The Southpaw

Rating:
Summary: Excellent - the first of four Henry Wiggin books.
Review: This is the first of the Henry Wiggin stories. The most famous being Bang the Drum Slowly. I have not before read any of these stories, but I will now make it a point of reading the other three.

The story reads like an autobiography of a rookie pitcher in his first season with the New York team. This style predates the several nonfiction books of athletes writing about a season in their career. Although the time period is several decades ago, the material is still relevant for any true baseball fan.

The main character is shown through his writings as developing from a single minded adolescent into a maturing adult. The story is especially good in having two strong females who are not stereotypical characters. The supporting characters are believable and fun in a Damon Runyon like way. I strongly recommend this book as an example of sports fiction at its best.