Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball

by R. A. Dickey, Wayne Coffey Narrated by Not Yet Available

Overview

The Glass Castle meets Ball Four as Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey weaves searing honesty and baseball insight in this memoir about his unlikely journey to the big leagues.An English Lit major at the University of Tennessee, Dickey is as articulate and thoughtful as any professional athlete in any sport-and proves it page after page, as he provides fresh and honest insight into baseball and a career unlike any other. Fourteen years ago, Dickey was a heralded No. 1 draft choice of the Texas Rangers, only to have an $810,000 signing bonus, and his lifelong dream, ripped away by an X- ray-and the discovery that he did not have an ulna collateral ligament in his right elbow. Five years ago, he gave up a record six home runs in three innings to the Detroit Tigers-and was effectively consigned to the baseball scrap heap.Sustained by his profound Christian faith, the love of his wife and children, and a relentless quest for self-awareness and authenticity, the immensely likable Dickey details his transformation from a reckless, risk-taking loner to a grounded, life-affirming big leaguer. He emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the National League in 2010-and the knuckleballing embodiment of the wonders that perseverance and human wisdom can produce. Dickey views his story as one of redemption. Readers will come to see it as something more-a uniquely American story of beating back demons, listening to your heart, and overcoming extraordinary odds.

Editorial Reviews

Things did not come easily for major league knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. In 1996, the Texas Rangers signed this recent college graduate for $810,000, but then discovered that his arm was missing a ligament and reduced the offer by more than ninety percent. Ten years later, the struggling pitcher decided that his best chance for staying in the majors was to reinvent himself as knuckleballer. In his first start, his new experiment failed historically: He gave up six home runs, tying a modern baseball record. His persistence has paid off: Since the hardcover release of this book, he won Cy Young Award honors for his twenty-game winning seasons with the New York Mets.

Publishers Weekly - Audio

Major League All-Star and New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey has led a remarkable life—and he’s only 38. While that’s considered elderly for a professional athlete, Dickey remains one of the top pitchers in baseball and indeed the only active pitcher capable of throwing the perfect knuckleball. Narrator Ben Hunter delivers a subdued but pitch-perfect (excuse the pun) performance in the audio edition of this memoir in which Dickey charts the course of his life, covering everything from the ups and downs of his career to the importance of his faith. Throughout, Hunter’s tone is sincere and engaging, his delivery exquisitely paced, and his timing spot-on. Listeners will be transfixed by this compelling and earnest audiobook. A Penguin/Blue Rider hardcover. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review.

Most professional baseball players pen a memoir after they retire. But pitcher R.A. Dickey-who spent four seasons with four different Major League Baseball teams and is MLB's only active knuckleballer-boasts a story compelling enough to be told forthwith. A heralded 1996 first-round draft choice, Dickey's $810,000 signing bonus with the Texas Rangers was yanked after doctors discovered the right-handed pitcher was missing an ligament in his right elbow. Thus began a dramatic up-and-down journey through the professional ranks, sustained by Dickey's determination, as evidenced by the book's proverbial Latin epigraph, "Dum spiro, spero"-"While I breath, I hope." He and co-author Coffey (The Boys of Winter) write with startling candor not only about the game-Dickey's fellow players, steroids in baseball, his disdain for rookie hazing-, but also about his tumultuous upbringing-being a victim of sexual abuse as an 8-year-old at the hands of his babysitter, growing up in Nashville with an alcoholic mother, sleeping in vacant houses as a teenager, and becoming a Christian. Dickey credits his faith with overcoming myriad trials both personal and professional, but it never feels as if he's preaching. Once an English-lit major and now a starting pitcher for the New York Mets, the author emerges as one of baseball's good guys, and someone who can write as well as he pitches. Dickey has set a new standard for athlete autobiographies. Color photos.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal - Audio

Former New York Mets star Dickey's heartfelt, moving memoir capably chronicles his journey as a pro-baseball pitcher. After years of bouncing between the minor and major leagues—with lousy results—Dickey switched to the knuckleball with gradual improvement. At the same time, he sought help for the abuse he experienced as a child. His faith (Christian) and Zen-like concentration on the pitch helped him fight his way back to psychological health and the majors. "I am focusing not on the next month, or year, or uniform, but on the next pitch," he writes. There are glimpses of pro-life views and some name-dropping, but the emphasis rests squarely on the titular quest. Ben Hunter's crisp, sympathetic reading highlights the thoughtful text. VERDICT This title will find a welcome audience in larger public libraries, and sports and Christian collections. In 2012, Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win the Cy Young Award, which will spike demand.—Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Middletown

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172355974
Publisher:	EChristian, Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos