Scan barcode
hjpixx's review
5.0
I did not think I would be giving a memoir 5 stars. But once again, Wade Rouse, and his emotional writing hit close to home and hit me with all the feels. Baseball, caring for an elderly parent, complicated relationships with parents, politics, family, and love....I'm right there with you Wade. Thanks for this read, so timely in my life.
mandyc1977's review
5.0
My family doesn't love when I read books like this and by books like this I mean nooks that cause me to sigh, exclaim, saw AWWW, read portions out loud to them and, with a final clasp to the chest, cry at the end.
I loved this book. I loved the graciousness with which Wade Rouse writes his story. I loved meeting his family members and his now husband. I love how right when I'm horrified by a story, I'll laugh out loud at the next.
I'm not a baseball fan but I know what it's like to love a sport and to share that with someone you love. You don't have to be a fan of baseball to appreciate the innings and the way the chapters were written.
Highly recommend this book. Simply loved this author and his writing and most especially his story.
I loved this book. I loved the graciousness with which Wade Rouse writes his story. I loved meeting his family members and his now husband. I love how right when I'm horrified by a story, I'll laugh out loud at the next.
I'm not a baseball fan but I know what it's like to love a sport and to share that with someone you love. You don't have to be a fan of baseball to appreciate the innings and the way the chapters were written.
Highly recommend this book. Simply loved this author and his writing and most especially his story.
sarahmkennedy32109's review
4.0
Missouri—What an absolutely beautiful book. Again, never in a million years would I have picked this up. But gosh I’m glad I did.
.
This is Wade Rouse’s memoir of his life with his father, a larger than life man of the Ozarks. Wade is gay. And growing up with a father who did not at all support him left many many wounds that he’s unpacked and healed from over the years. The one thing that did bring them together was baseball, specifically the St Louis Cardinals. Wade began watching games with his dad early in life to try and find a way to connect with this man who’s approval he so desperately wanted. Now it’s the end of his dads life and he needs full time care. As Wade cares for his dad and they watch yet another season of baseball together some wonderful moments occur.
.
The way he weaves the past and present, baseball and relationships all together throughout this memoir are just beautiful.
.
“You will likely ask why I stuck by my father. So I ask you this: why do you stick by your favorite team, season after miserable season? It’s because, no matter how pessimistic we’ve grown, no matter what we’ve long endured, we always believe that a miracle can happen, that a magical season will occur and obliterate all the bad memories that came before. A true fan believes in his heart that even a terrible team can turn into a great one.”
.
This is Wade Rouse’s memoir of his life with his father, a larger than life man of the Ozarks. Wade is gay. And growing up with a father who did not at all support him left many many wounds that he’s unpacked and healed from over the years. The one thing that did bring them together was baseball, specifically the St Louis Cardinals. Wade began watching games with his dad early in life to try and find a way to connect with this man who’s approval he so desperately wanted. Now it’s the end of his dads life and he needs full time care. As Wade cares for his dad and they watch yet another season of baseball together some wonderful moments occur.
.
The way he weaves the past and present, baseball and relationships all together throughout this memoir are just beautiful.
.
“You will likely ask why I stuck by my father. So I ask you this: why do you stick by your favorite team, season after miserable season? It’s because, no matter how pessimistic we’ve grown, no matter what we’ve long endured, we always believe that a miracle can happen, that a magical season will occur and obliterate all the bad memories that came before. A true fan believes in his heart that even a terrible team can turn into a great one.”
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I guarantee that I would never have picked this book up on my own because baseball is not my preferred reading topic and I don't know much about it. BUT two things pushed me to read it: 1) this was the May 2023 pick for the Mom Advice Summer Book Club and 2) I finally realized that Wade Rouse is the author behind [a:Viola Shipman|14056193|Viola Shipman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1681334831p2/14056193.jpg] - he writes absolutely wonderful women's fiction under his grandmother's name. I ended up really enjoying this memoir of a father-son relationship that perseveres despite some pretty tough stuff including a lot of homophobia from Rouse's father. I will be adding this to my list of "books for dads" in the near future!
Source: public library print
Source: public library print
leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, and Death of parent