The Art of Fielding

Set on a small college campus, this book explores personal relationships and the human spirit through the story of Henry Skrimshander as he navigates his way from high school ballplayer to college baseball phenom with life throwing him and his friends curveball after curveball along the way. As a former high school and college player, I could very much relate to this book, which evokes the unique ethos of small college life. The story and characters are memorable, but it is Harbach’s creation of a time and place that really moved me. A literary masterpiece.

One, baseball is my favorite sport. I will also argue until my dying day that baseball is romantic and filled with the kind of drama one might only find in a duel at dawn. The pressure on each individual player, the team, the superstitions carried out faithfully by the fans—baseball is the purest of them all. This book is pure joy and readers, as well as baseball fans, will identify with young college shortstop Henry Skrimshander as he dreams big on the field and learns the hard lessons of life as a young adult. It’s coming-of-age perfection.