A wonderful journey that opens into an exploration of sports, nostalgia, American culture, and memory, The Wax Pack will surprise and engage you. It’s a delight to read and a tribute to the power of curiosity.”—Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book The Wax Pack !”—Jayson Stark, senior baseball writer for The Athletic The Wax Pack is one of the most interesting and pleasing baseball-themed books I have read in quite some time. An original idea, brought to fruition with graceful prose, a sense of humor, empathy, and insight.”—Bob CostasNew York Times and best-selling author of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches The Wax Pack is a uniquely romantic love letter to a game, a time period, and its random soldiers. Well done.”—Jeff Pearlman, author of Football for a Buck The Wax Pack is the perfect synthesis of what makes baseball (and baseball cards) compelling, combining the thrill of discovery, the reassurance of shared memory, and poignant metaphors for life. Balukjian’s cross-country, cardboard-based bildungsroman reminds us that baseball’s best stories are sometimes told by and about players who’ve long since left the league.”—Ben Lindbergh, best-selling author of The MVP Machine and The Only Rule Is It Has to Work Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game
"The Wax Pack is an enjoyable read by an author who shares a love of baseball and baseball cards. An author who appreciates that baseball cards provide threads to a past that many of us still cherish."—Drew Gallagher, Free Lance-Star
Free Lance-Star - Drew Gallagher
"It took Brad 48 days to travel 11,341 miles across 30 states in the summer of 2015 to gather the material for the book. But it was worth every second of it."—500 Level Fan
"The Wax Pack is a journey worth waiting for, worth taking. Enjoy the ride."—Andy Esposito, NY Sports Day
NY Sports Day - Andy Esposito
A journey of self-discovery by way of a pack of 1986 baseball cards. In Brad’s emotional quest, he not only finds answers but shares a snapshot of ballplayers who, like him, are trying to make it through life’s many twists and turns.”—Shane Rawley, former MLB pitcher
As pleasing as the pink slab of bubble gum that, long ago, came with baseball cards inside five cent packets, this slender volume gives fresh flavor to the familiar phrase ‘inside baseball.’”—George F. Will
"15 Huzzahs and a plug of chaw for this Diamond Game literary nonfiction masterpiece. . . . Absolutely a brilliant delight and must-have book, so go coast to coast with Balukjian as he tracks down the wax pack."—John Vorperian, Southern New England Chapter SABR
Southern New England Chapter SABR - John Vorperian
Poignant and powerful. . . . Balukjian covers more than ten thousand miles to track down the stories of fourteen men from a single pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards, learning a lot about their lives—and his own. Hop in the backseat and join him for the journey.”—Tyler Kepner, national baseball writer for the New York Times and best-selling author of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches
"Those baseball fans who had in their possession baseball cards at one time or another will certainly want to read this book, but one does not have to be a baseball fan to thoroughly enjoy this book that is not only thought-provoking but also emotion-provoking as the reader will fell a large range of emotions while reading it."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books
Guy Who Reviews Sports Books
With The Wax Pack Brad Balukjian takes the simplest of ideas—opening an old pack of baseball cards—and twists it into knots, wringing every ounce of goodness from a familiar activity. With clarity of purpose and depth of prose he tells an endearing tale, deftly melding fan with player to provide a joyous, entertaining look at a sport he clearly loves.”—Jason Turbow, author of They Bled Blue and The Baseball Codes
The Wax Pack is the perfect synthesis of what makes baseball (and baseball cards) compelling, combining the thrill of discovery, the reassurance of shared memory, and poignant metaphors for life. Balukjian’s cross-country, cardboard-based bildungsroman reminds us that baseball’s best stories are sometimes told by and about players who’ve long since left the league.”—Ben Lindbergh, best-selling author of The MVP Machine and The Only Rule Is It Has to Work
Every pack of baseball cards is like a birthday gift. It’s carefully wrapped, and, though what’s inside is a mystery, you know it’s going to be great. Same with The Wax Pack , the book. Until you open it, you have no idea how good the contents are. They’re good, very good. I’ve opened thousands and thousands of packs in my lifetime, but this is one of my favorites.”—Jeff Katz, author of Split Season 1981: Fernandomania, the Bronx Zoo, and the Strike that Saved Baseball
"Brad Balukjian’s concept for his first book—tear open a pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards, chomp the ancient pink rectangle of gum-ish substance, then hit the road to unwrap the post-baseball lives of the players found in the pack—is so obviously compelling that it is the envy of any wannabe-author sportswriter who has never been able to summon the right idea."—Chad Finn, Boston Globe
