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Imperfect: An Improbable Life

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 329 ratings · 85 reviews

On an overcast September day in 1993, Jim Abbott took the mound at Yankee Stadium and threw one of the most dramatic no-hitters in major-league history. The game was the crowning achievement in an unlikely success story, unseen in the annals of professional sports. In Imperfect, the one-time big league ace retraces his remarkable journey.

Born without a right hand, Jim Abbo...more On an overcast September day in 1993, Jim Abbott took the mound at Yankee Stadium and threw one of the most dramatic no-hitters in major-league history. The game was the crowning achievement in an unlikely success story, unseen in the annals of professional sports. In Imperfect, the one-time big league ace retraces his remarkable journey.

Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition not a disability but an extraordinary opportunity, Jim became a two-sport standout in high school, then an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan.

But his journey was only beginning.

As a nineteen-year-old, Jim beat the vaunted Cuban National Team. By twenty-one, he’d won the gold medal game at the 1988 Olympics and—without spending a day in the minor leagues—cracked the starting rotation of the California Angels. In 1991, he would finish third in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Two years later, he would don Yankee pinstripes and deliver a one-of-a-kind no-hitter.

It wouldn’t always be so good. After a season full of difficult losses—some of them by football scores—Jim was released, cut off from the game he loved. Unable to say good-bye so soon, Jim tried to come back, pushing himself to the limit—and through one of the loneliest experiences an athlete can have.

But always, even then, there were children and their parents waiting for him outside the clubhouse doors, many of them with disabilities like his, seeking consolation and advice. These obligations became Jim’s greatest honor.

In this honest and insightful memoir, Jim Abbott reveals the insecurities of a life spent as the different one, how he habitually hid his disability in his right front pocket, and why he chose an occupation in which the uniform provided no front pockets. With a riveting pitch-by-pitch account of his no-hitter providing the ideal frame for his story, this unique athlete offers readers an extraordinary and unforgettable memoir(less)

Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Ballantine Books

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Sep 04, 2012 Bill Langham rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I saw this book faced out in the New - Non-fiction section at the Rye Free Reading room, I was hesitant to reach for it. Jim Abbott and I share an uncommon experience (no, it's not pitching a major league no-hitter): living life without a right hand. I wasn't sure what his take on it would be - I'm still not sure after 60+years what my take on it is. But I picked up the book and began to read the introduction - when I read the question his pre-K daughter put to him on Dad's Day at pre-schoo...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Andrew Shuping rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ARC provided by Goodreads

When I was growing up I wasn’t really into sports. I could barely play them and they just didn’t do much for me. But I did like reading baseball stories and I remember reading in “Sports Illustrated for Kids” about Jim Abbott...the one handed baseball pitcher who pitched for the US Olympic Team and threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees. And something about that story resonated with me, his perseverance, his desire to be known not as the one handed pitcher but just a...more ARC provided by Goodreads

When I was growing up I wasn’t really into sports. I could barely play them and they just didn’t do much for me. But I did like reading baseball stories and I remember reading in “Sports Illustrated for Kids” about Jim Abbott...the one handed baseball pitcher who pitched for the US Olympic Team and threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees. And something about that story resonated with me, his perseverance, his desire to be known not as the one handed pitcher but just as a baseball player, and ever since then he’s been one of my favorite athletes. So I was really excited about having the chance to read his story. And what a powerful story it is.

The story alternates between Jim’s life growing up and one of the defining moments of his baseball career...the day that he threw a no-hitter in 1993 against the Cleveland Indians. Jim walks us through that day, from getting up and eating breakfast with his wife, to arriving at the ballpark, to the nerves throughout the day, to the very last out. He gives us a look into what it’s like to hear the boos and the roar of the crowd for this defining moment. And just how this story relates to his life.

Jim’s story begins with his daughter and her kindergarten class. He came for bring your parent to class day and she asked a question that he had never been asked before, yet one that permeated his life. “Do you like your little hand?” And from that point forward Jim shares with us his desire, his drive, and his perseverance to be known for more than just his hand, but for being a baseball pitcher and more importantly for being a good human being.

