Jim Abbott: Against All Odds

by Ellen Emerson White

An inspirational biography of the one-handed pitcher of the California Angels traces his entire career in baseball, from his first no-hitter in Little League to winning an Olympic Gold Medal

Genres: Baseball, Sports

Paperback

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

This talented writer attended Tufts University (and published her first book, Friends for Life, while a senior there) and currently lives in New York City. Ms. White grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Many of her novels feature characters who reside in or around Boston and are fans of the Boston Red Sox (as is Ms. White). In addition to novels, Ms. White has published several biographies. She also writes under the pseudonym Zack Emerson (taking the name Zack from the name of her shepherd dog) and under the pseudonym Nicholas Edwards (Santa Paws series).

Reviews

[Alex Black]

Choosing to leave unrated because it's a kids biography written in 1990. I'm very much not the target audience.

I didn't know anything about Jim Abbott before reading this so it was very interesting to learn about his life and early career. I did feel like at a point the book veered a little too much into a play by play of the first half of his first season in the majors, but it was still a worthwhile read. Honestly, it made it interested enough to look up more information on him and now I'm kind of curious about his memoir.

Not sure who I'd recommend this too, but it was a good addition on my quest to read all Ellen Emerson White's books.

[Ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in my youth. Inspirational is the only word to describe it. Perhaps my first true appreciation for mind over matter outside of "quick lessons" shared verbally.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I used this book for book reports in school every year for three or four straight years. Was I the only kid who did such a thing?

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great BookJim Abbott: Against All Odds