A Year of Playing Catch
What a Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me about Life
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
Journey with prolific author and avid baseball fan Ethan Bryan on an exciting quest to play catch every day for a year, and discover the lessons he learned about the sacredness of play, finding connections, and being fully present to the human experience. A Casey Award finalist! Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring. Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level--amateur to pro--and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Plus, he visited famous destinations such as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Miracle League fields, and the original "Field of Dreams" in Iowa. But throughout the book, Bryan reveals it's about much more than who he played catch with: it's what he learned from their vastly different stories. Lessons include: How play can reignite a fire within you and transform your life How to find joy in the simple things How one life can impact a whole community... and more. For baseball fans and everyone who loves a good story, A Year of Playing Catch is an inspiring journey about finding joy in the simple things, and the power of play to transform our lives.
Endorsements (9)
“A Year of Playing Catch is a gem like baseball itself—everyday, interesting, thoughtful, and funny. It is an inside the book home run.”
“Playing catch with my dad when I was a kid is one of my earliest memories. Those backyard catch sessions were a big part of my falling in love with the game of baseball, because of how they helped me connect with my dad. This book does a great job telling how a simple game of catch can help you connect with a loved one, make a new friend, or simply have fun.”
“in Ethan Bryan’s book. Each throwing partner during the course of a single year has a story to tell, and Bryan lovingly captures the essences of baseball and human connection in these brief but powerful vignettes.”
“Ethan’s whimsical, fun-loving journey, told beautifully in this book, combined with his take on life and relationships, is a breath of fresh air. It also took me on my own unexpected journey of self-reflection that inspired me to once again chase my dreams, to make room for play, and to prioritize listening to people with experiences much different from my own. Grab this book and grab your glove. You won’t regret it.”
“In a world where genuine conversation feels like a lost art, this book shows us that a single commonality like baseball can create just that—conversations conversations that open the floodgates to the heart of the human experience. Through the simple acts of playing catch and telling stories, Bryan connects unlikely co-stars in a tale of playful revelation, taking readers along for the summer tour of a lifetime.”
“It takes a special person to capture the beauty and romanticism in the game of baseball. Ethan Bryan delivers the perfect pitch with this book. The genuine love that Bryan shows throughout his story allows readers a peek into the lives of those who eat, sleep, and breathe baseball.”
“This is a beautiful look at baseball and life. You’ll love Ethan Bryan’s exceptional storytelling.”
“Wanna play catch?!” Ahh, music to my ears. Reading this book took me back through a childhood of asking that question and especially the disappointment and the excitement of the answers. For the first time in decades, I thought about my childhood friend Billy, who always said yes. The disappointment when dad didn’t have time to say yes was just as bitter when I read about Bryan and his dad. In Bryan’s description of that new glove, I smiled at the memory of buying my first glove. Bryan’s love and appreciation for baseball comes through on every page, but the real gift to readers is how he allows us to use his journey to retrace our own. What a gift!”
Dr. Kat D. Williams
“long memoir showing the redemptive power of play. This is a remarkable book for sports fans or anyone who has longed to explore her own field of dreams.”
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