And that is actually my favorite aspect of this book. Jim being humble, thankful for what he had, for what others didn’t have, for what he could do to help others like him. It’s not necessarily what he wanted, but he did it anyway. Not by trying to make any grand gestures and appearances, but by simply being himself. Greeting the fans, talking to them, answering each and every letter that came his way just to let them know not to give up. His story reveals that he’s more than just a baseball pitcher, but a good person. And I’m sure some folks are reading this thinking “oh it’s an autobiography he could just be making it up,” but that’s not the way it reads at all. Jim isn’t bragging about anything and he doesn’t really try to make any of these aspects stand out, but they do anyway because that's the type person he is.

This book isn’t just for fans of baseball. It’s a book about a humble man who was also a baseball pitcher. It’s filled with humor, insight into the sports world, and humanity. I highly recommend this book and it’s one that folks should read at least once. And then see how they feel about reading it a few more times after that.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Jenny Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from this book was how important it is to appreciate the victories and how hard it can be to do just that. Abbott accomplished something very few men do, no matter how many limbs they have, just by earning a place in the pitching rotation of a major league ball club, but his story makes it clear that, like so many of us do, he became more focused on his failures than his accomplishments, to the point where much of the joy an achievement most people assume wou...more Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from this book was how important it is to appreciate the victories and how hard it can be to do just that. Abbott accomplished something very few men do, no matter how many limbs they have, just by earning a place in the pitching rotation of a major league ball club, but his story makes it clear that, like so many of us do, he became more focused on his failures than his accomplishments, to the point where much of the joy an achievement most people assume would make a person very happy evaporated for him.

I really appreciated his candor, and I am baffled by the reviewers who feel like they didn't get inside his head. I have been fortunate to meet quite a few athletes, some in the big leagues, and have found that they tend to be very simple in how they see things and how they think. When the manager goes out to the mound to tell the pitcher "throw strikes," there's nothing ironic or simplistic about it. To perform at the level these guys do, you have to strip away most of the words and be right there doing the very simple thing you do--perfectly. To translate that into words--which take us out of the moment--is hard, so I was doubly impressed by the ability of Abbott, aided by his co-writer, to put so much into words.

I learned a great deal about what it's like to be a major league pitcher. I learned more about what it is like to be a major league pitcher who is losing his stuff, which is all too relevant this year for those of us who have been watching the Red Sox pitching staff melt down.

And of course, I learned even more about what it is like to be involuntarily cast in the role of poster child when you just want to be a kid like everyone else and to have to cope with that all your life along with the challenges that come from having things that are easy for others to do made much more difficult because of a disability.

This would be a very good book for anyone interested in baseball, anyone struggling to achieve success in any challenging field, and for anyone raising kids with disabilities who would like to understand what it's like to be the kid rather than all the adults around the kid giving the pep talks.

Highly recommended. (less)

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May 02, 2012 Davenport Public Library added it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-non-fiction

Reviewed by Ann

On an overcast September day in 1993, Jim Abbott took the mound at Yankee Stadium and threw one of the most dramatic no-hitters in major-league history. The game was the crowning achievement in an unlikely success story, unseen in the annals of professional sports. In Imperfect, the one-time big league ace retraces his remarkable journey.

Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition n...more Reviewed by Ann

On an overcast September day in 1993, Jim Abbott took the mound at Yankee Stadium and threw one of the most dramatic no-hitters in major-league history. The game was the crowning achievement in an unlikely success story, unseen in the annals of professional sports. In Imperfect, the one-time big league ace retraces his remarkable journey.

Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition not a disability but an extraordinary opportunity, Jim became a two-sport standout in high school, then an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan. But his journey was only beginning. As a nineteen-year-old, Jim beat the vaunted Cuban National Team. By twenty-one, he’d won the gold medal game at the 1988 Olympics and – without spending a day in the minor leagues – cracked the starting rotation of the California Angels. In 1991, he would finish third in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Two years later, he would don Yankee pinstripes and deliver a one-of-a-kind no-hitter.

It wouldn’t always be so good. After a season full of difficult losses – some of them by football scores – Jim was released, cut off from the game he loved. Unable to say good-bye so soon, Jim tried to come back, pushing himself to the limit-and through one of the loneliest experiences an athlete can have. But always, even then, there were children and their parents waiting for him outside the clubhouse doors, many of them with disabilities like his, seeking consolation and advice. These obligations became Jim’s greatest honor.

In this honest and insightful memoir, Jim Abbott reveals the insecurities of a life spent as the different one, how he habitually hid his disability in his right front pocket, and why he chose an occupation in which the uniform provided no front pockets. With a riveting pitch-by-pitch account of his no-hitter providing the ideal frame for his story, this unique athlete offers readers an extraordinary and unforgettable memoir. (provided by the publisher)(less)

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Apr 09, 2012 Matt Forsythe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book "Imperfect: an improbable life" by Jim Abbott is about Jim Abbott was born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition not a disability but an extraordinary opportunity, Jim became a two-sport standout in high school, then an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan.Then Jim Abbott was a nineteen-year-old boy, and Jim beat the vaunted Cuban National Team. By twenty-one, he’d won the gold med...more The book "Imperfect: an improbable life" by Jim Abbott is about Jim Abbott was born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition not a disability but an extraordinary opportunity, Jim became a two-sport standout in high school, then an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan.Then Jim Abbott was a nineteen-year-old boy, and Jim beat the vaunted Cuban National Team. By twenty-one, he’d won the gold medal game at the 1988 Olympics and—without spending a day in the minor leagues—cracked the starting rotation of the California Angels. In 1991, he would finish third in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Two years later, he would don Yankee pinstripes and deliver a one-of-a-kind no-hitter After a season full of difficult losses—some of them by football scores—Jim was released, cut off from the game he loved. Unable to say good-bye so soon, Jim tried to come back, pushing himself to the limit—and through one of the loneliest experiences an athlete can have. Then after Jim got cut, many people especially kids and adults with disabilities waited for Jim to come out of the Yankees clubhouse doors but he never did. Jim then trained and trained to be better and get another chance with the Yankees and he made those kids and adults his obligations because those kids and adults came out to the game to seek advice and get console with him. He was determined to get that spot on the Yankees until one day, his hard work and training paid off, he was signed to the Yankees once again. The age group for this book is primary reading because many kids that read this biography and have disabilities will read his story and realize that anything is possible in their life because if he can play baseball with one hand, then other people with disabilities can do anything they want as long as they put their mind to it. There are no artistic elements because the book had no pictures or any artistic symbols incept the cover of the book. I would recommend this book because children with disabilities will read this biography about Jim Abbott and find out that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and because you keep doing hard work and training until you achieve your dream and live your dream. (less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenges, audio, baseball, biography

Why I picked it up: My mom took us to a Team USA game back in the 1980s and Jim Abbott was the pitcher.

This book has 2 threads, each taking place in alternate chapters. Every other chapter is a basic autobiography, taking you through Jim Abbott’s life more or less in chronological order. The alternating chapters take you through his 1993 no-hitter against the Indians; one chapter per inning.

I enjoyed the book and I was sorry that I hadn’t consistently followed Abbott’s career in the 1990s. I al...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Brandon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This autobiography written by former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott was very inspiring. I say this because he only has one hand. For a person like me, was a disability to my arm, it was great to read a book about a real person who pushed through his disability. I am one who doesn't look down on my disability and Abbott is the same way. He just wanted to be normal.

This book starts out with the day he pitched his no-hitter and takes you through it inning by inning and in between the each inning there is...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Ru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jim Abbott was born without a right hand. But as this inspirational baseball autobiography details, he never let it define him, nor did he let others define him by it. This book is pretty moving, or at least it was to me, because I was surprised at how vulgar some people can be with their comments toward Abbott not having a hand. There is also an indirect form of exploitation from the media, as well; instead of presenting Jim Abbott as a pitcher first and foremost, he is introduced as a pitcher...more Jim Abbott was born without a right hand. But as this inspirational baseball autobiography details, he never let it define him, nor did he let others define him by it. This book is pretty moving, or at least it was to me, because I was surprised at how vulgar some people can be with their comments toward Abbott not having a hand. There is also an indirect form of exploitation from the media, as well; instead of presenting Jim Abbott as a pitcher first and foremost, he is introduced as a pitcher without a right hand. Obviously it is something that is apparent to the general masses at first, but it is sad that others never seem to move on from it. Abbott handles it all with poise and grace.

Abbott was actually drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays, but he moved on to university instead of signing, joining the California Angels after that. The fact that he joined the majors without playing in the minors, which is a small fraternity at best, is more of a testament to his ability than anything, in my opinion. Only very late in his career was he demoted to try and regain his fastball, something that could happen to any major-league pitcher, and often does.

Of course, the standout highlight of Jim Abbott's career was pitching a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium in 1993. In a way, it represents the pinnacle of his accomplishments in a world that spent so much time trying to define him as lacking something within because of his disability. It is ironic that his disability ended up as a complete non-factor in that incredible accomplishment that, again, is shared amongst a small membership. If that isn't pure inspiration, I don't know what is.

It is touching that Jim Abbott would spend time regularly, and still does, talking to kids and parents who may have also had a physical impairment and were inspired by his accomplishments. It definitely got to me emotionally a few times, that he could give them just a little bit of his time and provide them with what could be a lifetime of hope and motivation. Mr. Abbott is anything but imperfect.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Brian Eshleman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was better than I expected it to be. I have grown to have low expectations of an athlete's perceptiveness and writing ability, and this is unwarranted. Jim Abbott shows both. As he recounts his life, he even shows the growing process on how he has perceived different issues over the course of his life, and this can be very difficult to do. Usually, even the best writers will want to superimpose their current level of maturity on their former selves as they write.

Abbott is willing to ad...more

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May 30, 2012 Daniel Nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baseball, biography, sports

"Imperfect" is a beautifully written autobiography about former Major League Baseball pitcher, Jim Abbott. Credit to Tim Brown, a baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports for assisting in polishing up this work and contributing to an excellent collection of thoughts, stories and feelings that everyone can relate to. The story is thought provoking...how Jim Abbott, born without a right hand...overcame many obstacles to make it to the Major Leagues. While much of the book focuses on that quest, there are...more

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Jan 17, 2013 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baseball

Jim Abbott comes across as an everyday kind of guy in recounting his fears as easily as the motivations that allowed him to overcome them. At five years old he was placed in a hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., two hours away from his home in Flint. Separated from his mother, father, and younger brother except on weekends, he bonded with other special-needs children as doctors studied him and fit him with a clunky mechanical arm. His parents realized after a month that he didn’t belong there and b...more Jim Abbott comes across as an everyday kind of guy in recounting his fears as easily as the motivations that allowed him to overcome them. At five years old he was placed in a hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., two hours away from his home in Flint. Separated from his mother, father, and younger brother except on weekends, he bonded with other special-needs children as doctors studied him and fit him with a clunky mechanical arm. His parents realized after a month that he didn’t belong there and brought him home intent on challenging him to find his place in the world, hand or no hand.

Flint was not an easy place for anyone to grow up. Abbott tells of the day he was accosted in a high school stairwell and punched in the face by a kid trying to earn his gang stripes. Plenty of other two-handed classmates met the same fate.

The most heart-breaking tales, however, are the stories of the children who wrote and visited him throughout his professional career. Time and again he was interrupted in the clubhouse before a game by the PR guy, asking if he could spare a few minutes to talk or even play catch with a child who had been born without a hand or a foot or worse. He accommodated so many such visitors he caught flak from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, with the Boss infamously stating that Abbott would be better off giving “100 percent of his attention to baseball.” Classic Steinbrenner.

I was surprised at how much of Abbott’s career I had forgotten, considering he was so frequently in the news. Perhaps at some point I had come to regard him as he wished to be viewed, just another pitcher. Once he lost his fastball, he stopped showing up on my fantasy league scouting reports.

I hadn’t remembered that he retired twice, walking away from the game for the entire 1997 season after posting an awful 2-18 record the year before. I have no recollection whatsoever of him as a Brewer in his final season, when he went 2-8 with a 6.91 ERA before heading home to be with his wife and family. There was no rocking chair tour, just a months- long struggle to survive with a diminished fastball and a cutter that no longer broke like it had when he was young. He realized too late that former teammate Bob McClure’s advice to develop his secondary pitches might have prolonged his career.

The book is well written almost to a fault. There were places where I started trying to picture where Abbott left off and Brown took up. For example, how many ballplayers have ever uttered two sentences such as these: “The sky was gray, a leaden touch to a yawn-and-stretch morning on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The idle observations from the uniformed lobby doorman and the waitress four blocks away at Gracie’s Corner, where the wait was manageable and the pancakes were reliably fluffy, were about afternoon rain, the prospect of which further softened the jostle of the expired workweek.”

As colorful as that is, I was relieved that most of the book did not read that way. I also wasn’t a fan of the shifting viewpoints from first-person to more of an omniscient third-person, particularly early on when talking about Abbott’s parents before he was born. It’s a minor distraction, however, and doesn’t take much away from what is a fascinating and frequently emotional journey.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent read. I would recommend it for anyone who is or has faced adversity, and isn't that everyone. I especially liked the dual storylines of the autobiography and baseball game. I was fortunate to attend a book event with Mr. Abbott at Citizens Bank Park. He is such a genuinely nice guy, and a terrific storyteller. Highly recommend.

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Sep 16, 2012 JR Simons rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Because the doctor who delivered my son was negligent and injured him causing lifelong paralysis of his left arm, and because my own father injured his arm as a child in such a way that he was also impaired for the remainder of his life, I am able to relate to this book on many different levels. At times, I found myself crying in empathy with Jim Abbott's parents; at others, I found myself crying because I heard Abbot voicing so many of the things my son must be going through, and my father must...more Because the doctor who delivered my son was negligent and injured him causing lifelong paralysis of his left arm, and because my own father injured his arm as a child in such a way that he was also impaired for the remainder of his life, I am able to relate to this book on many different levels. At times, I found myself crying in empathy with Jim Abbott's parents; at others, I found myself crying because I heard Abbot voicing so many of the things my son must be going through, and my father must have gone through, every day; and at still other times, I found myself relating to one of Abbott's own children and asking the very same innocent question she asked, "Do you like your little hand?"

I hated hearing the play by play of Abbott's no-hitter only because he threw it against my beloved Cleveland Indians, and not just any Cleveland Indians team, but the dream team that eventually go on to win multiple AL Central Division titles and would go to two World Series and come so close to winning one. But every moment of that narration reminded me of my own son's sweet wrestling pin even after the insensitive referee asked the coaches at skin check, "How's he gonna wrestle with a bum arm?"

I hadn't given Jim Abbott much thought during the heyday of his career, but after my son was born in 1998, I remembered vaguely that there had once been a pretty good major league baseball pitcher who only had one hand, and he did just fine. Then, in 1999, I happened to be at (then) Jacob's Field and saw Jim Abbott in action, starting for the Milwaukee Brewers. I don't remember how it happened, but the Indians knocked him out after three or four innings, and the crowd cheered him as he left the field. It was a tough game to watch; wanting my beloved Tribe to win, but also wanting to see Abbott pitch brilliantly as well.

I've read some pretty amazing books this year, but "Imperfect" has to be one of the top three along with "Father's Day" by Buzz Bissinger and "The Better Angels of our Natures" by Stephen Pinker. I loved this one so much that I even bought a hardback copy and got my wife, who is not a reader, to read it as well.(less)

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Apr 03, 2012 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Entertaining Sports Autobiography

Published by Ballantine Books in April of 2012

Jim Abbott will always be known as "that one-handed pitcher" and in Imperfect he discusses the fact that his life has always been defined by his birth defect. Or, has it? As I read this book I found myself wondering if his missing hand limited him, propelled him or if he would have gone just as far if he had had both hands?

Abbott and Brown work together to create a very readable, entertaining book. I found the descri...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, 2012, memoir

I received an advanced copy of this book for free through the FirstReads program. I didn't know much about Jim Abbott before starting to read his memoir, other than the fact that he was a one-handed pitcher who played for both the Angels and the Yankees. In this book, he chronicles his childhood life and how having one hand influenced the person he grew up to be, and he also describes his baseball career in detail. The narrative jumps back and forth between his childhood, young adult life, and t...more I received an advanced copy of this book for free through the FirstReads program. I didn't know much about Jim Abbott before starting to read his memoir, other than the fact that he was a one-handed pitcher who played for both the Angels and the Yankees. In this book, he chronicles his childhood life and how having one hand influenced the person he grew up to be, and he also describes his baseball career in detail. The narrative jumps back and forth between his childhood, young adult life, and the no-hitter game he pitched in 1993, which was clearly the pinnacle of his career.

I liked the casual tone of the narration. It made for an easy read and held my interest. I was more captivated by stories from his childhood than I was by the play-by-play account of the no-hitter game he pitched. His passion for baseball is very clear throughout the book, but the no-hitter game description broke it down by inning, by batters, and by plays, and although it was a nice look inside his mind during the stressful game, it also did not provide the same emotions as stories from his childhood. A die-hard baseball fan fascinated by every moment of a game would probably feel differently, however, as that's the reader these parts are obviously aimed at!

What made this memoir so strong is the fact that he doesn't complain about his missing hand or let it define him as an entire person, despite the fact that he can't get away from being known as the "one-handed pitcher". Instead, he writes about difficulties he faced growing up, the questions he was constantly forced to answer, and the ways in which he was forced to adapt (switching his baseball mitt from hand to hand when pitching and catching, for example), constantly trying to prove to himself as much as anyone else that he could do anything. He noted that, growing up, when he wouldn't be picked for a sports team or the like, his parents would not coddle him and instead told him to get back out there. I liked the fact that he could point back to this approach and say that feeling different but wanting to be treated like anyone else and actually being treated like anyone else paid off in the end. He talks about wanting to be a good role model for kids with disabilities, and I'm sure this memoir would be quite inspirational for people suffering through their own issues.

Parts of the book described events he was not around for - his own birth, for example. Though these parts were obviously recreated with help from his parents, the tone felt different. The jump in time took me out of the rest of the story. I liked the background this provided; I just wasn't crazy about the manner in which it was told. Thankfully, this only accounted for a small portion of the book and, once past, the narrative definitely picked up.

I wish there had been a little more focus on his personal life outside of baseball as he grew older. Instead, the book describes his early years, and then doesn't dwell on much of his personal life outside baseball once he begins playing professional baseball; for example, his relationship with and marriage to his wife is barely described, and I feel like even a slight bit more emphasis on his personal life as an adult would have made the book more rounded and all-encompassing. The scenes he did include definitely made him more of a relatable, likable person - missing the last bus to the stadium, for example.

If you're looking for a tell-all book, this is definitely not something to pick up. However, if you're a baseball fan or looking for a story of triumph despite a disability, this is quite an inspirational story. The book is fairly short and definitely bounces around in time, but the story is extremely interesting, and you can't help but root for him throughout. (less)

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May 05, 2012 Donald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baseball

With Imperfect: An Improbable Life, Jim Abbott (along with Tim Brown) has written an honest, revealing memoir about his life and career. Born without a right hand, Abbott used that as his drive to prove himself on the baseball diamond (and therefore in life). He didn’t want pity; if he could win at baseball, it proved that he was as good as everyone else. He just wanted to be known as a baseball player and pitcher, not a “one-handed pitcher.” Abbott writes, “Baseball—and success in it—was so imp...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir, 2012

“Dad, do you like your little hand?”

Imperfect: An Improbable Life is not a standard sports biography. In fact, I argue that it is a book about a man who happened to play baseball, and play it well, and not the other way around. Published by Ballantine Books, Imperfect weaves the first person narrative of a rare sporting achievement, pitching a “no-hitter” (which means no one on the other team got a hit) in a professional baseball game and as a New York Yankee with larger story of how he got there.

Born with a physical defect which left him without a right hand, Jim Abbott, pitched his way out of Flint, Michigan, into the University of Michigan, then into a gold medal win at the 1988 Summer Olympics for the USA baseball team and finally into major league baseball where he achieved a pitcher’s dream of throwing a no-hitter. Along the way he learned how to handle the constant barrages of ridicule, simple fascination, and silent stares of his right hand and come to terms with his limitations and who he was and who he was not.

What I appreciate about this book is that it is more than a “baseball biography.” It is both an outer and inner narrative of someone who did not let a disability determine what he could and could not do in life. It contains a honest, even modest, honoring of his parents who supported him throughout his growing up years, his wife Dana, and others along the way who saw not someone with a disability but someone who had the drive and the talent to play baseball. And did.

One of the more moving sections of the book, which I will admit moved me to tears, is contained in chapter 13, where Abbott speaks about all the children and parents who would show up at the ballparks hoping for a kind word:

I had an idea – an inaccurate one, it turned out-that reaching the major leagues would be a personal finish line. I was never going to have two hands, but I assumed the story would grow old, and some other sparkly object would come along to catch the eye of the sports world and, anyway, by then I would have proven the game was not different for me… I was wrong. The attention from the media was, at times, stifling. The labels remained. The headlines in the local papers in every city we played were unchanged…And even that wasn’t what I was so completely wrong about. I was wrong about the children. I didn’t see them coming, not in the numbers they did. I didn’t expect the stories they told, or the distance they traveled to tell them, or the desperation revealed in them. They were shy and beautiful, and they were loud and funny, and they were, like me, somehow imperfectly built. And, like me, they had parents nearby, parents who willed themselves to believe that this accident of circumstance or nature was not a life sentence, and that the spirits inside these tiny bodies were greater than the sums of their hands and feet.

If you are looking for a different kind of sports book get this one. It will give you something to ponder in a good way. With the help of a veteran writer, Tim Brown, Jim Abbott tells a wonderful story of overcoming and being successful in all the right ways.

I rate this book a ‘great’ read.

Note: This book was an uncorrected advance reader copy via Amazon Vine program. I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review of it. I was not required to write a positive review.(less)

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Jun 14, 2012 Neil Crossan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Neil by: Mary Crossan

This is an unremarkable book about a remarkable story. The first 100 pages is a repetition of how Abbott wants to be treated just like everyone else with sprinklings of childhood anecdotes. You never get to know Abbott beyond the missing hand. I wonder if an independent observer would better tell his story. I was also surprised that the book doesn’t go beyond his baseball career for at least one chapter. So many players struggle with that adjustment. I wondered how he coped.

I went with my family...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Jon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about Jim Abbot an amazing person that grew up without a right hand. In this story it goes from his parents view to when he was born to the end of his baseball career. Jim always just wanted to be one of the guys without anyone looking at him differently, because that he often put his right hand in his pocket to hide it from view. Jim's parents were amazing because they never looked at his right hand as a setback or a disadvantage they always looked at it as an opportunity to motiva...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good story about overcoming odds and also a very good baseball book. Well written autobiography that moves along at a good pace. Even if you aren't a big baseball fan or know who Abbott is it is still a very good read. In a time where it seems most athletes are all about me,me,me and nothing else it was good to find a story about a man who's accomplishments meant as much to others as himself and to see he understood that and was willing to make time & eff...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Those that have endured some misfortune will always be set apart but that it is just that misfortune which is their gift and which is their strength and they must make their way back into the common enterprise of man for without they do so it cannot go forward and they will wither in bitterness." Those are the words of author Cormac McCarthy quoted in Jim Abbott's book about his struggle to become a major league pitcher despite having been born with only one hand. His struggle was more importan...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baseball

I do not dislike this book and some parts are very interesting, but many more parts are repetitive and somewhat tedious. There are way too many details like the weekly routine of Jim Abbott’s grandmother prior to him even being conceived. The structure of the book is similar to that of the movie For Love of the Game in that he fills the reader in on the story of his life in between innings of his no hitter. Although not original, I think it works up until he passes by the season in which he thre...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Patti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most people know Jim Abbott as the one-handed pitcher. He also pitched a no hitter in Yankee Stadium. But his story is so much more. I like the way the book was written, one chapter of background, then a chapter in the no-hitter game. It is the story how his parents always supported him, but made no excuses for him, challenges growing up and exiting baseball.He always made time to visit with the kids who would come to see him at the game. They had their own handicaps and he was a role model for...more

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May 10, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While its not the most original of formats, it's normalcy is the book's beauty. Jim Abbot was a major league pitcher for roughly a decade. Not a big winner, but still, to make it to the big leagues is a remarkable achievement for anyone who does.

Abbot was born with only one hand, his left. His routine rise and fall of the ancient ball player story is incredible when one considers the less than routine nature of the protagonist. At every yawning cliche of his career, the reader is challenged to...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Inspirational, painful, (seemingly) honest, moving, exciting, and, ultimately, deeply fulfilling - a book well worth reading (and worth having been written), whether or not you're a baseball fan. Jim Abbott's life - standing alone - has been one of the most remarkable sports stories of my lifetime (and we didn't want it to end). Baseball fans of my age (and, I'm sure, plenty of folks even much older) marveled at Abbott's extraordinary Olympic success, reveled in Abbott's astonishing major league...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last night I finished Jim Abbott's autobiography (with Tim Brown), Imperfect: An Improbable Life. I enjoyed it greatly and gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

The authors brilliantly interwove the story of Abbott's life with the story of the no-hitter he threw in September 1993 as a member of the New York Yankees. I don't know which writer deserves the most credit for the excellent tone and readability of the book, but I would imagine Brown is to credit for articulating Abbott's stories so wel...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I live in Southern California and follow the Angels and continued to see Abbott as part of the team. I always wondered about his story and this book was a good read and insight into his life. You have to like baseball to get the book. I would have liked a chapter about what he's doing after baseball but maybe that's another book. Thanks to Abbott for being an inspiration and giving of himself even if it wasn't always comfortable for him. And what truly amazing parents!

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Feb 27, 2013 Eric Reidsma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you like baseball this is a must read. I’m not a baseball fan, but my regular run route in Byron Center takes me past Jim Abbott’s house. When I learned that he wrote an autobiography, I checked it out and saw great reviews and have to agree with them. A well written story about Jim Abbott. Born without a right hand the book tells about his journey from birth to a successful major league pitcher. An inspiring story of how he dealt with, overcame and actually was propelled by his having only o...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Martha Newman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those who don't know, Jim Abbott was born with no right hand and he taught himself to both pitch and field by quickly shifting the glove from his nubbin of a right hand to his healthy left hand to be ready to field his position. He was the winning the pitcher for the gold-medal USA baseball team and had a respectable 10-year pitching career in MLB, which included a no-hitter for the NY Yankees. This was an excellent book read by the author.

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Feb 15, 2013 Matthew Gutierrez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great motivational book for baseball player or not. I always looked forward to reading it at night. A boy with a troubling start to his life (born without his right hand) became a professional baseball player, but that's just not why you should read it. Jim Abbott's motivational book makes you feel as if you're in his head, dealing with his adversity and pain. As Abbott grew older, though, his successes came often.

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About Jim Abbott

Jim Abbott was born September 19, 1967, in Flint, Michigan without a right hand. He was an All-America hurler at Michigan; won the Sullivan Award in 1987; was the pitcher for the Gold Medal Olympic Team in 1988; and threw a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees versus Cleveland (September 4, 1993). Jim played for 10 seasons on 4 different teams and ended his big league playing career in 1999.

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