jwheatley's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a short read. Not being huge into baseball it definitely was something I had to reread sometimes. But overall it was simply, but beautifully written. Simon never disappoints.
writesdave's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The 2016 Cubs book I wish I'd written. Maybe I should've written it as a Cubs fan who has never lived in Chicago (Thanks, WGN!). Oh well. Gotta strike while the iron's hot, which Simon did here.
justjoshinreads's review
4.0
I am a long-time fan of Scott Simon from NPR, and a longer-time fan of the Cubs. I thoroughly enjoyed and related to this book. Unlike Simon, I did not grow up in Chicago, I was one of the cadre of devoted out-of-state fans who learned to love the Cubs because they were always on WGN. Like Simon, however, I lived and died by the box scores, and started every season saying, "This year is our year!" — despite the Cubs propensity to mathematically eliminate themselves from the playoffs by mid-August.
It was easy in 2016 to be a Cubs fan, the season was magical. But for those of us who bled Cubbie Blue in the 1909-2015 era, Simon captures what it was like to be one of us. I won't lie, this book had me in tears more than once remembering the feelings of bygone players, close-but-not-quite seasons and that amazing season, the parade, the signs and messages to Cubs-fans-past who didn't live to see the day and President Obama greeting the team at the White House as his last public event in office.
If you're like me and have spent your life waiting and hoping and finally got to see it really happen, you will enjoy this book. It's well-written, personal, touching and heartfelt.
It was easy in 2016 to be a Cubs fan, the season was magical. But for those of us who bled Cubbie Blue in the 1909-2015 era, Simon captures what it was like to be one of us. I won't lie, this book had me in tears more than once remembering the feelings of bygone players, close-but-not-quite seasons and that amazing season, the parade, the signs and messages to Cubs-fans-past who didn't live to see the day and President Obama greeting the team at the White House as his last public event in office.
If you're like me and have spent your life waiting and hoping and finally got to see it really happen, you will enjoy this book. It's well-written, personal, touching and heartfelt.
aapollo917's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I grabbed it at the library, as I love the Cubs. It was fun reading the history of the team, the story behind the curse, the famous players throughout history, and of course the 2016 World Series victory.
Any and all Cubs fans should read it!
Any and all Cubs fans should read it!
laura_mcloughlin's review against another edition
3.0
Probably 3.5
An interesting read about one person's experience being a lifelong Cubs fan. I am not familiar with the author's work on NPR but this book is well written.
An interesting read about one person's experience being a lifelong Cubs fan. I am not familiar with the author's work on NPR but this book is well written.
writergirl70's review against another edition
5.0
Written as though hearing the story from a dear friend and devoted Cubs fan. So many interesting bits of history included. It was a delight to read. Go Cubs Go!
ejdecoster's review against another edition
4.0
I read an e-galley, so there were still a few edits in the proverbial margins and I'm not sure if there will be pictures/images. However, I thought Simon tells a compelling story of Cubs fandom, though it does suffer some from trying to do so much.
The personal anecdotes were well-measured, bringing the reader in close to the narrator but not uncomfortably confessional. Obviously Cubs fans (such as myself) are the primary audience here, with a few baseball fans and maybe even some Weekend Edition aficionados. I think some fans of other beleaguered teams might find something familiar in the book (besides maybe Cleveland fans). Simon is also measuring in exploring the team's history: the role institutional racism in the club's past, the downsides of various modes of team ownership (tight-fisted Wrigley vs the must-show-growth Tribune Co.), the often poor behavior of Cubs fans and the changing neighborhood around the ballpark, the difference between loving a team and loyalty to a team ... Aroldis Chapman.
For all that's measured and balanced in the book, I did find myself rolling my eyes a few times. Perhaps a few fewer 2016 play-by-plays and much fewer re-written poems would have been preferable (the latter induced the eye-rolling). I definitely saw myself in many of the stories so I rounded it up from a 3.5 because it brought tears to my eyes more than once. I appreciate a book that highlights the strange, weird, exasperating experience of an enduring love of an institution and the mental grappling it can take.
The personal anecdotes were well-measured, bringing the reader in close to the narrator but not uncomfortably confessional. Obviously Cubs fans (such as myself) are the primary audience here, with a few baseball fans and maybe even some Weekend Edition aficionados. I think some fans of other beleaguered teams might find something familiar in the book (besides maybe Cleveland fans). Simon is also measuring in exploring the team's history: the role institutional racism in the club's past, the downsides of various modes of team ownership (tight-fisted Wrigley vs the must-show-growth Tribune Co.), the often poor behavior of Cubs fans and the changing neighborhood around the ballpark, the difference between loving a team and loyalty to a team ... Aroldis Chapman.
For all that's measured and balanced in the book, I did find myself rolling my eyes a few times. Perhaps a few fewer 2016 play-by-plays and much fewer re-written poems would have been preferable (the latter induced the eye-rolling). I definitely saw myself in many of the stories so I rounded it up from a 3.5 because it brought tears to my eyes more than once. I appreciate a book that highlights the strange, weird, exasperating experience of an enduring love of an institution and the mental grappling it can take.
becksri29's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. What true Cubs fan hasn't had the dream where the Cubs win it all, where all the greats from the last 147 years take the field? Tinker to Evers to Chance, to Banks, Williams, Santo, Sandberg, Grace, Rizzo, Bryant... Pitching from Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, Fergie, Maddux, Kid K, Arrieta... and then, in Game 7, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, one out needed to save the game, and you, the dreamer, are called in to save the Cubs and win it all. Yeah, we've dreamt it. And it was a good dream.
In reality, we've suffered tough losses, curses, goats, cats, and fan interference. We've cautiously let our hopes rise to have them smashed back down. Some of us may have spent days mourning what could have been, shut out from the rest of the world. But despite it all, we love it. We love the team, we love the legacy, we love the players, we love the manager, we love Wrigley, and dammit, we love the game. This particular love story is Simon's own, recalling his own unique experiences with the team - closer than most fans, since his godfather was the Cubs' legendary broadcaster Jack Brickhouse (Hey Hey!), and he also became a journalist and interviewed everyone from the fans to the Ricketts family. Yet, it all felt so familiar. To be a Cubs fan is to be part of a family, even if you don't actually know your family members.
Ending the book with a description of the 2016 World Series, which mirrored that dream we all had for so long that he opened the book with, was really something special. While nothing could re-capture the thrill of seeing it live as it happened, it comes close. Simon does a great job of describing the emotional rollercoaster that was that Game 7, and when you read the sentence "And then the rains came" your heart just stops, and for a moment, you can feel it and see that last out, the throw from Bryant to Rizzo, Rizzo's grin as he holds the ball in the air, the screams of victory and the pure joy erasing every second of suffering we ever experienced.
If you're not a Cubs fan, you may not enjoy this incredibly fan-centric book, but if you are, Holy Cow! It resonates. Get a copy.
#Fly the W
In reality, we've suffered tough losses, curses, goats, cats, and fan interference. We've cautiously let our hopes rise to have them smashed back down. Some of us may have spent days mourning what could have been, shut out from the rest of the world. But despite it all, we love it. We love the team, we love the legacy, we love the players, we love the manager, we love Wrigley, and dammit, we love the game. This particular love story is Simon's own, recalling his own unique experiences with the team - closer than most fans, since his godfather was the Cubs' legendary broadcaster Jack Brickhouse (Hey Hey!), and he also became a journalist and interviewed everyone from the fans to the Ricketts family. Yet, it all felt so familiar. To be a Cubs fan is to be part of a family, even if you don't actually know your family members.
Ending the book with a description of the 2016 World Series, which mirrored that dream we all had for so long that he opened the book with, was really something special. While nothing could re-capture the thrill of seeing it live as it happened, it comes close. Simon does a great job of describing the emotional rollercoaster that was that Game 7, and when you read the sentence "And then the rains came" your heart just stops, and for a moment, you can feel it and see that last out, the throw from Bryant to Rizzo, Rizzo's grin as he holds the ball in the air, the screams of victory and the pure joy erasing every second of suffering we ever experienced.
If you're not a Cubs fan, you may not enjoy this incredibly fan-centric book, but if you are, Holy Cow! It resonates. Get a copy.
#Fly the W
thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! It was such a fun read that I read it in one sitting. Having gone to college in Chicago and attended many Cubs games, I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Simon’s stores about the Cubs and his lifelong support for (obsession with) the team. Simon outlines the history of the team, highlights the franchise’s outstanding players, and elaborates on how the team finally made it to and actually won the World Series. He spends time on the Cubs reluctance to provide lights at Wrigley Field so that night games could be played. I was in college when that debate raged and the lights were finally added so I very much enjoyed that section. Throughout the book, he relays humorous anecdotes as well which made the book even more entertaining. My only change to the book would have been to not go into quite so much detail about the World Series games. Other than that, My Cubs: A Love Story was outstanding. Thanks to First to Read for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.