What if a pack of baseball cards could come to life? It sounds like a Spielberg movie plot, except it happened. It happened because Brad Balukjian made it happen, in real life, with the most eclectic cast of baseball characters ever assembled. And the result is one of the most fun, honest, funny, human, and uniquely creative baseball books of the year. I’ll admit it. I loved The Wax Pack !”—Jayson Stark, senior baseball writer for The Athletic
The Wax Pack is a fun read for card collectors, fans of ’80s baseball, or anyone who just wants to know what Rance Mulliniks is up to. I want to buy an old pack of cards and do what Brad Balukjian did!”—Eric Stangel, Emmy Award–winning writer and producer for the Late Show with David Letterman
"Baseball cards were a wonderful and memorable part of my childhood. Balukjian brought a random pack of cards to life. Such a unique way to tell a fascinating story."—Tim Kurkjian
"The Wax Pack is a nice treat for baseball fans who collected cards as kids. Balukjian has done what most collectors can only dream about—making a pack of baseball cards come alive. It's a great story, and one that comes with some sobering lessons."—Bob D'Angelo, Sport in American History
Sport in American History - Bob D'Angelo
"The Wax Pack is a nice example of what a baseball fan can do with a dream, and carving out time from real world requirements, to go back to their future during a time when cards cost less than two quarters."—Don Laible, Observer-Dispatch
Observer-Dispatch - Don Laible
A wonderful journey that opens into an exploration of sports, nostalgia, American culture, and memory, The Wax Pack will surprise and engage you. It’s a delight to read and a tribute to the power of curiosity.”—Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book
What a weird, quirky, fun read. There have been 50,000 books written on Major League Baseball, but Brad Balukjian’s The Wax Pack is a uniquely romantic love letter to a game, a time period, and its random soldiers. Well done.”—Jeff Pearlman, author of Football for a Buck
"Good dude, great book."—95.7 the Game
"It’s somewhat appropriate that the thoughtful Wax Pack arrived in this season of reflection. During these difficult days, it should be in your line-up."—Jon Hart, Book & Film Globe
Book & Film Globe - Jon Hart
"The Wax Pack is ultimately a very promising debut by Brad Balukjian. If he ever decides to take another break from teaching in order to write a follow-up, it will certainly be worth checking out—one that, if this work is any indication, will be overflowing with ingenuity and passion."—Micah Wimmer, Fan Sided
Collecting baseball cards is something of a childhood rite of passage, and The Wax Pack is an awesome look into something many of us would never have dreamed of doing—chasing down our childhood heroes. . . . Brad tells their stories unlike anyone has ever done before—from the unique perspective of author and fan.”—Matt Boyd, MLB pitcher, Detroit Tigers
"It’s not just how Balukjian watches kung fu movies with Templeton, plays Cards Against Humanity with Cocanower or goes bowling and lifts weights with Ready. His inquisitive nature, honesty and self-awareness guides us through a mix of memoir, travel and human connection. These cardboard gods can be even more heroic now."—Tom Hoffarth, Sports Business Journal
Sports Business Journal - Tom Hoffarth
"The Wax Pack is certainly a fantastic baseball book worthy of your time."—Chris D. Davies, SB Nation
SB Nation - Chris D. Davies
Brad Balukjian’s book is for all those little kids with cardboard heroes who turned into big kids and started wondering, ‘Hey, what if there’s more to life than just the cardboard?’ Turns out, there is.”—Rob Neyer, author of Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game
Brad Balukjian’s The Wax Pack swiftly and joyfully unfolds like a baseball-loving version of Almost Famous . Bursting with life, laughter, and heartbreak, it’s an absolutely essential work of baseball literature; a rollicking page-turner; and a deep, rewarding search for wisdom.”—Josh Wilker, author of Cardboard Gods
The Wax Pack is one of the most interesting and pleasing baseball-themed books I have read in quite some time. An original idea, brought to fruition with graceful prose, a sense of humor, empathy, and insight.”—Bob Costas
The Wax Pack is an awesome look into something many of us would never have dreamed of doing—chasing down our childhood heroes. . . . Brad tells their stories unlike anyone has ever done before—from the unique perspective of author and fan.”—Matt Boyd, MLB pitcher, Detroit Tigers
02/28/2020
Imagine buying a pack of baseball cards from the mid-1980s. Each pack has 14 random cards, many of which feature players you do not know. In this fascinating book, Balukjian (Merritt Coll., CA) describes how he tracked down every single player in the pack, an adventure that led him to travel thousands of miles through 30 U.S. states. One by one, the author locates the players, and through this journey readers learn about the extraordinary experiences of athletes such as Rance Mullikins, Steve Yeager, Gary Templeton, and Rick Sutcliffe. While not everyone featured here is a baseball superstar, all of the stories offer captivating tidbits for fans of the sport. VERDICT Will appeal not only to baseball fans but also to enthusiasts of sports history nostalgic for a bygone era.—Gus Palas, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL
