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.