What do you think?
Rate this book
The Chicken Runs at Midnight: A Daughter’s Message from Heaven That Changed a Father’s Heart and Won a World Series
One of the most inspirational stories of sports and faith ever told, The Chicken Runs at Midnight introduces us to a Major League baseball coach whose dying daughter's words changed his heart for good - and reached him in a surprising way through a World Series sign from heaven.
As a Major League Baseball coach, Rich Donnelly was dedicated, hardworking, and successful. But as a husband and father, he was distant, absent, and a failure. He'd let baseball take over his life, and as a result his family suffered. That is, until one day his daughter called with harrowing news.
"Dad, I have a brain tumor, and I'm sorry." These words from his seventeen-year-old daughter, Amy, turned his world upside-down. Now, more than ever, he was determined to put his family first.
The time they spent together in the months before her death will be treasured and remembered forever, but especially the inside joke that became a catchphrase for the Donnelly family as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates team that played in the National League Championship Series that year: "The chicken runs at midnight."
This book shares the heartwarming story behind the odd catchphrase - and how it still lives on as a symbol for never giving up—and proves that God can work in the life of any person, even through their mistakes and failures.
Weaving baseball history with personal memoir, this book is one that will make you thrill to victory, believe in hope, stand up to cheer for what is good in peoples' lives. It's a powerful story of redemption and faith that reminds us that God can work in our lives even when we think it's too late to change - and sometimes He sends us signs from heaven if we only have eyes to see.
As a Major League Baseball coach, Rich Donnelly was dedicated, hardworking, and successful. But as a husband and father, he was distant, absent, and a failure. He'd let baseball take over his life, and as a result his family suffered. That is, until one day his daughter called with harrowing news.
"Dad, I have a brain tumor, and I'm sorry." These words from his seventeen-year-old daughter, Amy, turned his world upside-down. Now, more than ever, he was determined to put his family first.
The time they spent together in the months before her death will be treasured and remembered forever, but especially the inside joke that became a catchphrase for the Donnelly family as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates team that played in the National League Championship Series that year: "The chicken runs at midnight."
This book shares the heartwarming story behind the odd catchphrase - and how it still lives on as a symbol for never giving up—and proves that God can work in the life of any person, even through their mistakes and failures.
Weaving baseball history with personal memoir, this book is one that will make you thrill to victory, believe in hope, stand up to cheer for what is good in peoples' lives. It's a powerful story of redemption and faith that reminds us that God can work in our lives even when we think it's too late to change - and sometimes He sends us signs from heaven if we only have eyes to see.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 2, 2018
95 people are currently reading
723 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
December 12, 2021
“Hey Dad, when you get down in that stance and you cup your hands, what are you telling those guys at second...?
The third case coach is an invisible man on the ball field, hardly noticed from the fan's perspective. But to the base runner, and certain people, he is all important, the runner's advocate. Although invisible, there are those who see.
”Part of our life takes place on first base; the next part of our life takes place on second; and the next part of our life takes place on third.”
Steubenville, Ohio is not so far from Canton, Ohio, and not so far from Pittsburgh, just across the state line. Rich Donnelly grew up in this tough little town, idolizing an older brother, obeying his no-nonsense demanding father, listening to Pirates games and eventually desiring to play the game himself. Someday I'll play for the Pirates, he'd say. Go to the Series with the Buccos. He wasn't far off from the truth of it. Baseball would become his life. When he was still just a young boy, he lost his older brother, but he did not lose his hope. Nor did he lose the child's faith he had in God. An alter boy from the beginning, he'd pray for the things a boy would for, and in the coming years as a young man. Life though, especially life in baseball – first as a player trying to make it to the big league, and later as an aspiring manager – has its way of disrupting faith.
For Rich, too much time apart from his family became a step to something worse. He would look back later to say he'd had it all – a dedicated wife, three strong boys and one beautiful girl named Amy – and blew it all away.
In time, their little girl Amy grew to be more like her dad than he'd realize, headstrong, a bit stubborn, a lover of sports, but she was also a wholly vibrant, naturally nurturing, giving soul. As in the game of baseball, time can be shorter than a man expects. Time isn't something we often think about until it's suddenly there. Considering his past mistakes, Rich would decidedly go forward carrying guilt as the price to pay. His daughter had left something with him though. Loving memories and a few special words that would prove that not all coincidences are coincidental. Words that would affirm his faith in God, allow him to forgive himself and know that Amy is with him in more than memories.
”But Amy was a teacher – she taught me how to live...”
November 28, 2023
My off-season reading continues with a 2019 Casey Award nominee. Why did the chicken cross the road is an oft used joke to get kids thinking about original answers. Here, there is no chicken crossing the road, rather a chicken running at midnight. Whether chickens run or fly or strut their stuff is up to one’s imagination, but to a cancer patient named Amy Donnelly, the chicken most definitely ran at midnight. Knowing much of baseball’s history, I am always looking for new angles to explore. This year I read a memoir written by a baseball wife and multiple books about the history of life in the minor leagues. While informative and humorous at times, none of those come close to the story of the Donnelly family. On the surface the Donnellys are a regular baseball family, but their story is sure to leave a reader counting one’s blessings.
Rich Donnelly grew up in the all American town of Steubenville, Ohio thirty miles west of Pittsburgh. Listening to Tom Prince on the radio and honing his craft by using jello powder to replicate dirt, Rich dreamed of playing in a World Series for the Pirates one day. As a younger sibling he saw first hand how his father Jerome lit in to his older brother Romey if he was not the best player on whatever team he was playing for. Romey didn’t have the fire it took to be a professional athlete but he knew it beat life in the coal mines and was his ticket out of Steubenville, far away from Jerome. Rich, on the other hand, wanted to play in a World Series, but if this dream was not attainable, then he would love more than anything to coach third base and wave the runner in to win the World Series for his team. This was Rich’s childhood dream the way most boys dream of hitting that home run in the seventh game.
Steubenville was a town controlled by Italian mafia and had its cast of characters. Its most famous son is still Dean Martin and all boys dreamed of being like Dean and making it big. Rich wanted to play ball but on his terms but that would never happen as long as he lived under his parents’ roof. Jerome Donnelly was a drill sergeant. After seeing Romey succomb to lymphoma at the young age of twenty five, Jerome transferred his army parenting style to Rich. Rich had been a good catholic boy growing up, but between Romeu’s death and Jerome’s inability to show any positive emotions, Rich began to question his relationship with G-D. When offered a scholarship to attend Xavier University on the other side of the state of Ohio, Rich jumped at the opportunity to get out from under Jerome’s shadow, even if it meant further severing his relationship with G-D.
After giving up his dream as player, Rich was given the opportunity to coach at an early age. He and his wife Peggy wound up in the Rangers organization and moved to suburban Arlington, what they thought was a wholesome place to raise a family. The Donnellys would have three sons because athletes only have sons or so Rich thought and a daughter named Amy, who loved her dad more than anything else. Rich wanted his sons to be athletes even if they weren’t the most talented. Amy might have been the best athlete of the bunch but being born right when Title IX was coming into existence, Rich did not view his daughter as an athlete. She chose to play soccer and then basketball and was easily the most talented member of her teams. Perhaps if Amy was born ten years later and was given a better lot in life, she would have been the Donnelly to get that college scholarship and make it big in the pros. Rich sadly did not view Amy as athlete material. He didn’t even view his family as family material, choosing to wed himself to baseball and having multiple affairs that would eventually end his marriage. Leaving a wife and four kids to remarry and then chase his dream as a Pirate was not the saddest part of this book. Many athlete marriages end in divorce because of the temptations of life on the road; even though Rich Donnelly eventually found himself, when his divorce took place he was just another statistic, a baseball lifer who chose the game over his family.
While Rich Donnelly became Jim Leyland’s right hand man and an integral part of his coaching staff that would ascend the Pirates to the top of the National League, Amy was dealt a cruel fate back in Texas. Always wanting to be the center of attention, she played teacher for her neighborhood kids and developed a classroom in her garage. Later she joined her high school basketball team and as a point guard lead her team to the district playoffs. Although her brothers would earn scholarships to smaller schools in their chosen sports, it was Amy who was clearly the athlete in the family. If only her father knew. In twelfth grade at a time when one has the future ahead of them, Amy was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Given less than a year to live, Amy took the carpe diem mantra and shoved it on its side. Then, the impossible happened: the Pirates were close to going to the World Series. Amy had to be there; after years of spending summers with her dad and babysitting the other players’ kids, she was a part of the team. The players viewed her as a little sister and thought she had cancer beat, which was far from the truth. The doctors let her attend one game, which was the happiest moment of many of her family members’ lives. While in the car on the way home from the game, she uttered the famous chicken runs at midnight line, which was to become the family’s calling card.
Rich Donnelly was hardly the perfect Catholic or perfect husband or father; however, his daughter Amy taught him how to live and how to gracefully face death. Rich followed Leyland to multiple coaching stops, all at third base. In 1997, as a member of the Florida Marlins, Rich finally had his chance to coach third base in the World Series. When Craig Counsell, also known as the chicken, scored the winning run at just past midnight, Rich knew what Amy’s message was after all those years. His childhood dream became a catharsis, and while hardly the ideal father and husband and religious person, Rich came to terms with himself. The last fifty pages or so became a tear jerker, but to a baseball fan, that is what baseball is: the relationship between generations of families and passing down fandom and traditions. In the case of the Donnellys, the traditions were in the form of a phrase that ended up touching hundreds of thousands of people.
With grandparents hailing from a neighborhood ten minutes from where I now live, Amy Donnelly could have been a teaching colleague. She could have been a basketball coach who lead multiple teams to state championships while motivating generations of students to get that homework done because that could lead to these kids achieving beyond their dreams. I would not doubt it in the least after reading her story. Amy was dealt the low card but she did not let the diagnosis define her, choosing to live the last year of her life to the fullest. The sappy ending would have been that the rest of the Donnellys reconciled and lived happily ever after. That was not to be, but Rich Donnelly has repaired frayed relationships with both people and with G-D. While not a baseball tale that got me motivated for opening day, the Donnelly’s story is an uplifting one that will stay with me for a long time. My team the Cubs are now managed by none other than Craig Counsell, the chicken in this story. My hope is that he gets his players in a position to be running at midnight.
4 stars
Rich Donnelly grew up in the all American town of Steubenville, Ohio thirty miles west of Pittsburgh. Listening to Tom Prince on the radio and honing his craft by using jello powder to replicate dirt, Rich dreamed of playing in a World Series for the Pirates one day. As a younger sibling he saw first hand how his father Jerome lit in to his older brother Romey if he was not the best player on whatever team he was playing for. Romey didn’t have the fire it took to be a professional athlete but he knew it beat life in the coal mines and was his ticket out of Steubenville, far away from Jerome. Rich, on the other hand, wanted to play in a World Series, but if this dream was not attainable, then he would love more than anything to coach third base and wave the runner in to win the World Series for his team. This was Rich’s childhood dream the way most boys dream of hitting that home run in the seventh game.
Steubenville was a town controlled by Italian mafia and had its cast of characters. Its most famous son is still Dean Martin and all boys dreamed of being like Dean and making it big. Rich wanted to play ball but on his terms but that would never happen as long as he lived under his parents’ roof. Jerome Donnelly was a drill sergeant. After seeing Romey succomb to lymphoma at the young age of twenty five, Jerome transferred his army parenting style to Rich. Rich had been a good catholic boy growing up, but between Romeu’s death and Jerome’s inability to show any positive emotions, Rich began to question his relationship with G-D. When offered a scholarship to attend Xavier University on the other side of the state of Ohio, Rich jumped at the opportunity to get out from under Jerome’s shadow, even if it meant further severing his relationship with G-D.
After giving up his dream as player, Rich was given the opportunity to coach at an early age. He and his wife Peggy wound up in the Rangers organization and moved to suburban Arlington, what they thought was a wholesome place to raise a family. The Donnellys would have three sons because athletes only have sons or so Rich thought and a daughter named Amy, who loved her dad more than anything else. Rich wanted his sons to be athletes even if they weren’t the most talented. Amy might have been the best athlete of the bunch but being born right when Title IX was coming into existence, Rich did not view his daughter as an athlete. She chose to play soccer and then basketball and was easily the most talented member of her teams. Perhaps if Amy was born ten years later and was given a better lot in life, she would have been the Donnelly to get that college scholarship and make it big in the pros. Rich sadly did not view Amy as athlete material. He didn’t even view his family as family material, choosing to wed himself to baseball and having multiple affairs that would eventually end his marriage. Leaving a wife and four kids to remarry and then chase his dream as a Pirate was not the saddest part of this book. Many athlete marriages end in divorce because of the temptations of life on the road; even though Rich Donnelly eventually found himself, when his divorce took place he was just another statistic, a baseball lifer who chose the game over his family.
While Rich Donnelly became Jim Leyland’s right hand man and an integral part of his coaching staff that would ascend the Pirates to the top of the National League, Amy was dealt a cruel fate back in Texas. Always wanting to be the center of attention, she played teacher for her neighborhood kids and developed a classroom in her garage. Later she joined her high school basketball team and as a point guard lead her team to the district playoffs. Although her brothers would earn scholarships to smaller schools in their chosen sports, it was Amy who was clearly the athlete in the family. If only her father knew. In twelfth grade at a time when one has the future ahead of them, Amy was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Given less than a year to live, Amy took the carpe diem mantra and shoved it on its side. Then, the impossible happened: the Pirates were close to going to the World Series. Amy had to be there; after years of spending summers with her dad and babysitting the other players’ kids, she was a part of the team. The players viewed her as a little sister and thought she had cancer beat, which was far from the truth. The doctors let her attend one game, which was the happiest moment of many of her family members’ lives. While in the car on the way home from the game, she uttered the famous chicken runs at midnight line, which was to become the family’s calling card.
Rich Donnelly was hardly the perfect Catholic or perfect husband or father; however, his daughter Amy taught him how to live and how to gracefully face death. Rich followed Leyland to multiple coaching stops, all at third base. In 1997, as a member of the Florida Marlins, Rich finally had his chance to coach third base in the World Series. When Craig Counsell, also known as the chicken, scored the winning run at just past midnight, Rich knew what Amy’s message was after all those years. His childhood dream became a catharsis, and while hardly the ideal father and husband and religious person, Rich came to terms with himself. The last fifty pages or so became a tear jerker, but to a baseball fan, that is what baseball is: the relationship between generations of families and passing down fandom and traditions. In the case of the Donnellys, the traditions were in the form of a phrase that ended up touching hundreds of thousands of people.
With grandparents hailing from a neighborhood ten minutes from where I now live, Amy Donnelly could have been a teaching colleague. She could have been a basketball coach who lead multiple teams to state championships while motivating generations of students to get that homework done because that could lead to these kids achieving beyond their dreams. I would not doubt it in the least after reading her story. Amy was dealt the low card but she did not let the diagnosis define her, choosing to live the last year of her life to the fullest. The sappy ending would have been that the rest of the Donnellys reconciled and lived happily ever after. That was not to be, but Rich Donnelly has repaired frayed relationships with both people and with G-D. While not a baseball tale that got me motivated for opening day, the Donnelly’s story is an uplifting one that will stay with me for a long time. My team the Cubs are now managed by none other than Craig Counsell, the chicken in this story. My hope is that he gets his players in a position to be running at midnight.
4 stars
December 31, 2021
This is a very special book for me. I stumbled upon it in my Goodread friend’s Ron review. The name caught my eye first but as I read his review I was intrigued until I read that it was set In Steubenville, Ohio which was where I was born. At that point I knew that the book was not only for me but for my 91 year old father who was also born there and worked there until his 30’s. I ordered it immediately and gave it to my father as a Christmas gift. I couldn’t have given him anything he could love more. If you believe in the right book coming to the right person at the right time this was it! The first sentence in the first chapter began in the cemetery where my fathers parents were buried. Captivated ,Dad was in heaven being able to walk the streets of Steubenville one more time. But he was to find it was not only the walk back time that was his gift because as he read on he was to be touched deeply by the “rest of the story” as the beloved Paul Harvey would say.
The book is actually a book with its own message and has touched thousands of lives. Ron has a beautifully written review that reveals just the perfect amount of the plot so as not to spoil the message for the reader . I cannot thank Ron enough for his review and the journey that it put my father and I on.
The book is actually a book with its own message and has touched thousands of lives. Ron has a beautifully written review that reveals just the perfect amount of the plot so as not to spoil the message for the reader . I cannot thank Ron enough for his review and the journey that it put my father and I on.
November 17, 2018
Just may be the best true story and sports book I’ve read in a long, long time. No doubt the best “book” I’ve read this year. It will make you laugh! It will make you sad! It will make you cry! It will make you mad! But above all else, it will make you so glad you read it. Author Tom Friend tells a wonderful story.
December 30, 2021
A fascinating and emotional read that pulls at your heartstrings while leaving you inspired and heart- warmed by the end. This is a wonderful true story for everybody, especially baseball fans. I listened to this on on audible book which was an inspirational experience.
August 29, 2025
It’s very hard to categorize this book because it touches so many areas. Is it a baseball book? Yes, there’s much about the sport and one man’s quest to reach the major leagues, but it is so much more than that. Is it a spiritual book? Yes, but it doesn’t really have that characteristic until the last third or so. Is it a book on family life and relationships? Yes, that’s important to the story but again, not a complete description. Yet, this wonderful book by Tom Friend will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about these topics. Field’s writing about the following topics is a joy to behold and will keep the reader glued to the book.
Let’s start with the baseball. Rich Donnelly grew up in the town of Steubenville, Pennsylvania as a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While he dreamed of playing for his beloved Pirates, he wasn’t the best athlete in his family - that honor belonged to his brother Jerome Jr. or Romey. Romey was also Rich’s hero, 14 years his senior and continually monitored by their father Jerome. Wanting to ensure that Romey would become a major league pitcher, Jerome Sr. was basically a helicopter parent in that he set strict rules for Romey about practice, social time, eating, dating - you name it, it was monitored by the father. While Romey did end up in professional baseball, he failed to make the major leagues and tragically died not long after giving up the game.
Enter Rich, who was already doing pretty well for himself as a catcher. Jerome Sr. then shifted his focus to Rich who also ended up playing college and professional baseball. Like Romey, Rich had struggles in the minors and also married a woman soon after finally having the freedom to do so. He and his wife Peggy had four children - Richard Jr. or Bubba, Tim, Mike and Amy. It is the daughter, Amy, who spoke the phrase making up the title of the book - and it was just a spontaneous remark when she asked her dad what he told players when cupping his mouth while being the third base coach. This was in the 1992 NLCS when Rich was the third base coach for the Pirates. He may not have made his boyhood team as a player, but he was just as thrilled to wear their uniform as a coach.
But the road there was filled with many issues. Rich inherited his father’s type A personality and while that may work on a baseball diamond, it certainly caused issues with his family. He pushed the three boys hard when they showed promise in baseball and basketball. But Amy…well, Amy was her own person and always tried to show her father how she was important too. Not to mention her talents were on display as well. She would gather kids in the family garage and hold classrooms lessons, complete with homework and forms for parents to sign. She also became an athlete, excelling in basketball. But Rich never saw this - thanks to falling for the vices that often plagued baseball players on the road - drinking and women. Rich and his wife Peggy eventually divorced and Amy was left despondent over not being able to please her father.
Even more so, as Freind wonderfully describes, Rich is also left with so many lingering doubts - about how good a father he was to his daughter, to his faith and his overall life. But news about Amy and a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer left Rich in shock and the story of how he got back into Amy’s life, how special she was and the time they together in the Pittsburgh playoff drive - capped off by “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” comment - is one that is very heartwarming. One would think that when Amy passed away the following spring, that would be the end of the story.
But for Rich, following manager Jim Leylamd to Miami and being the third base coach for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series, there was one more miracle from Amy thanks to Marlin Craig Counsell, who was nicknamed the Chicken and the time that the Marlins won game 7. Not wanting to give away any more of the story than already told, just know that if a reader got this far without tearing up or at least feeling some emotion, they are sure to do so when this occurs.
This book was a finalist for a 2019 Casey Award and once one reads it, they will understand why. Not a typical baseball story even though there are many typical baseball plays and personalities in the book, this is one that is sure to captivate a reader. Even this lengthy review cannot do justice to the complete story of Rich and Amy Donnelly.
Let’s start with the baseball. Rich Donnelly grew up in the town of Steubenville, Pennsylvania as a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While he dreamed of playing for his beloved Pirates, he wasn’t the best athlete in his family - that honor belonged to his brother Jerome Jr. or Romey. Romey was also Rich’s hero, 14 years his senior and continually monitored by their father Jerome. Wanting to ensure that Romey would become a major league pitcher, Jerome Sr. was basically a helicopter parent in that he set strict rules for Romey about practice, social time, eating, dating - you name it, it was monitored by the father. While Romey did end up in professional baseball, he failed to make the major leagues and tragically died not long after giving up the game.
Enter Rich, who was already doing pretty well for himself as a catcher. Jerome Sr. then shifted his focus to Rich who also ended up playing college and professional baseball. Like Romey, Rich had struggles in the minors and also married a woman soon after finally having the freedom to do so. He and his wife Peggy had four children - Richard Jr. or Bubba, Tim, Mike and Amy. It is the daughter, Amy, who spoke the phrase making up the title of the book - and it was just a spontaneous remark when she asked her dad what he told players when cupping his mouth while being the third base coach. This was in the 1992 NLCS when Rich was the third base coach for the Pirates. He may not have made his boyhood team as a player, but he was just as thrilled to wear their uniform as a coach.
But the road there was filled with many issues. Rich inherited his father’s type A personality and while that may work on a baseball diamond, it certainly caused issues with his family. He pushed the three boys hard when they showed promise in baseball and basketball. But Amy…well, Amy was her own person and always tried to show her father how she was important too. Not to mention her talents were on display as well. She would gather kids in the family garage and hold classrooms lessons, complete with homework and forms for parents to sign. She also became an athlete, excelling in basketball. But Rich never saw this - thanks to falling for the vices that often plagued baseball players on the road - drinking and women. Rich and his wife Peggy eventually divorced and Amy was left despondent over not being able to please her father.
Even more so, as Freind wonderfully describes, Rich is also left with so many lingering doubts - about how good a father he was to his daughter, to his faith and his overall life. But news about Amy and a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer left Rich in shock and the story of how he got back into Amy’s life, how special she was and the time they together in the Pittsburgh playoff drive - capped off by “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” comment - is one that is very heartwarming. One would think that when Amy passed away the following spring, that would be the end of the story.
But for Rich, following manager Jim Leylamd to Miami and being the third base coach for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series, there was one more miracle from Amy thanks to Marlin Craig Counsell, who was nicknamed the Chicken and the time that the Marlins won game 7. Not wanting to give away any more of the story than already told, just know that if a reader got this far without tearing up or at least feeling some emotion, they are sure to do so when this occurs.
This book was a finalist for a 2019 Casey Award and once one reads it, they will understand why. Not a typical baseball story even though there are many typical baseball plays and personalities in the book, this is one that is sure to captivate a reader. Even this lengthy review cannot do justice to the complete story of Rich and Amy Donnelly.
October 28, 2022
No doubt one of the greatest non-fiction books I’ve ever read. It’s a terrific story. Read it and you will reflect on your life, make a promise to yourself to cherish every minute with those you love, and be an “Amy.” Read this book. You will not regret it.
February 2, 2019
My husband prompted me to read this book. He is not much of a book guy and prefers newspapers and magazines. But when he received "C.R.A.M." as a holiday gift, I guess that gave him the added incentive to read it - which he did in three days with several wet tissues as the bi-product! Being the bookie that I am, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
First let me say it took me longer than three days. There's a LOT of baseball in this story and my feeling about baseball was best captured by my father-in-law who once said if the Pirates were playing in the back yard, he would pull the drapes. Yes, I know this is heresy coming from the daughter of a baseball coach and sister to brothers who love the sport, not to mention my husband. The other tough part of the book is the story itself. It's a tale of redemption but it takes a lot of time to get to the redeeming part and all the while you are agonizing over the way Rich Donnelly neglects his family.
But it's a worthwhile, inspirational read and well-told by sports writer Tom Friend. If you don't want to invest the reading time, you can catch a 7-minute YouTube of Donnelly's interview on Lifetime where he gives a moving synopsis of the book.
First let me say it took me longer than three days. There's a LOT of baseball in this story and my feeling about baseball was best captured by my father-in-law who once said if the Pirates were playing in the back yard, he would pull the drapes. Yes, I know this is heresy coming from the daughter of a baseball coach and sister to brothers who love the sport, not to mention my husband. The other tough part of the book is the story itself. It's a tale of redemption but it takes a lot of time to get to the redeeming part and all the while you are agonizing over the way Rich Donnelly neglects his family.
But it's a worthwhile, inspirational read and well-told by sports writer Tom Friend. If you don't want to invest the reading time, you can catch a 7-minute YouTube of Donnelly's interview on Lifetime where he gives a moving synopsis of the book.
