Praying for Base Hits: An American Boyhood

by Bruce Clayton

Book Overview

Praying for Base Hits: An American Boyhood follows a young man's bittersweet experiences from youth to adulthood. Bruce Clayton gives readers more than a chronicle of his growing-up years in Kansas City, Missouri; this narrative taps the commonalities of the fifties and conveys the innocence, simplicity, and na vet of the era.

Shifting from impish boyhood escapades to persistent family tensions and back again, Praying for Base...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826211895
• ISBN13: 9780826211897
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: University of Missouri Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

I did not grow up in the 1950's (1970's/80's) nor did I grow up in Kansas City, although I lived there for two years. I randomly picked up this book and thought it was excellent. I don't think you need to have any connection to Kansas City or grow up in the time period covered to enjoy this book. I still read it every now and then; it is very good.

I know it's mostly true. I Iived nearby.

Once I began the book I never put it down. Bruce lived five blocks away from me in the same era. I especially remember Shortcake and Roy Beatty. They were friends of mine too. Bruce's recollection of Frank's restaurant was poignant although I didn't remember the dirt, just the heavenly(?) taste of a tenderloin sandwich. As to Old man Pierce, I too was chased from the premises, albeit not for the same reasons. My home was across from Scarrit grade school. Bruce no doubt played baseball there too. I do remember Lykins Square where we played the kids from "south of Independence Avenue" on many occasion, probably losing more than we won. This was a great step back to my own childhood. NE grad 1954.

An excellent memoir about the beauty of baseball and life

This memoir of growing up in Kansas City in the 1950s is much more than nostalgia. It is an evocation of the importance of baseball in a young person's life, the ambitions of youth, and the impact of family, friends and neighbors. The characters are wonderful, and the whole book is beautifully written. It's a good read, humorous and poignant.