October 17, 2011 • Category: Blog, Excerpts, Promotions
25 COMMENTS
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Here at Algonquin, we like to celebrate the playoffs in true American style: by kicking up our feet, turning on the tube, and belting “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” while eating bacon-wrapped hot dogs and petting a Bald Eagle. And who better to help us celebrate than baseball connoisseur Josh Wilker, author of Cardboard Gods? In his hilarious and heartbreaking memoir, Josh tells the story of his 1970′s childhood through his beloved collection of of baseball cards. He begins each chapter with a full-color image of one of his cards–Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, Tom Seaver, Wade Boggs, and many lesser-known players—and uses it as a launching point to chronicle his unusual childhood in which only his collection of paper heroes could give him the unfailing faith that a winning season was just around the corner.
We have three of these puppies up for grabs. Want to win one? Just submit a comment here or on our Facebook page. May the biggest baseball fans win!
Praise for Cardboard Gods:
“Proust has his madeleine. Nick Hornby has his vinyl records. And when Josh Wilker wants to summon the past, he has the scent of bubblegum. . . . If Wilker had a baseball card, its back might read: Josh is one of 2010′s most promising literary players.”—Sports Illustrated
“A baseball-loving loner deciphers his complicated childhood through his old box of trading cards. . . . Wilker’s book is as nostalgically intoxicating as the gum that sweetened his card-collecting youth. Grade: A.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Wilker connects baseball cards to more pop culture references than a season of Family Guy—everything from Louis L’Amour westerns to Jack Kerouac to Elvis Costello . . . You’ll love this book.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“I couldn’t put it down . . . In much the same way Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Wait Till Next Year is as much about growing up in the 1950s as her being a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Wilker, too, uses baseball as a backdrop in writing about the ’70s.” —The Boston Herald
Tags: Baseball, Cardboard Gods, Josh Wilker
JoAnn Murphy says...
We have huge baseball fans here. It would be great to win this book that we would all want to read.
October 17, 2011@ 10:09 AMDonna Sweet says...
Would love to win this so I could give it to my hubby whose mother threw away all his keepers! Can’t understand why a mom would throw away her child’s baseball card collection!Cards from the 50′s on are all gone….so sad
October 17, 2011@ 10:02 AMrhonda says...
heard so much about the book would love to read it.
October 17, 2011@ 10:00 AMJulienne says...
We are baseball fans with my 15 year old playing Ball since he was 7 years old. Baseball tales are a great read in the house!
October 17, 2011@ 9:56 AMJeffrey Tretin says...
Looks great – would love to receive a copy. Thank you.
October 17, 2011@ 9:54 AMpamela strauss says...
I love Algonquin ‘s books !
October 17, 2011@ 9:52 AMIf I won this I’d give it to my Sweety for his upcoming birthday.His mother threw out his collection of baseball cards years ago and it would be a cool gift.
Reeca says...
Wow! Would love to read this! Gooooooooo Cardinals!
October 17, 2011@ 9:51 AMLaurie Blum says...
Big baseball season in Detroit, how fun to win this book
October 17, 2011@ 9:47 AMBetty K Hamilton says...
The books sounds like a very fun read!! I would LOVE to win a copy!! (Who doesn’t love baseball and a young boy’s memories of it growing up). Good luck with it. I hope it seel 1 million copies!!
October 17, 2011@ 9:44 AMChris Otto says...
This book has been on my “want to read” wish list for awhile!
October 17, 2011@ 9:44 AM