Customer Reviews

Through Hope and Despair: A Fan's Memories of the Chicago White Sox 1967-1997

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Being a lifetime Sox fan, I can remember the late 70's chi-sox until the present. With that said, I had no real recollection of the first few years (chapters) covered in the book. The rest of the book brought back many wonderful (and some not so wonderful) memories for me. This book is a must for any White Sox fan who would like a reminder of the good (and not so good) things that have happened to our beloved Sox.

If Glum the Lilliputian from the animated adventures of Gulliver (featured in the syndicated run of the Banana Splits) was a White Sox historian, he could have well written Through Hope and Despair.

Don't get me wrong, I really Enjoyed Dan Helpingstine's fine tome. It struck me as both fanciful and morose. Each chapter has its share of nostalgia, angst, bitterness, and a fair share of both Cub bashing and disdain for White Sox management (particularly the current ownwership). It is in short written by a well informed, gifted, albeit prototypical White Sox fan.

I am, by way of comparison, an atypical White Sox fan. I was born and raised a Cub fan and as a result have no hatred for the Boys in blue. I made the switch in the Dick Allen Bill Melton era of my youth and never turned back. Yes, I am that, the rarest of all specimens, the optimistic White Sox fan.

I loved all the great information in Mr. Helpingstine's book. It is just hard for me to be bittersweet about the past. I am among my most happy when with loved ones rooting for my Sox! Hopefully the Sox will win it all in 2005 and Helpingstine's despair will be replaced by celebration!

"Through Hope and Despair"? Shouldn't that title be reserved for a book about the civil rights movement, or a survivor's struggle with AIDS? It's a bit hyperbolic to use in the context of this story about the Chicago White Sox's perennial woes -- but since no one else claimed the title first, I guess it's Helpingstine's to use as he sees fit. I love the White Sox, passionately, and so I'm partial to any book about the team. Even one which is written in the meandering, "first draft" kind of way which this one is. There are typos, there is flat prose. There is nothing special to remember this book by except that it is one passionate fan's reportage about a team that gets too little credit and attention in the baseball world, but one which stole my heart as a young kid and still clutches it for dear life. Thanks, Dan Helpingstine! I enjoyed your book just fine, warts and all.

it was my pleasure to read this book which is an education in itself for sox fans all over the world. dan's insightfullness into the history of an infamous group of ball players give the real and true ideals of the game of baseball. his ability to tell the truth and not sugar coat failures and successes is refreshing. anyone who has ever been a fan has to read this book in order to truly know what the real deal is realy about. in closing, only dan helpingstine can give this wonderful experience.

Let me start out by saying that there is no other team in sports that I hold in the same regard as the White Sox. I am a passionate White Sox fan. I was excited to find a book on my team, particularly from the fan's point of view. Dan Helpingstine has his finger on the pulse of White Sox fans. He understands the pain of White Sox fans. Even better than any media source has been able to state, he understands why these are the most bitter and apathetic fans in baseball and perhaps sports as a whole. In a city full of losing teams, no fan has been walked on more than White Sox fans.

Dan Helpingstine begins the book with a history of the White Sox through his eyes from the 1967 through the 1997 seasons. I particularly enjoyed reading about the 1977 and 1983 teams. While the chapters about the seasons are informative and well researched, I only regret that they could not be more thorough. On the other hand, some of those seasons really need not be visited again. Helpingstine finishes the book with a look to the future and a look at the eroding fan base. In his look at the eroding fan base, he could not be more accurate in listing poor decisions by ownership, a history of late season failure, and a media that is critical of Sox fans as the problem. The one solution to the problems is a consistent winner/playoff team and a World Series Championship. Go White Sox!