January 4, 2021
Excellent and descriptive story for having the courage to do do the right thing when the inspiration hits. Many regrets, loss, and what healing can look like for a tough man’s kind of a man. Very touching and a powerful read for fathers especially.
July 6, 2024
Being from Weirton,WV and a long time Pirate fan, I was very familiar with this incredible story. Thanks to Rich for sharing your ups and downs I loved it .The chicken runs at midnight!!
June 26, 2021
I really really wanted to LOVE this book! It's perfect for me, a lifetime baseball addict, and lover of anecdotal baseball lore and stories. I knew of many of the players referred to here, and looked forward to filling in the family backstory and unknown elements referred to by the book's hype. The title, of course captured my imagination, and I had NOT heard the story previously, so it was all going to be fresh and new to me. It was also advertised as a spiritual "Daughter's Message from Heaven That Changed a Father's Heart and Won a World Series". WOW! Hopeful and magical and how can anyone judge that, question it or deny its power?????
And after all who am I to judge? I don't really know Rich Donnelly, but am exactly his age and shared his dream as a kid and as a player. I never made the major leagues, but I got close enough to know a bit about it, and my love for the game has been a MAJOR part of my life for 64 of my 74 years. For all those years I played, coached, umpired, read about, studied, argued and mostly enjoyed watching the sport. And within my own experiences witnessed first hand some of the magic and spiritual wonders Baseball can create and give to those involved. I've said many times that baseball literally saved my life.
But who am I to judge??? I don't know Rich Donnelly, and I am glad for him that he finally seems to have found peace and forgiveness in his life. He certainly paid dearly for his "sins" as we all do in our own ways. We all have made mistakes and done horrid things for which we suffer and try to gain some sense of peace and forgiveness.
So let me instead write my thoughts about the author Tom Friend, someone I recognized immediately as a solid "baseball guy" Friend is a writer and commentator for ESPN, NY Times, Wash Post, L A Times etc etc.....He even wrote a television script for this story that was nominated for a sport's award Emmy. Who am I to judge him?? He's won all the acclaim and told Rich Connolly's story so well that it's become legend, of sorts.
It's just that as a former player, coach, father and observer of the game I can't help feeling a bit manipulated. I feel a bit like the sad and lonely kid who just watched a parade go by full of razzle and dazzle, and watched everybody else win, but was left alone with some very mixed feelings and emotions. The simple formula of make bad mistakes in life...treat family and others like crap.....but find happiness in forgiveness in the end is a form of the Horatio Alger myth. Sometimes it's just not that easy peasy, and the pain and harm we have done can't be just "Oh Well" forgotten.
I didn't like Rich Connelly. He was a jerk. He was raised in a dysfunctional family with a domineering Dad who did him harm he never understood. He lost an older brother. He was cut in his Dad's pinstripes and became a clone. He treated his kids like a tyrant. It was ALL about HIM. Tom Friend DID justice to that, but left the rotten tomato hanging there without any resolution....He never got any of the help he desperately needed. It was all just on to the next show.....life just goes on you know?!
And in fairness to Tom Friend, he understood Rich's kids, especially Amy, and wrote poetically about their struggles and successes. Friend also glossed over some issues that would later emerge in Rich's sons, but maybe that would be a different book.
Friend also knows the baseball culture well, and the locker rooms stories, road game extravaganzas and personality issues of that high pressure world. He tried to portray that and share some of that humor and warmth......it fell flat in my opinion. The stories he told just weren't all that funny. Some of the participants acted more like enraged adolescents or nut cases, and it was all " I guess you had to be there humor".
Lastly the quasi-religious, mystical, magical voice from the grave aspect was just way too much for me. It spoiled the story as it was super HYPED. There was a sadness and poignancy to all this.....so so much was lost in this story.. .....was sad and heartbreaking.......but all of this just can't be washed over with glibness and hype and whitewashed as a miracle. Like when a player hits a home run and points to the sky...thanking God I imagine ???...and makes me cringe. Does God really watch over and care if we get a good hit??? Life and sports are full of coincidence, repetition, good and bad plays, good and bad luck. Why make them so cause /effect...it ruins the real magic!
And after all who am I to judge? I don't really know Rich Donnelly, but am exactly his age and shared his dream as a kid and as a player. I never made the major leagues, but I got close enough to know a bit about it, and my love for the game has been a MAJOR part of my life for 64 of my 74 years. For all those years I played, coached, umpired, read about, studied, argued and mostly enjoyed watching the sport. And within my own experiences witnessed first hand some of the magic and spiritual wonders Baseball can create and give to those involved. I've said many times that baseball literally saved my life.
But who am I to judge??? I don't know Rich Donnelly, and I am glad for him that he finally seems to have found peace and forgiveness in his life. He certainly paid dearly for his "sins" as we all do in our own ways. We all have made mistakes and done horrid things for which we suffer and try to gain some sense of peace and forgiveness.
So let me instead write my thoughts about the author Tom Friend, someone I recognized immediately as a solid "baseball guy" Friend is a writer and commentator for ESPN, NY Times, Wash Post, L A Times etc etc.....He even wrote a television script for this story that was nominated for a sport's award Emmy. Who am I to judge him?? He's won all the acclaim and told Rich Connolly's story so well that it's become legend, of sorts.
It's just that as a former player, coach, father and observer of the game I can't help feeling a bit manipulated. I feel a bit like the sad and lonely kid who just watched a parade go by full of razzle and dazzle, and watched everybody else win, but was left alone with some very mixed feelings and emotions. The simple formula of make bad mistakes in life...treat family and others like crap.....but find happiness in forgiveness in the end is a form of the Horatio Alger myth. Sometimes it's just not that easy peasy, and the pain and harm we have done can't be just "Oh Well" forgotten.
I didn't like Rich Connelly. He was a jerk. He was raised in a dysfunctional family with a domineering Dad who did him harm he never understood. He lost an older brother. He was cut in his Dad's pinstripes and became a clone. He treated his kids like a tyrant. It was ALL about HIM. Tom Friend DID justice to that, but left the rotten tomato hanging there without any resolution....He never got any of the help he desperately needed. It was all just on to the next show.....life just goes on you know?!
And in fairness to Tom Friend, he understood Rich's kids, especially Amy, and wrote poetically about their struggles and successes. Friend also glossed over some issues that would later emerge in Rich's sons, but maybe that would be a different book.
