Tomasz Bogdan Bogdan itibaren Gazirat Bahrif, Qism Aswan, Aswan Governorate, Mısır itibaren Gazirat Bahrif, Qism Aswan, Aswan Governorate, Mısır

Who doesn't love a book about shoes and relationships!

I learned from this book that there is always room for interpretation in the scriptures, especially when privy to some of the rough drafts! Biff is an unlikely hero as the side-kick of "Josh", aka Jesus, during his childhood and adolescent years omitted by the Bible. (After reading it, you'll know why they left things out!) In addition to learning a lot of Christ's culture and the time in which he lived, it's friggin' hilarious. Most impressive is Moore's ability to poke fun at the conventional ideas of Christianity, while still allowing Josh to remain without fault and yet completely human: just let the always irreverent Biff do the sinning instead.

This is a book about baseball. But this is also a book about much more than baseball. Henry Skrimshander is an up-and-coming shortstop. Mike Schwartz is team captain of the baseball team at Westish College. He recruits Henry, who finds a whole world opening to him as a college boy. The story also focuses on Owen Dunne, Henry's new roommate, gay, and finding himself in a doomed relationship; Guert Affenlight, president of the college, caught up in a surprising love affair; and his daughter, Pella, returned home after a failed marriage and searching for a new direction. When a tragic accident happens on the baseball diamond, the lives of all these characters will be changed forever. This book was wonderful. One of the reasons this book particularly appealed to me was that Henry reminded me a lot of Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox player. I couldn't get him out of my mind while reading Henry's story. But, that's not the reason I liked this book so much. It's just incredibly well done. Harbach has an amazing talent for telling a story. This book flourishes over its 500 pages and I loved every minute I spent reading it. I think a couple of quotes best capture the spirit of this novel. "...'Me, I hearken back to a simpler time.' Schwartz patted his thick, sturdy midriff. 'A time when a hairy back meant something.' 'Profound loneliness?' Starblind offered. 'Warmth. Survival. Evolutionary advantage. Back then, a man's wife and children would burrow into his back hair and wait out the winter. Nymphs would braid it and praise it in song. God's wrath waxed hot against the hairless tribes. Now all that's forgotten. But I'll tell you one thing: when the next ice age comes, the Schwartzes will be sitting pretty. Real pretty.'" (p. 29 of review copy) And, in contrast: "Deep down, he thought, we all believe we're God. We each secretly believe that the outcome of the game depends on us, even when we're only watching - on the way we breathe in, the way we breathe out, the t-shirt we wear, whether we close our eyes as the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand and heads toward Schwartz. Swing and a miss, strike one. Each of us, deep down, believes that the whole world issues from his own precious body, like images projected from a tiny slide onto an earth-sized screen. And then, deeper down, each of us knows we're wrong." These quotes epitomize the novel for me - at times, hilarious - at other times, heartbreaking and breathtaking. I hope this book is a huge hit - it deserves it. Can't wait to see more from Harbach. Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.