innocent protagonist, or you're not so young with a catalogue of memories connected to all the people, places and things that constitute the sum total of your life and make you who you are.

Phil Hoose has captured perfectly the memories of a awkward young boy in Indiana in the 1950s stuggling for acceptance in a new school. This small book skillfully weaves the story of baseball's grip on Hoose's young imagination together with the unique setting of Speedway, Indiana. It tells the story of how the game of baseball became his ticket to self-awareness, acceptance and personal identity.
The major development is the discovery that he is directly related to the famous Yankee pitcher, Don Larsen. One can only imagine the impact this must have had on a young man already obsessed with the world of baseball. His description of how he learns of his relationship with Don Larsen and Larsen's subsequent interest in Hoose's budding baseball career is truly magical. Especially gripping is how he describes the building tension among the announcers and fans of the actual game, inning by inning, in which Don Larsen tossed his no-hitter in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
I fully enjoyed this book from beginning to end and found it well-paced with a developing story line that made it impossible to put down.

Phillip Hoose has written a nicely crafted story of life in 1956 through his eyes as a nine year old boy. Anyone who ever felt like an awkward kid looking for peer acceptance will love this story of moving to a new town, finding out you are related to a famous baseball player, and basking in the glory of that relative's record setting performance in the 1956 World Series. Hoose's ability to paint a word picture ranks with Bill Bryson's colorful descriptions. Excellent reading guaranteed to provoke childhood memories.

With ease and skill, Phillip Hoose recalls his childhood days when baseball ruled his world, consuming his thoughts during the school day, and consuming his play time at night. Hoose chronicles his childhood, from his family's move to the center of the racing world, Speedway, Indiana to his discovery of the great game of baseball, to his relationship with distant cousin Don Larsen, a Yankee great.

The book is an exceptional tale of baseball, and the effect it truly has on so many of our nation's youth. From his intense, yet usually fruitless baseball practice sessions to his late night attempts at finding a signal for a baseball game, Hoose adds a personal touch to the greatest game in the world. His personal touch, then, is what makes this book so special. In an age where baseball is struggling to keep a clean image, amidst steroid use and huge salary contracts, Hoose takes the reader back to the magic of the game. Hoose accomplishes what all good books should do, he transports us into another time, and another place: our youth, and our neighborhood. He reminds us, the kid in us, the joy it felt to first pick up a ball and bat, and the disappointment we felt when we lost our neighborhood pick-up game.

A refreshing and inspirational tale, Hoose's book should not be missed by even the casual baseball fan. Hoose's writing establishes a deep connection between baseball and life, and lessons which each can learn from the other. His tale is one of up's and downs, triumphs and heartaches. Through it all, however, Hoose maintains a sense of hope for life and a sense of love for the game. This hope is what propelled so many of our own baseball dreams, and it is what helps make Hoose's book a truly wonderful read.

I enjoyed this look back at Phillip Hoose's youth, especially his vivid stories of struggling to learn the game of baseball. It brought back lots of positive memories of my days as a boy. Most importantly, I connected with Phil's yearning to get better and his real relationship with a professional pitcher for the New York Yankees. Boys will relate to Phil's struggle to gain respect amongst his peers and his honest appraisal of his talents. There's also a great message here for adults and children alike: don't give up on something just because you're not as good as your peers or the pros. Just enjoy the game at your level. Incidentally, I'm a big fan of Phil Hoose's other books, such as "We Were There, Too!", a U.S. history book describing the heroic efforts of children in our nation's past.

This book is the baseball equivalent of the Jean Shepherd short story, "The Christmas Story," that has become a holiday classic movie. The Indiana of the 1940's that is the scene of Shepherd's work is little changed a decade later for young Hoose. This has the potential to become the same kind of long-lasting work of art, a similarly nostalgic pastorale, so clearly and strongly evoking the memories and emotions of 1950's mid-western baseball boyhood.

If ESPN is looking for its next screenplay; here it is!

I am no writer, much less a reviewer. I'm just a fellow who grew up in the 1950's who learned to love the game of baseball just as Phil Hoose did, although I never had a famous major league cousin!

This fine work, clearly and with great emotion, captures many of the same feelings that we all experienced as we learned the game. I remember throwing a rubber ball against the cinderblock wall of my house. I remember making "miraculous" catches that ended "the big game". And Hoose's book brought all of those wonderful and sometimes painful memories back to me.

I can only imagine how exciting it was for him to be "vindicated" through his cousin, Don Larsen. How tremendous it must have been for him to have all the school kids and neighbor kids share the excitement through Phil of his cousin's great pitching accomplisment. What a thrill!

My thrill was reading this book and re-living many of the same kinds of youthful experiences. An honest and earnest THANK YOU to Phil Hoose for writing this book and allowing those of us who learned to truly love the game of baseball to share in his growing up!

Everybody knows somebody like Phil. Somebody who knows who made the last out in the 1962 World Series. Somebody who has been reading the Sporting News since he was six. Somebody whose life revolves around baseball like the earth rotates unfailingly around its axis.

Phil Hoose was one of those kids who, against all odds, fell for baseball. Baseball in all its facets. Its statistics, its pageantry, its paraphernalia, and its players. You can replace Phil's name with the name of the people you know who are like this.

Phil had glass-block-thick spectacles, thread-like arms, twiggy legs and no coordination (okay, he was eight years old at the time). Phil also had for baseball the drive, determination, and passion enough to light the moon. Then Phil became a writer. Eventually he would have to write about baseball, and Perfect, Once Removed is his serenade to his first love.

It's almost as if baseball grabbed Phil by the lapels, leaned his face in a little too close, and hissed through his bubblegum, "We're in it for life, kid, you and me."

There is a story line (true) about Phil first discovering baseball, then discovering to his amazement that his cousin (once removed) is New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen, the only pitcher to hurl a perfect game in world series history. Start interweaving the connections here and enjoy the story.

If you love baseball, or can remember back to your early days when you did, you will read this book like looking in the mirror. Or you will see that kid you know, who devoured the Sporting News the very day it arrived in the mail, who wore out everybody in a 50-mile radius on playing catch, who wore out his mitt.

So, who was it who made the last out in the 1962 World Series (was it Willie McCovey smoking a line drive to second basemen Bobby Thompson, who snow-coned it?). Phil would know.