Friend also knows the baseball culture well, and the locker rooms stories, road game extravaganzas and personality issues of that high pressure world. He tried to portray that and share some of that humor and warmth......it fell flat in my opinion. The stories he told just weren't all that funny. Some of the participants acted more like enraged adolescents or nut cases, and it was all " I guess you had to be there humor".
Lastly the quasi-religious, mystical, magical voice from the grave aspect was just way too much for me. It spoiled the story as it was super HYPED. There was a sadness and poignancy to all this.....so so much was lost in this story.. .....was sad and heartbreaking.......but all of this just can't be washed over with glibness and hype and whitewashed as a miracle. Like when a player hits a home run and points to the sky...thanking God I imagine ???...and makes me cringe. Does God really watch over and care if we get a good hit??? Life and sports are full of coincidence, repetition, good and bad plays, good and bad luck. Why make them so cause /effect...it ruins the real magic!
July 15, 2019
This could have been a depressing story. And parts of it still linger in my mind and my heart. I love baseball and the essence of this story is not only underlined with baseball and it's participants: from little league through the "Bigs". It has the heartbeat of family, both dysfunctional and lyrical, of love even when a small boy is receiving the slashes of his domineering father's belt. It exposes the inability of grown men to avoid sexual misadventures and alcohol at the most extreme of broken families and their own hopes and dreams. Interlaced are the handwritten notes of daughter Amy to her sometimes estranged father ,Rich Donnelly.
What happens in the latter chapters careens from hope to despair, from truth to what must be the depth of human personal catharsis. For Rich Donnelly, a living example of the top and the bottom of existence, his personal hell (or at least purgatory) with several endings....I say that because much of it so surprised (or horrified) me. Whatever you do. Finish this book. Even if you care little about baseball you will find this, through the notes of Amy Donnelly, to be one of the most bittersweet stories of life, often at it's worst.
What happens in the latter chapters careens from hope to despair, from truth to what must be the depth of human personal catharsis. For Rich Donnelly, a living example of the top and the bottom of existence, his personal hell (or at least purgatory) with several endings....I say that because much of it so surprised (or horrified) me. Whatever you do. Finish this book. Even if you care little about baseball you will find this, through the notes of Amy Donnelly, to be one of the most bittersweet stories of life, often at it's worst.
March 15, 2020
I love sports stories and I love inspirational stories. This was both. I especially relished the connection this book had to Craig Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewer's head coach. I've always liked and respected him and I do even more now after reading this book. Despite enjoying this book and despite trying really hard to be understanding, I truly found it hard to like the main character, Rich Donnelly. I was hoping my heart would turn by the end. It didn't. Thus, the four stars.
February 3, 2025
This is a story about tragedy and triumph. Regret and redemption. It’s the life story about Rich Donnelly in that you get a lot of background on his childhood, but the main focus of the story is his relationship with his daughter, and her life story. His daughter’s name is Amy ❤️.
Rich is a baseball man and his life goes off course, he loses his faith, bad decisions cost him his family, and the only thing that got his attention was the death of his daughter. All of that is in the book summary so there are no spoilers there. I was not familiar with the story and if you stay until the end there is something unexpected. At least it was to me. The book is also faith related and the unexpected happening at the end can be seen as evidence of faith if you are a believer.
Actual messages from Amy from throughout her life are sprinkled in through the book. Then the last part of the book actual messages from Rich to Amy after she was gone are sprinkled throughout the remainder of the book. He had started writing to his daughter even though she was gone. The actual messages from each was a nice addition to the story.
The chicken runs at midnight. RIP Amy 🫡
Rich is a baseball man and his life goes off course, he loses his faith, bad decisions cost him his family, and the only thing that got his attention was the death of his daughter. All of that is in the book summary so there are no spoilers there. I was not familiar with the story and if you stay until the end there is something unexpected. At least it was to me. The book is also faith related and the unexpected happening at the end can be seen as evidence of faith if you are a believer.
Actual messages from Amy from throughout her life are sprinkled in through the book. Then the last part of the book actual messages from Rich to Amy after she was gone are sprinkled throughout the remainder of the book. He had started writing to his daughter even though she was gone. The actual messages from each was a nice addition to the story.
The chicken runs at midnight. RIP Amy 🫡
June 22, 2019
Incredible true story
Rich Donnelly had an up and down life, with downs caused by him. With his daughter, Amy, always at his side. But he, like too many in life, was too wrapped up in his dream to be a third base coach. Then Amy is diagnosed with a terminal illness at age 17. This turns Rich’s life around. She has nine months. She never lets anyone see anything other than an upbeat person concerned about everyone else, never herself. Rich becomes the man he should have been. I highly recommend this book. As sad as her circumstance is, she and her dad make you feel good. Knowing that it is a true story helps you appreciate what is possible.
Rich Donnelly had an up and down life, with downs caused by him. With his daughter, Amy, always at his side. But he, like too many in life, was too wrapped up in his dream to be a third base coach. Then Amy is diagnosed with a terminal illness at age 17. This turns Rich’s life around. She has nine months. She never lets anyone see anything other than an upbeat person concerned about everyone else, never herself. Rich becomes the man he should have been. I highly recommend this book. As sad as her circumstance is, she and her dad make you feel good. Knowing that it is a true story helps you appreciate what is possible.
January 17, 2024
Well written true story about a man who loved baseball so much that it pulled his family apart. He went down a road that changed him into a man that he shouldn't be. He always thought of himself as having a family of sons and doing all the 'boy stuff' with them until he had his daughter. She turned out to be what turned him around and made him head down a better path in life. Was very sad though, that it took for his daughter to become terminally ill at a young age to realize how special she was and that she was his redemption.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2025
This book is a great book to read that goes way beyond baseball. In the into the author says the game of baseball has the best stories due to the nature of the game and its history. This is a must read for all baseball fans.
February 16, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. What an inspiring story! Being a baseball fan and a Pirate fan made it even more meaningful to me.
August 7, 2023
More than a baseball story, a life story told through baseball. A faith journey. Read it.
June 14, 2023
Wow, this book..... All the feels.
If you like baseball and believe in God, then this book is for you. Highly recommend!!
If you like baseball and believe in God, then this book is for you. Highly recommend!!
November 7, 2024
I did not realize that this book would give me such a different perspective of the 1997 World Series. It was a book about my favorite sport and the ridiculous title hooked me to place this story in my " want to read" list. Little did I know that my Cleveland Indians would play such a role in this wonderful story. Thank you for sharing your story.
November 27, 2022
I was gifted this book and didn’t know anything about it - it’s about baseball, family, faith, and sin. As a daughter of a father who loves baseball, I knew a few of the references to players and coaches, and the story was interesting. As a daughter of a father in general, I cried and cried while reading this. It’s very touching. I just wish the author (and story) had focused more on the Good News of forgiveness through Jesus rather than works.
March 3, 2019
I stumbled onto this book when a customer at my bookstore wanted to order it. He told me a little bit about it, and when he mentioned Craig Counsell played a major part in the story, I had to order a second copy for myself. So glad I did. What a phenomenal tale of faith and redemption!
January 3, 2019
Very few books have made me cry. I cried five times reading this book. Mr. Donnelly's story about his daughter Amy is nothing short of inspirational. Here is a young woman dying of cancer who finds a way to smile every day, despite the inevitable looming overhead. Mr. Donnelly's daughter, Amy is without a doubt my role model. She was somebody who could find the good within the bad. I am so blessed to have read such a wonderful book.
April 8, 2025
“𝘏𝘦𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥...?”
⚾️ Surprisingly good sports and inspirational story based on Rich Donnelly’s life. I genuinely was not expecting to enjoy a book about a MLB coach struggling with his faith to grab my attention, but here we are.
This is a narrative about Donnelly’s quest to find meaning, success, and happiness unique to him and the challenges he faced in order to get to a place where he was truly content with himself and his spirituality. Donnelly experiences uncomfortable self-evaluations, family truths, and faults head on, all with the help from his daughter, Amy, via a miracle on a baseball field.
There were quite a bit of baseball references I didn’t get (name dropping) that I just ignored because googling took too much time. I also got a bit annoyed with a repetitive phrase at the end, even though it was clearly utilized for a reason.
Pick this up if you like baseball, if you have a complex relationship with your father, and/or if you’re looking into exploring your spirituality in a non preachy way.
🎈 Warnings 🎈
- Child Abuse
- Authoritarian Parent
- Loss of Child
- Religious Content
- Mild Stalking
🏟 Recommended by: My Dad
🧢 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚾️ Surprisingly good sports and inspirational story based on Rich Donnelly’s life. I genuinely was not expecting to enjoy a book about a MLB coach struggling with his faith to grab my attention, but here we are.
This is a narrative about Donnelly’s quest to find meaning, success, and happiness unique to him and the challenges he faced in order to get to a place where he was truly content with himself and his spirituality. Donnelly experiences uncomfortable self-evaluations, family truths, and faults head on, all with the help from his daughter, Amy, via a miracle on a baseball field.
There were quite a bit of baseball references I didn’t get (name dropping) that I just ignored because googling took too much time. I also got a bit annoyed with a repetitive phrase at the end, even though it was clearly utilized for a reason.
Pick this up if you like baseball, if you have a complex relationship with your father, and/or if you’re looking into exploring your spirituality in a non preachy way.
🎈 Warnings 🎈
- Child Abuse
- Authoritarian Parent
- Loss of Child
- Religious Content
- Mild Stalking
🏟 Recommended by: My Dad
🧢 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 17, 2018
Inspirational!
April 13, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: I FELL IN LOVE WITH AMY… AND DEFINITELY DID NOT WITH HER FATHER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need to preface my review with two facts about myself… that made me want to read this book. First of all… I almost died during BRAIN-TUMOR-SURGERY fifteen years ago. I am a TOTALLY-BLESSED-GRATEFUL-BRAIN-TUMOR-SURVIVOR! Secondly… I played baseball my entire youth through young adulthood… and have remained a die-hard baseball fan my entire life. So when I heard about the storyline of this book... I was drawn to it. I have read literally hundreds upon hundreds of baseball books in my life… with many of them reviewed by me on Amazon. But that was not the driving force behind me buying this book. I obviously knew… and do know… what it feels like being the brain tumor patient facing the possibility of death… or in my mind… worse… the possibility of surviving and being a vegetable… but I wanted the chance to find out more about… how the people “around” the brain tumor patient/victim… reacted… and carried on around her. This was something when you’re the one being operated on and hopefully recovering… you can’t fully appreciate in detail… because you’re (if you’re blessed) too busy fighting to survive.
A quick thumbnail sketch without a true spoiler… before I give my deeply seeded feelings after experiencing this story. The supposed protagonist is Rich Donnelly a big league baseball coach… who has four children… three boys… and one girl… my now “beloved” Amy. Amy died at nineteen-years-old from a brain tumor. The title… “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” was taken from a question Amy asked her Dad near the end of her ever-too-short-life… regarding his coaching style at third base. Anything on that particular item would be a spoiler… and you can learn more if you decide to read the book.
Now… though the book is supposed to be Rich’s life story… I view the book as purely Amy’s wonderful short life… and as a byproduct you learn about her Father… who cheats on his wife and kids… who stops going to church… who starts drinking heavily… and try’s to put most of the blame for his deplorable loss of character and integrity on others. He blames Billy Martin… whom he terms as Mr. Chivas Regal… and other baseball men… for making him (in his mind) feel like he’ll lose his job in the big leagues if he doesn’t go out almost every night drinking and whoring around… despite the fact that he has a wife and four children at home. He blames subsequent managers on other teams for the same thing. He cheats with a girl sixteen years younger than him… and shacks up with her. And though Donnelly grew up very religious… he blames the baseball environment for making it too embarrassing… and possibly job threatening to be seen going to church.
In addition the reader will learn in detail that Rich’s Father… abused him. NOT SEXUALLY… but mentally and physically. Rich carries over (as many do) some of these traits to his children. Poor Amy… the only girl in the family… so loves her Father… and only wants to please him… and he wouldn’t even let her participate in playing basketball with him and her brother in the driveway.
Amy will steal your heart! What a beautiful gift G-d gave to mankind… though he took her too soon. She always wanted to be a teacher… and when she was a child she set up a classroom in their garage… and made her siblings and neighborhood kids attend class. She gave homework assignments… report cards… and sent notes home to students that needed to buckle up! One neighborhood mother complained her child brought home more disciplinary notes from Amy… than her child got from regular school. Her greatest joy for gifts on XMAS and birthdays… were things like blackboards and bulletin boards for her classroom in the garage.
To further try to win favor with her Father… she started to play soccer on her own… and became one of the best in the area… she started to play basketball on her own and made the team… and then the tumor attacked. She loved baseball as a fan… and like the Father she was constantly trying to please… her favorite team was the Pittsburgh Pirates. When Donnelly became a coach for his childhood team… Amy and her brothers would spend some time each summer with their Dad (and later his new wife) and go to all the Pirate games. Amy being a girl… wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse so she stayed in the “green room” with the families… became a baby sitter for the players kids… and just like everywhere sweet… perky… tough… Amy went… she stole and owned everyone’s heart.
There came a point after her Father destroyed the family with his wanton philandering… that Amy refused to talk to him. Eventually she slowly opened up to seeing him again… and would send him special little handwritten notes… which the author uses to great effect throughout the book.
As Amy’s brain tumor spreads… and she continues fighting life’s toughest… unfair fight… her smiles get bigger… her heart gets sweeter… And I started to get sadder… and started to “miss” her. I found myself constantly going back to the pictures in the middle of the book… where you could see… sweet… effervescent… courageous… Amy… in every phase of her too short life.
This book is truly Amy’s book… you don’t have to be a brain tumor survivor like me… to be touched deeply in your heart and soul… you’ll feel like you knew her… but just like everyone else… you’ll be sad you didn’t get to know her longer.
G-d Bless you Amy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need to preface my review with two facts about myself… that made me want to read this book. First of all… I almost died during BRAIN-TUMOR-SURGERY fifteen years ago. I am a TOTALLY-BLESSED-GRATEFUL-BRAIN-TUMOR-SURVIVOR! Secondly… I played baseball my entire youth through young adulthood… and have remained a die-hard baseball fan my entire life. So when I heard about the storyline of this book... I was drawn to it. I have read literally hundreds upon hundreds of baseball books in my life… with many of them reviewed by me on Amazon. But that was not the driving force behind me buying this book. I obviously knew… and do know… what it feels like being the brain tumor patient facing the possibility of death… or in my mind… worse… the possibility of surviving and being a vegetable… but I wanted the chance to find out more about… how the people “around” the brain tumor patient/victim… reacted… and carried on around her. This was something when you’re the one being operated on and hopefully recovering… you can’t fully appreciate in detail… because you’re (if you’re blessed) too busy fighting to survive.
A quick thumbnail sketch without a true spoiler… before I give my deeply seeded feelings after experiencing this story. The supposed protagonist is Rich Donnelly a big league baseball coach… who has four children… three boys… and one girl… my now “beloved” Amy. Amy died at nineteen-years-old from a brain tumor. The title… “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” was taken from a question Amy asked her Dad near the end of her ever-too-short-life… regarding his coaching style at third base. Anything on that particular item would be a spoiler… and you can learn more if you decide to read the book.
Now… though the book is supposed to be Rich’s life story… I view the book as purely Amy’s wonderful short life… and as a byproduct you learn about her Father… who cheats on his wife and kids… who stops going to church… who starts drinking heavily… and try’s to put most of the blame for his deplorable loss of character and integrity on others. He blames Billy Martin… whom he terms as Mr. Chivas Regal… and other baseball men… for making him (in his mind) feel like he’ll lose his job in the big leagues if he doesn’t go out almost every night drinking and whoring around… despite the fact that he has a wife and four children at home. He blames subsequent managers on other teams for the same thing. He cheats with a girl sixteen years younger than him… and shacks up with her. And though Donnelly grew up very religious… he blames the baseball environment for making it too embarrassing… and possibly job threatening to be seen going to church.
In addition the reader will learn in detail that Rich’s Father… abused him. NOT SEXUALLY… but mentally and physically. Rich carries over (as many do) some of these traits to his children. Poor Amy… the only girl in the family… so loves her Father… and only wants to please him… and he wouldn’t even let her participate in playing basketball with him and her brother in the driveway.
Amy will steal your heart! What a beautiful gift G-d gave to mankind… though he took her too soon. She always wanted to be a teacher… and when she was a child she set up a classroom in their garage… and made her siblings and neighborhood kids attend class. She gave homework assignments… report cards… and sent notes home to students that needed to buckle up! One neighborhood mother complained her child brought home more disciplinary notes from Amy… than her child got from regular school. Her greatest joy for gifts on XMAS and birthdays… were things like blackboards and bulletin boards for her classroom in the garage.
To further try to win favor with her Father… she started to play soccer on her own… and became one of the best in the area… she started to play basketball on her own and made the team… and then the tumor attacked. She loved baseball as a fan… and like the Father she was constantly trying to please… her favorite team was the Pittsburgh Pirates. When Donnelly became a coach for his childhood team… Amy and her brothers would spend some time each summer with their Dad (and later his new wife) and go to all the Pirate games. Amy being a girl… wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse so she stayed in the “green room” with the families… became a baby sitter for the players kids… and just like everywhere sweet… perky… tough… Amy went… she stole and owned everyone’s heart.
There came a point after her Father destroyed the family with his wanton philandering… that Amy refused to talk to him. Eventually she slowly opened up to seeing him again… and would send him special little handwritten notes… which the author uses to great effect throughout the book.
As Amy’s brain tumor spreads… and she continues fighting life’s toughest… unfair fight… her smiles get bigger… her heart gets sweeter… And I started to get sadder… and started to “miss” her. I found myself constantly going back to the pictures in the middle of the book… where you could see… sweet… effervescent… courageous… Amy… in every phase of her too short life.
This book is truly Amy’s book… you don’t have to be a brain tumor survivor like me… to be touched deeply in your heart and soul… you’ll feel like you knew her… but just like everyone else… you’ll be sad you didn’t get to know her longer.
G-d Bless you Amy!
December 21, 2019
Yes, there were tears, and the honesty and openness of the subject sharing his faults and failures as a dad were worthy of respect. But the overall effect of the book relied on a sentimentality that became tiring at times. One hopes that the inevitable movie based on this story will follow the style of a film like “The Natural”, and not an “Angels in the Outfield.” The baseball parts were pretty good.
August 22, 2019
Great read for a Brewers fan. Dont research it. Trust me. Starts slow but awesome story.
October 2, 2019
Amazing story. I didn’t like the writers style. You’d have to be a serious baseball fan to follow all the baseball lingo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews