What do you think?
Rate this book
Henry Wiggen #1
The Southpaw
The Southpaw is a story about coming of age in America by way of the baseball diamond. Lefthander Henry Wiggen, six feet three, a hundred ninety-five pounds, and the greatest pitcher going, grows to manhood in a right-handed world. From his small-town beginnings to the top of the game, Henry finds out how hard it is to please his coach, his girl, and the sports page—and himself, too—all at once. Written in Henry’s own words, this exuberant, funny novel follows his eccentric course from bush league to the World Series. Although Mark Harris loves and writes tellingly about the pleasures of baseball, his primary subject has always been the human condition and the shifts of mortal men and women as they try to understand and survive what life has dealt them.
This new Bison Books edition celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Southpaw . In his introduction to this edition, Mark Harris discusses the genesis of the novel in his own life experience. Also available in Bison Books editions are The Southpaw , It Looked Like For Ever , and A Ticket for a Seamstitch , the other three volumes in the Henry Wiggen series.
This new Bison Books edition celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Southpaw . In his introduction to this edition, Mark Harris discusses the genesis of the novel in his own life experience. Also available in Bison Books editions are The Southpaw , It Looked Like For Ever , and A Ticket for a Seamstitch , the other three volumes in the Henry Wiggen series.
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
15 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Mark Harris
243 books25 followersHarris was born Mark Harris Finkelstein in Mount Vernon, New York, to Carlyle and Ruth (Klausner) Finkelstein. At the age of 11, he began keeping a diary, which he would maintain for every day of his life thereafter.
After graduating in 1940 from Mount Vernon High School, he dropped his surname because "it was a difficult time for kids with Jewish names to get jobs." He subsequently went to work for Paul Winkler's Press Alliance news agency in New York City as a messenger and mimeograph operator.
He was drafted into the United States Army in January 1943. His growing opposition to war and his anger at the prevalence of racial discrimination in the Army led him to go AWOL from Camp Wheeler, Georgia, in February 1944. He was soon arrested and then hospitalized for psychoneurosis. He was honorably discharged in April 1944. His wartime experience formed the basis for two of his novels, Trumpet to the World (1946) and Something About a Soldier (1957).
Harris joined The Daily Item of Port Chester, New York, as a reporter in May 1944. A year later he accepted a position with PM in New York City but was fired after two months. In July 1945 he was hired by the International News Service and moved to St. Louis. While there, he met coworker Josephine Horen, whom he would marry in March 1946. After resigning in July 1946, he spent the next year and a half in a succession of short-lived journalism jobs in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Journal), Chicago (Negro Digest and Ebony), and New York (Park Row News Service).
In February 1948, Harris abandoned journalism to enroll in the University of Denver, from which he received a Master's degree in English in 1951 as well as obtaining a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1956.
In September 1956, he was hired by the English department of San Francisco State College, where he taught until 1967. He went on to teach at several other universities, including Purdue, California Institute of the Arts, the University of Southern California, and the University of Pittsburgh. In September 1980, he joined the faculty of Arizona State, where he was a professor of English and taught in the creative writing program until his retirement in 2001.
His first novel, Trumpet to the World, is the story of a young black soldier married to a white woman who is put on trial for striking back at a white officer, was published in 1946, and he continued to produce novels and contribute to periodicals through the years. In 1960, while in his first college teaching position, Harris promoted his then-most-recent book in a TV appearance as guest contestant in "You Bet Your Life", a game played on The Groucho Show.
In January 1962, Something About a Soldier, a stage version of Harris's novel, played briefly on Broadway. Written by Ernest Kinoy and produced by the Theatre Guild, it featured Sal Mineo in the lead role. Later, the novel Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted into a stage play at the Next Theatre in Evanston, Illinois.
Harris died of complications of Alzheimer's disease at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Josephine Horen; his sister, Martha; two sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren.
Harris was best known for a quartet of novels about baseball players: The Southpaw (1953), Bang the Drum Slowly (1956), A Ticket for a Seamstitch (1957), and It Looked Like For Ever (1979). Written in the vernacular, the books are the account of Henry "Author" Wiggen, a pitcher for the fictional New York Mammoths. In 1956, Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted for an installment of the dramatic television anthology series The United States Steel Hour; starring Paul Newman as Wiggen and Albert Salmi as doomed catcher Bruce Pearson. The novel also became a major motion picture in 1973, with a screenplay written by Harris, directed by John D. Hancock and featuring Michael Moriarty as Wiggen and Robert De Niro as Pearson.
After graduating in 1940 from Mount Vernon High School, he dropped his surname because "it was a difficult time for kids with Jewish names to get jobs." He subsequently went to work for Paul Winkler's Press Alliance news agency in New York City as a messenger and mimeograph operator.
He was drafted into the United States Army in January 1943. His growing opposition to war and his anger at the prevalence of racial discrimination in the Army led him to go AWOL from Camp Wheeler, Georgia, in February 1944. He was soon arrested and then hospitalized for psychoneurosis. He was honorably discharged in April 1944. His wartime experience formed the basis for two of his novels, Trumpet to the World (1946) and Something About a Soldier (1957).
Harris joined The Daily Item of Port Chester, New York, as a reporter in May 1944. A year later he accepted a position with PM in New York City but was fired after two months. In July 1945 he was hired by the International News Service and moved to St. Louis. While there, he met coworker Josephine Horen, whom he would marry in March 1946. After resigning in July 1946, he spent the next year and a half in a succession of short-lived journalism jobs in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Journal), Chicago (Negro Digest and Ebony), and New York (Park Row News Service).
In February 1948, Harris abandoned journalism to enroll in the University of Denver, from which he received a Master's degree in English in 1951 as well as obtaining a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1956.
In September 1956, he was hired by the English department of San Francisco State College, where he taught until 1967. He went on to teach at several other universities, including Purdue, California Institute of the Arts, the University of Southern California, and the University of Pittsburgh. In September 1980, he joined the faculty of Arizona State, where he was a professor of English and taught in the creative writing program until his retirement in 2001.
His first novel, Trumpet to the World, is the story of a young black soldier married to a white woman who is put on trial for striking back at a white officer, was published in 1946, and he continued to produce novels and contribute to periodicals through the years. In 1960, while in his first college teaching position, Harris promoted his then-most-recent book in a TV appearance as guest contestant in "You Bet Your Life", a game played on The Groucho Show.
In January 1962, Something About a Soldier, a stage version of Harris's novel, played briefly on Broadway. Written by Ernest Kinoy and produced by the Theatre Guild, it featured Sal Mineo in the lead role. Later, the novel Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted into a stage play at the Next Theatre in Evanston, Illinois.
Harris died of complications of Alzheimer's disease at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Josephine Horen; his sister, Martha; two sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren.
Harris was best known for a quartet of novels about baseball players: The Southpaw (1953), Bang the Drum Slowly (1956), A Ticket for a Seamstitch (1957), and It Looked Like For Ever (1979). Written in the vernacular, the books are the account of Henry "Author" Wiggen, a pitcher for the fictional New York Mammoths. In 1956, Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted for an installment of the dramatic television anthology series The United States Steel Hour; starring Paul Newman as Wiggen and Albert Salmi as doomed catcher Bruce Pearson. The novel also became a major motion picture in 1973, with a screenplay written by Harris, directed by John D. Hancock and featuring Michael Moriarty as Wiggen and Robert De Niro as Pearson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 15, 2008
being a big baseball fan, i'm always on the lookout for baseball literature. it wasn't until recently that i came across 'the southpaw,' but i'm sure glad i did.
in an era where so many authors feel duty-bound to dazzle their readers with their million-dollar vocabularies, clever turns-of-phrase, and over-wrought use of simile and metaphor, and continual one-upmanship, 'the southpaw' is a literal breath of fresh air. it's a lot like 'to kill a mockingbird' in that often the deepest and most meaningful of sentiments are usually expressed simply, thoughtfully, and don't require a lot $10 words to get it across. unfortunately, a lot of today's 'literature' is completely unreadable, a fate 'the southpaw' thankfully avoids.
mark harris is a very seductive writer, in the truest sense of the word. he so effortlessly pulls you into wiggens' world and its colorful (not 'quirky') cast of characters. you sometimes read four or five (or more) pages and not a thing happens to push the plot along, but so engaging is wiggens' voice, so likeable (using '1' instead of 'one' and 'a-tall' instead of 'at all') his guileless character, that you can't help but continue reading and enjoying every second of it.
at its core, 'the southpaw' is a simple story about a pitcher's journey from flame-throwing adolescent to star pitcher for the fictional new york mammoths, but what a journey it is. harris tackles a lot of topics (racism, segregation, economics, fidelity, power and class struggles, etc), and in doing so, elevates it from a simple, nostalgic yarn to a complex literary work simply told. literature need not be depressing and bleak (contrary to what some of my profs told me). 'the southpaw' is a prime example of great literature that doesn't wallow in its own gloom. i loved reading it. if you're a fan of baseball, and even if you're not, this book comes highly recommended.
in an era where so many authors feel duty-bound to dazzle their readers with their million-dollar vocabularies, clever turns-of-phrase, and over-wrought use of simile and metaphor, and continual one-upmanship, 'the southpaw' is a literal breath of fresh air. it's a lot like 'to kill a mockingbird' in that often the deepest and most meaningful of sentiments are usually expressed simply, thoughtfully, and don't require a lot $10 words to get it across. unfortunately, a lot of today's 'literature' is completely unreadable, a fate 'the southpaw' thankfully avoids.
mark harris is a very seductive writer, in the truest sense of the word. he so effortlessly pulls you into wiggens' world and its colorful (not 'quirky') cast of characters. you sometimes read four or five (or more) pages and not a thing happens to push the plot along, but so engaging is wiggens' voice, so likeable (using '1' instead of 'one' and 'a-tall' instead of 'at all') his guileless character, that you can't help but continue reading and enjoying every second of it.
at its core, 'the southpaw' is a simple story about a pitcher's journey from flame-throwing adolescent to star pitcher for the fictional new york mammoths, but what a journey it is. harris tackles a lot of topics (racism, segregation, economics, fidelity, power and class struggles, etc), and in doing so, elevates it from a simple, nostalgic yarn to a complex literary work simply told. literature need not be depressing and bleak (contrary to what some of my profs told me). 'the southpaw' is a prime example of great literature that doesn't wallow in its own gloom. i loved reading it. if you're a fan of baseball, and even if you're not, this book comes highly recommended.
October 13, 2019
Glad I finally got around to reading this ... and I expect I'll continue with the series. As historical (baseball) fiction goes, I found it more-than-sufficiently entertaining. (I'm not ready to put it on the same shelf as, say, The Celebrant, but that's high bar for historical baseball fiction, but I digress.)
The book resonated with me as a period piece (it's no surprise that it was written in, and about, a very time time) and a geeky/insider homage to baseball. I'm not sure I would recommend the book to anyone who isn't steeped in the game, and I'm quite certain I wouldn't recommend it as a first baseball book (to anyone). But ... if you play and/or know the game and/or read a lot about the game, well, that's another story....
While I found the protagonist sufficiently compelling, I found myself putting the book down more than I expected. I enjoyed the opening gambit and, frankly, expected to finish it within a day or two, but ... somehow ... it managed to stretch out over the course of a week. The short chapters made episodic reading easy, but I think the main thing is that at no point did I find myself compelled to stay up at night to finish the book or forgo other activities to keep reading. ... Having said that, I did keep reading (and never seriously considered not finishing the book).
Frankly, one of the most interesting aspects of the book - at least for me - was the author's (decades later) retrospective (which preceded the text itself in the edition I bought and read), reminiscing about how the book originally got written. I got a real kick out of that.
As a general rule, I'm skeptical of writers using (and overusing) phonetic spelling and poor grammar, but for the most part, I thought Harris managed the (fictional) narrator/protagonist's voice well.
The book resonated with me as a period piece (it's no surprise that it was written in, and about, a very time time) and a geeky/insider homage to baseball. I'm not sure I would recommend the book to anyone who isn't steeped in the game, and I'm quite certain I wouldn't recommend it as a first baseball book (to anyone). But ... if you play and/or know the game and/or read a lot about the game, well, that's another story....
While I found the protagonist sufficiently compelling, I found myself putting the book down more than I expected. I enjoyed the opening gambit and, frankly, expected to finish it within a day or two, but ... somehow ... it managed to stretch out over the course of a week. The short chapters made episodic reading easy, but I think the main thing is that at no point did I find myself compelled to stay up at night to finish the book or forgo other activities to keep reading. ... Having said that, I did keep reading (and never seriously considered not finishing the book).
Frankly, one of the most interesting aspects of the book - at least for me - was the author's (decades later) retrospective (which preceded the text itself in the edition I bought and read), reminiscing about how the book originally got written. I got a real kick out of that.
As a general rule, I'm skeptical of writers using (and overusing) phonetic spelling and poor grammar, but for the most part, I thought Harris managed the (fictional) narrator/protagonist's voice well.
November 10, 2019
Probably a better coming-of-age story than Huckleberry Finn, with a broader cast of characters and similar language. That said, baseball figures heavily, and those without an appreciation for the art are likely to be left behind in the dense descriptions of day-to-day struggles.
Baseball of this era has an inherent angle for character growth - the gradual acceptance of a rookie on a team. Here, this is coupled with other trials to form a satisfying Bildungsroman. Other characters are a bit more than 2D, and it is easy to see how three sequels flowed naturally. The most famous of these is the next book, Bang the Drum Slowly. The Southpaw also has elements of a road trip, and is often compared to On the Road, written a few years later.
My rating is 3½ stars, but I am rounding down on goodreads due to the density of baseball. There were a few points where my lids began to droop, and I absolutely love the game. Unlike Ball Four, the majority of these are important to the story. A chapter or two from the main character dealing with the minutiae (for example, a letter to his girlfriend) would help the more casual reader. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Baseball of this era has an inherent angle for character growth - the gradual acceptance of a rookie on a team. Here, this is coupled with other trials to form a satisfying Bildungsroman. Other characters are a bit more than 2D, and it is easy to see how three sequels flowed naturally. The most famous of these is the next book, Bang the Drum Slowly. The Southpaw also has elements of a road trip, and is often compared to On the Road, written a few years later.
My rating is 3½ stars, but I am rounding down on goodreads due to the density of baseball. There were a few points where my lids began to droop, and I absolutely love the game. Unlike Ball Four, the majority of these are important to the story. A chapter or two from the main character dealing with the minutiae (for example, a letter to his girlfriend) would help the more casual reader. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 17, 2012
Having picked up its more famous sequel Bang the Drum Slowly on sale, I got The Southpaw so I would know the background. Now I have no desire to read the sequel. This is supposedly serious fiction for baseball fans, though most commentary will tell you it is not about baseball at all. Perhaps not, but there is a lot of boring baseball in it (the recounting of baseball games ought not to be boring, but it is here). The non-baseball stuff is at least interesting at times but otherwise has almost no redeeming value. Apparently "coming-of-age" should lead one to become more selfish and more cynical. And it is hard to conceive of a first-person narrator so lacking in self-awareness. We are supposed to like Henry Wiggen, but he is not likable. None of the characters in this book are likable. The Southpaw is boring, pretentious, and profane. I finished this because I started it, but I would not recommend this to anyone.
April 21, 2017
I knew of Mark Harris, through the 70's movie Bang the Drum Slowly. The movie is based on the second book this series. The Southpaw the first of 4, is written as a memoir of a rookie phenom pitcher named Henry Wiggen and his first season as a pitcher, following his life from the bush leagues to the World Series. It was written in the 50's but thankfully it did not have any of the 'hero worship, and cliche' that many sports books from that era have. It is a credible story, and could have been written about the game in this era as well. Even people who have a elemental knowledge about baseball, and want a good story about a young man coming of age will find this book well worth your time.
June 12, 2008
After reading "Bang the Drum Slowly" I thought I would give this book a shot. It is the first book in this series where we meet the "hero" and southpaw henry wiggen.
While I liked this book for the great discription of the baseball scenes, it didn't get to the point until page 340 out of 350.
"Bang the Drum Slowly" is a superior book. I even enjoyed the movie, which is Robert DiNerno's first major role and what lead to him staring in Godfather II.
While I liked this book for the great discription of the baseball scenes, it didn't get to the point until page 340 out of 350.
"Bang the Drum Slowly" is a superior book. I even enjoyed the movie, which is Robert DiNerno's first major role and what lead to him staring in Godfather II.
April 22, 2020
This is the first of four books about Henry Wiggen. It is Wiggins journal of his journey from high school pitcher to a star major league pitcher in his rookie season. It is also the a story of which I am familiar: how a left handed adapts to a right handed world. The Wiggins series is a fun look at baseball in the 1950s and the fist two books in particular are excellent. This is a great coming of age story when fame arrives like a freight train.
January 24, 2020
Published in 1953, this is a literary masterpiece. I never thought I'd see the day where "Moneyball" moved off it's perch as my favorite baseball book but the impossible has happened. Told from the first person point of view and written in a style reminiscent of Mark Twain (indeed, after I theorized that "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was mentioned thrice) the book largely focuses on a single season and the clubhouse dynamics of the New York Mammoths (Yankees). Our protagonist Henry Wiggin is so amiable that I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face for pages at a time. Loved everything about it and am giving it the title of my new Favorite Book of 2020! The Southpaw....Five Stars!
-Favorite Book of 2020
-Favorite Book of 2020
September 15, 2019
There is a bit where Henry Wiggen, the eponymous southpaw pitching phenom, talks about frequenting the cinemas to catch baseball films. He notes that none of the movies every feel very realistic to him since none of the Hollywood Baseball Players ever hit foul balls during the Big Games. Rather, they're always getting the dramatic hits and strikeouts that make their fictional games more exciting. Foul balls, Henry points out, make up practically half of every game, and without them, the Hollywood games just don't ring true.
This is a good metaphor for what makes Mark Harris's The Southpaw such a wonderful Baseball Book. It's written from the point-of-view of a baseball player, by someone who seems like they really know their baseball. Yes, the overarching story of a rookie pitcher rising up through the ranks to play for the pennant may seem a well-worn one, but Harris fills Wiggen's story with all the 'foul balls' that give the story a ring of authenticity.
Harris certainly gives us lots of big games, with strike outs and dramatic hits, but the real meat of the book lies rather in the earnest insight of it's big galoot protagonist, Hank Wiggen. Through Hank's eyes, we see how his father (a bush-league lifer) fosters his son's love of the game. We see Hank get recruited then learn the ropes as he navigates the farm systems of the big major league teams. We see Hank bond with his fellow rookies, and sigh as he learns that the idols of his youth are just a bunch of normal joes with problems of their own. We get to watch the team swell with pride when they're hot, then sink into confused despair when they're not. All of the team's joy and frustration is on full display throughout.
We get to see the friendly rivalries between teammates and opposing players. We get to see the casual racism that gets flung at Hank and his roommate (who is black). We share in Hank's pity when an aging veteran loses his spot to an up-and-comer, or when a hot minor-league prospect hasn't got what it takes to make the jump to the big leagues. We get to see how sports reporters and advertisers and the fans have their roles to play. We get to see how, no matter how much the game has changed since The Southpaw was written in 1953, at its most basic level, baseball is exactly the same now as it has always been.
And for us lifelong fans of baseball, we get to see the game lovingly described in simple, earnest terms, foul balls and all.
Best baseball book I've ever read. Highly recommended.
This is a good metaphor for what makes Mark Harris's The Southpaw such a wonderful Baseball Book. It's written from the point-of-view of a baseball player, by someone who seems like they really know their baseball. Yes, the overarching story of a rookie pitcher rising up through the ranks to play for the pennant may seem a well-worn one, but Harris fills Wiggen's story with all the 'foul balls' that give the story a ring of authenticity.
Harris certainly gives us lots of big games, with strike outs and dramatic hits, but the real meat of the book lies rather in the earnest insight of it's big galoot protagonist, Hank Wiggen. Through Hank's eyes, we see how his father (a bush-league lifer) fosters his son's love of the game. We see Hank get recruited then learn the ropes as he navigates the farm systems of the big major league teams. We see Hank bond with his fellow rookies, and sigh as he learns that the idols of his youth are just a bunch of normal joes with problems of their own. We get to watch the team swell with pride when they're hot, then sink into confused despair when they're not. All of the team's joy and frustration is on full display throughout.
We get to see the friendly rivalries between teammates and opposing players. We get to see the casual racism that gets flung at Hank and his roommate (who is black). We share in Hank's pity when an aging veteran loses his spot to an up-and-comer, or when a hot minor-league prospect hasn't got what it takes to make the jump to the big leagues. We get to see how sports reporters and advertisers and the fans have their roles to play. We get to see how, no matter how much the game has changed since The Southpaw was written in 1953, at its most basic level, baseball is exactly the same now as it has always been.
And for us lifelong fans of baseball, we get to see the game lovingly described in simple, earnest terms, foul balls and all.
Best baseball book I've ever read. Highly recommended.
January 4, 2018
The coming-of-age story of Henry Wiggen, southpaw extraordinaire, coming up through the minors to lead the Mammoths into the playoffs. You know, this was nothing at all special until the very end. It's an uber linear story with no real twists or complications, save for Henry's rickety back, until the final 15 pages, and the twists have nothing to do with the outcome of the baseball season. Henry has some sudden epiphanies as the season ends, and he basically decides that he will no longer take b.s. from anyone, be it his coach, his self-obsessed teammates, the press, and so on. Easy-going Henry had had enough! Until that point, it was a grammatically and orthographically challenged ball player recalling his first year. But I enjoyed Harry growing a bit and coming to some grown-up conclusions.
July 23, 2018
This baseball tale, set in the city of Gotham about the same time as Mantle, Mays, and Snider, chronicles the early rise of Henry Wiggen of the fictitious New York Mammoths. But Wiggen as a narrator reminds us more of Huckleberry Finn than Roy Hobbs, for he uses the same style of grammar-challenged dialect and naive honesty as Mark Twain's persona who made a good bit of commentary on society, religion, education, and such. Ironically, what is most important about his rookie season in the majors (a good portion of the second half of the novel) is not so much the outcome of the team and its quest for the pennant, but the harsh education of Wiggen (much like Huck Finn).
Like the rest of us, Henry must learn that our idols are human and faulty, that baseball--and humanity--is cruel, and success comes at a price.
If you aren't a baseball fan, don't bother with Harris' book.
Like the rest of us, Henry must learn that our idols are human and faulty, that baseball--and humanity--is cruel, and success comes at a price.
If you aren't a baseball fan, don't bother with Harris' book.
June 2, 2024
I've read a few baseball books lately (The Natural; You Know Me, Al; The Southpaw). I like a lot of things about each. I found this book to be fairly similar to You Know Me, Al--rookies from small towns who think they're the next big thing. Thins one was easier to read because the protagonist wasn't constantly being trampled by the people around him. He could get a bit obnoxious at times, not seeming to consider that he would be playing alongside the people he was discussing the following season. It also had some similarities to The Natural, but it traded the magical realism (a high point of The Natural) for much more emphasis on the actual baseball games (almost entirely missing from The Natural). It's a decent middle ground, and I felt like there was an interesting progression and plot to follow.
September 12, 2025
Mock sports tell-all book by mid-fifties New York Mammoth lefthander Henry W. Wiggen, with "spelling greatly improved" by novelist Mark Harris. Overshadowed in popular imagination by its immediate followup and twice-adapted Bang the Drum Slowly, The Southpaw amply demonstrates how young Wiggen earns the nickname "Author" by the later book, showing how he learns to stand on his own two feet and deliver a curve both honest and true on and off the field. Finds a mid-ground, or more accurately mid-field, between the mythological underpinnings of something like The Natural and the demotic of You Know Me Al, becoming a possible first in baseball literature for telling it like it is, or rather was.
August 19, 2019
Eh. Just not my thing. I can appreciate the actual baseball going on but I couldn't stand Henry. I can't think of a book where I empathized with the main character less. Granted, I'm probably not the audience Harris was going for so...
And I know times have changed but some of the scenes in this book are downright cringeworthy. Just when I forgot about the lame locker room jokes, the author brings them back up. Ughhh. It's the first book I've read in a long time where I couldn't wait for it to end but it took forever because I just didn't want to read it.
And I know times have changed but some of the scenes in this book are downright cringeworthy. Just when I forgot about the lame locker room jokes, the author brings them back up. Ughhh. It's the first book I've read in a long time where I couldn't wait for it to end but it took forever because I just didn't want to read it.
June 25, 2021
The first book in the Henry Wiggen trilogy and then followed by a 4th book some 20+ years later. I found this a joy to read and it had me chuckling and laughing out loud quite a bit. Author Mark Harris shows his baseball knowledge in this well-written novel (spelling and grammatical errors being intentional) and he created a whole world full of colorful characters which he develops well too. I am looking forward to reading the 2nd book, "Bang the Drum Slowly" which I haven't read in nearly 50 years. I've seen the movie numerous times over the years and I love it too.
October 20, 2020
This was a good book, I enjoyed reading it. I have already read #2, "Bang the Drum Slowly" and seen the movie.
It was simple writing, but interesting and I've always enjoyed reading about baseball, since I was a little boy in the 60's. The writing is engaging in a certain way, not to make you think, just an interesting story to follow.
Not sure about reading #'s 3 & 4 yet.
It was simple writing, but interesting and I've always enjoyed reading about baseball, since I was a little boy in the 60's. The writing is engaging in a certain way, not to make you think, just an interesting story to follow.
Not sure about reading #'s 3 & 4 yet.
June 26, 2024
Baseball is really the only sport with some great novels. Mr. Harris has also written Bang the Drum Slowly, while there is also The Art of Fielding and numerous other books out there. The long season of baseball lends itself to this, The Southpaw provides very enjoyable reading.
did-not-finish-or-start
March 6, 2021DNS 3/6/2021
February 20, 2022
A nice story but too many details of games.
February 1, 2024
A hotshot young pitcher's rise is endearingly told in this first novel of a series. Enjoyable baseball fiction, but not MVP material.
June 21, 2025
Great book. Harris fantastic. Bang the Drum Slowly is a funny, moving work as well. The movie is pretty great too.
January 12, 2016
Daniel Gotkowitz
Ms. Cole
English 2, Period 2
8 January 2015
The Southpaw by Mark Harris: Review
We all know a superb baseball book is an excellent way to spend a Sunday night, right? Well, this book, The Southpaw, by Mark Harris is definitely worth every second you will sacrifice to read it. The Southpaw is a thrilling adventure through the protagonist, Henry Wiggen, who aspires to be a great baseball player. Through long days of hard work at the gas station to finding just a few extra hours to toss the ball, Henry is able to strive for his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.
As Henry grows up in the small southern town of Perkinsville he is faced with many internal conflicts that will shape his personality and values. One internal conflict that Henry is faced with right as the story begins is whether or not he should share his inner emotions with friends such as his bold, yet understanding neighbor Aaron, his old man, Pops, who is quite a ball player himself, and his girlfriend Holly who he will share many passionate times with. Through hard work and dedication Henry shows that he will put in what it takes to get to the top, no matter how challenging. His determination to make it to the big leagues, specifically the New York Mammoths, is as intense as a mama bear defending her cubs. To reach the top Henry must overcome many obstacles, but he has the will and tenacity to be the best ball player he can be.
This book has a very casual style, which makes Henry’s southern upbringing highly influence his word choice when he uses words like, “ain't,” and the number “1” instead of the word “one.” This style isn’t necessarily helpful for the reader but it makes the book unique and compelling. One external conflict that joins Henry throughout the story is his outgoingness and sometimes cockiness that he shows towards doubters and those that he thinks are wrong. The trait of cockiness is exemplified in the following quote: “I turned in my seat and shouted to him, ‘You have got brains in your shoes’” (54-55). Henry says this after a man at a Mammoths game says his pitching idol, Sad Sam Yale, is washed up. This shows that Henry, at times, has no regard for how others are feeling and how his words might affect the feelings of others. Through the story this external conflict is brought up many times and steadily Henry improves in his filtering for what he says in public.
The Southpaw at times can be a slow and frustrating book. At some points in the book the plot seems to hit still waters and every character seems to be static. Despite that, the plot of a young baseball player making his way through the farm system to the majors is a satisfying storyline that ties the life of Henry Wiggen together. During Henry’s journey he gets to meet his biggest idol, Sad Same Yale, who he has read many books about and studied, to mimic Sam’s pitching technique. Sam’s pitching tactics are very inspiring to Henry and leads him to believe he can achieve great feats. The story of The Southpaw is a story you truly need to read to understand fully. I encourage everyone of you reading this to give this book a chance and, just maybe, it will surprise you. To see the life and aspirations of a young, hardworking baseball player I encourage you to read the heartfelt book The Southpaw by Mark Harris.
Ms. Cole
English 2, Period 2
8 January 2015
The Southpaw by Mark Harris: Review
We all know a superb baseball book is an excellent way to spend a Sunday night, right? Well, this book, The Southpaw, by Mark Harris is definitely worth every second you will sacrifice to read it. The Southpaw is a thrilling adventure through the protagonist, Henry Wiggen, who aspires to be a great baseball player. Through long days of hard work at the gas station to finding just a few extra hours to toss the ball, Henry is able to strive for his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.
As Henry grows up in the small southern town of Perkinsville he is faced with many internal conflicts that will shape his personality and values. One internal conflict that Henry is faced with right as the story begins is whether or not he should share his inner emotions with friends such as his bold, yet understanding neighbor Aaron, his old man, Pops, who is quite a ball player himself, and his girlfriend Holly who he will share many passionate times with. Through hard work and dedication Henry shows that he will put in what it takes to get to the top, no matter how challenging. His determination to make it to the big leagues, specifically the New York Mammoths, is as intense as a mama bear defending her cubs. To reach the top Henry must overcome many obstacles, but he has the will and tenacity to be the best ball player he can be.
This book has a very casual style, which makes Henry’s southern upbringing highly influence his word choice when he uses words like, “ain't,” and the number “1” instead of the word “one.” This style isn’t necessarily helpful for the reader but it makes the book unique and compelling. One external conflict that joins Henry throughout the story is his outgoingness and sometimes cockiness that he shows towards doubters and those that he thinks are wrong. The trait of cockiness is exemplified in the following quote: “I turned in my seat and shouted to him, ‘You have got brains in your shoes’” (54-55). Henry says this after a man at a Mammoths game says his pitching idol, Sad Sam Yale, is washed up. This shows that Henry, at times, has no regard for how others are feeling and how his words might affect the feelings of others. Through the story this external conflict is brought up many times and steadily Henry improves in his filtering for what he says in public.
The Southpaw at times can be a slow and frustrating book. At some points in the book the plot seems to hit still waters and every character seems to be static. Despite that, the plot of a young baseball player making his way through the farm system to the majors is a satisfying storyline that ties the life of Henry Wiggen together. During Henry’s journey he gets to meet his biggest idol, Sad Same Yale, who he has read many books about and studied, to mimic Sam’s pitching technique. Sam’s pitching tactics are very inspiring to Henry and leads him to believe he can achieve great feats. The story of The Southpaw is a story you truly need to read to understand fully. I encourage everyone of you reading this to give this book a chance and, just maybe, it will surprise you. To see the life and aspirations of a young, hardworking baseball player I encourage you to read the heartfelt book The Southpaw by Mark Harris.
June 11, 2014
Timing is everything, and picking up a book about the boys of summer just as summer was starting was the right time. Everyone should read this book, not just baseball fans.
Mark Harris creates in Henry Wiggen a portrait of a 1950s hurler who shares in first person auto-biography style his rookie season with the New York Mammoths. Wiggen is an uneducated young man, and the prose is drafted in a style that matches the character. Often when writers attempt to do this they fail, straying between the uneducated manner of the character and the writer’s own natural prose. Harris does a good job of staying true to Wiggen’s nature. Henry will write in ‘1’ instead of spelling out ‘one’ or will, when referring to a hotel suite spells it as ‘sweet’. This adds to the feeling that Wiggen is a small-town boy.
It is rewarding to see Henry grow up over his first season. Sometimes he listens to the veterans of the sport while other times he learns things the hard way. He learns that some of his revered heroes are not all they are made out to be in books and newsprint. In a time where I have become disillusioned by the overpaid, arrogant athlete, it was refreshing to read this tale and see that the issue is not really new. Even Wiggen is excoriated for being a petulant child by the New York newspapers when he refuses to go to Korea to play in exhibition games for the troops. We live in a time where the bad behavior of althletes is heightened because of the prevalence of Facebook, Twitter and the like. Our technology makes it easier for everyone to know everything that happens everywhere. At one point in the book Wiggen gives ‘the finger’ to opposing fans while standing on the mound. He got away with it because there was no one in the stands had a smart phone to capture the moment. The same is said about a banned ‘spitball’ he throws at an opposing batter. The anonymity of the ball players is something that has changed with time, not the behavior. Wiggen uses the fact that people are not familiar with his face more than once, such as a time when he needles a cab driver about ‘that pitcher for the Mammoths’ referring to himself. The cabbie bites, not knowing that he is talking to ‘that pitcher’.
It is the behavior of the ball players that also makes them endearing as people. At one point the players start speaking in reverse, at first as a joke. Then others start catching on, and it becomes a tie that binds them together as friends. The practical jokes and banter and even the singing in the shower after games reminds readers that they are people, and the atmosphere that is created is one that reflects how one might picture an old time clubhouse to be.
I also enjoyed the fact that the New York team was trying to hold off the team from Boston as they attempted to ‘cop the flag’. But that just shows my bias and loyalty to the real life New York club and my disdain for the real life team from Boston.
This is one southpaw who really enjoyed ‘The Southpaw’
Mark Harris creates in Henry Wiggen a portrait of a 1950s hurler who shares in first person auto-biography style his rookie season with the New York Mammoths. Wiggen is an uneducated young man, and the prose is drafted in a style that matches the character. Often when writers attempt to do this they fail, straying between the uneducated manner of the character and the writer’s own natural prose. Harris does a good job of staying true to Wiggen’s nature. Henry will write in ‘1’ instead of spelling out ‘one’ or will, when referring to a hotel suite spells it as ‘sweet’. This adds to the feeling that Wiggen is a small-town boy.
It is rewarding to see Henry grow up over his first season. Sometimes he listens to the veterans of the sport while other times he learns things the hard way. He learns that some of his revered heroes are not all they are made out to be in books and newsprint. In a time where I have become disillusioned by the overpaid, arrogant athlete, it was refreshing to read this tale and see that the issue is not really new. Even Wiggen is excoriated for being a petulant child by the New York newspapers when he refuses to go to Korea to play in exhibition games for the troops. We live in a time where the bad behavior of althletes is heightened because of the prevalence of Facebook, Twitter and the like. Our technology makes it easier for everyone to know everything that happens everywhere. At one point in the book Wiggen gives ‘the finger’ to opposing fans while standing on the mound. He got away with it because there was no one in the stands had a smart phone to capture the moment. The same is said about a banned ‘spitball’ he throws at an opposing batter. The anonymity of the ball players is something that has changed with time, not the behavior. Wiggen uses the fact that people are not familiar with his face more than once, such as a time when he needles a cab driver about ‘that pitcher for the Mammoths’ referring to himself. The cabbie bites, not knowing that he is talking to ‘that pitcher’.
It is the behavior of the ball players that also makes them endearing as people. At one point the players start speaking in reverse, at first as a joke. Then others start catching on, and it becomes a tie that binds them together as friends. The practical jokes and banter and even the singing in the shower after games reminds readers that they are people, and the atmosphere that is created is one that reflects how one might picture an old time clubhouse to be.
I also enjoyed the fact that the New York team was trying to hold off the team from Boston as they attempted to ‘cop the flag’. But that just shows my bias and loyalty to the real life New York club and my disdain for the real life team from Boston.
This is one southpaw who really enjoyed ‘The Southpaw’
June 24, 2018
Whoever wants to know America had better
Learn baseball,the rules and realities of the
Game,and do it by watching first some high
School or small town teams.
Jacques Barzun French-American
Insribed on a plaque in the baseball hall of fame
Gods country and mine 1954
The story is told by Henry Wiggen and his prose isn’t exactly high caliber,however it’s simplicity gives a sense of realism,it may not be great literature and some people may have problems with Henry using #4 pencil instead of a four but he is baseball player and for him it’s harder work than pitching a 16 inning game in a long run for the flag. A careful reading of the title page may help, it is the of Henry (AKA Hank ) Wiggen and his lifelong love of baseball growing up in Perkinsville,New York,where the train doesn’t exactly stop,just slows down.
Henry lives and breaths baseball ,he dreams of the day when he and his baseball hero “ Sad Sam Yale”will be driving off too spring training with the fictional New York Mammoths.
Most of the story concerns his first full season with the Mammoths,but as the days and weeks go by he begins to realize that all of his boyhood heroes are just man and many of them are not very good man off the field.
Mike Mulroney,the Queen City minor league manger had advised Henry to watch everything that Sad Sam Yale does on the field but do not listen to anything he says off the field and if you see him with a woman stay away from that woman because if she wasn’t a tramp when she met Sam he will soon turn her into one.
In a long run for the pennant Henry will become a great pitching star but he will no longer warship at the feet of such men as Sad Sam Yale and Dutch Schnell he will always love the game,but playing it only for the kicks and the money.
I first read this book when I was about 18 years old and have reread it many times and will no doubt read again.
You don’t have to be a real baseball fan to enjoy this novel because throughout the story Harris brings out a lot of topics such as Racism and segregation,economics,fidelity,power and the class struggle and adapting to life as it is ————not what you may imagine it will be.
Meanwhile let’s get back to baseball!
It ain’t over till it’s over
Yogi Berra
Learn baseball,the rules and realities of the
Game,and do it by watching first some high
School or small town teams.
Jacques Barzun French-American
Insribed on a plaque in the baseball hall of fame
Gods country and mine 1954
The story is told by Henry Wiggen and his prose isn’t exactly high caliber,however it’s simplicity gives a sense of realism,it may not be great literature and some people may have problems with Henry using #4 pencil instead of a four but he is baseball player and for him it’s harder work than pitching a 16 inning game in a long run for the flag. A careful reading of the title page may help, it is the of Henry (AKA Hank ) Wiggen and his lifelong love of baseball growing up in Perkinsville,New York,where the train doesn’t exactly stop,just slows down.
Henry lives and breaths baseball ,he dreams of the day when he and his baseball hero “ Sad Sam Yale”will be driving off too spring training with the fictional New York Mammoths.
Most of the story concerns his first full season with the Mammoths,but as the days and weeks go by he begins to realize that all of his boyhood heroes are just man and many of them are not very good man off the field.
Mike Mulroney,the Queen City minor league manger had advised Henry to watch everything that Sad Sam Yale does on the field but do not listen to anything he says off the field and if you see him with a woman stay away from that woman because if she wasn’t a tramp when she met Sam he will soon turn her into one.
In a long run for the pennant Henry will become a great pitching star but he will no longer warship at the feet of such men as Sad Sam Yale and Dutch Schnell he will always love the game,but playing it only for the kicks and the money.
I first read this book when I was about 18 years old and have reread it many times and will no doubt read again.
You don’t have to be a real baseball fan to enjoy this novel because throughout the story Harris brings out a lot of topics such as Racism and segregation,economics,fidelity,power and the class struggle and adapting to life as it is ————not what you may imagine it will be.
Meanwhile let’s get back to baseball!
It ain’t over till it’s over
Yogi Berra
August 13, 2014
I 1st read this book when I was about 15-16 years old. It was about baseball. That's all I needed to know.
Since that time, I've looked for this novel several times in different libraries. Never finding it until with my most recent library. It is part of a trilogy, with the more famous Bang the Drum Slowly being the more famous part of that trilogy. And, it has the reputation of being probably the most famous baseball trilogy in existence. For all I know, it might be the only baseball trilogy.
At any rate, I was pleased to find it. More pleased than I was to have read it. Not that it's a bad book as it is not. But, written in 1st person and that person is a young ball player it's not the most attractively written book I've ever read. But, it does tell a story of a young man growing up. It's just that he does it as the star left handed rookie pitcher for a major league baseball team. As that, it is a good book. It does that story well.
Henry Wiggins is the baseball phenom in question. His "Pop" was a sandlot pitching legend and passes along his knowledge of the game, and pitching, to his son. And Henry soaked it all up as does a sponge. Hence, the phenom. He has a great fastball, a suitable curve and can pitch the occasional screwball to keep batters off their comfort zone. The baseball side of the story you can probably figure out by now.
But, all in all, I did enjoy the story. Enough to finish this book even though it was printed in a smaller font than is comfortable for these old eyes. Also, enough to continue on in what, I understand now, has become a 4-part story. Bang the Drum Slowly is the next book in this 4-part trilogy(no idea what a 4-part story should be called) and probably, the other 2. Just not immediately.
All in all, the book is not as good as I remembered. Remember that I was 15-16 in the 50's when I read it. But, it isn't as bad as I make it out to be here, either. So, I'm looking forward to Bang the Drum Slowly. I've seen that movie and I want to know if it happened like that.
Since that time, I've looked for this novel several times in different libraries. Never finding it until with my most recent library. It is part of a trilogy, with the more famous Bang the Drum Slowly being the more famous part of that trilogy. And, it has the reputation of being probably the most famous baseball trilogy in existence. For all I know, it might be the only baseball trilogy.
At any rate, I was pleased to find it. More pleased than I was to have read it. Not that it's a bad book as it is not. But, written in 1st person and that person is a young ball player it's not the most attractively written book I've ever read. But, it does tell a story of a young man growing up. It's just that he does it as the star left handed rookie pitcher for a major league baseball team. As that, it is a good book. It does that story well.
Henry Wiggins is the baseball phenom in question. His "Pop" was a sandlot pitching legend and passes along his knowledge of the game, and pitching, to his son. And Henry soaked it all up as does a sponge. Hence, the phenom. He has a great fastball, a suitable curve and can pitch the occasional screwball to keep batters off their comfort zone. The baseball side of the story you can probably figure out by now.
But, all in all, I did enjoy the story. Enough to finish this book even though it was printed in a smaller font than is comfortable for these old eyes. Also, enough to continue on in what, I understand now, has become a 4-part story. Bang the Drum Slowly is the next book in this 4-part trilogy(no idea what a 4-part story should be called) and probably, the other 2. Just not immediately.
All in all, the book is not as good as I remembered. Remember that I was 15-16 in the 50's when I read it. But, it isn't as bad as I make it out to be here, either. So, I'm looking forward to Bang the Drum Slowly. I've seen that movie and I want to know if it happened like that.
May 14, 2008
A Bildungsroman (and it's always fun to get to use that word) about an uneducated baseball pitcher. Owes sizable debts to Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye--it was published only a couple of years after the latter--and like those novels, its strength is in the quirky, vivid language of the first-person narrator. Followed shortly by two other Henry Wiggen novels, then decades later by a fourth, and I expect I'll reread the other three over the next three years. The second Wiggen novel, Bang the Drum Slowly, was adapted for a TV drama starring a young Paul Newman, then done on the big screen in the '70s with Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro. It's the best baseball movie I know.
September 16, 2023
Hidden in this first-person baseball novel, is an elegant reflection and critique on mid century American society. While it reads like a coming of age baseball story, by the final pages it's clearly a story about life, priorities, and manhood.
This book doesn't shy away from the sins of the day including racism, womanizing, foul language, cheating, idol worship and carousing. And while our MC chooses the right path in several issues he is not without fault shows growth throughout the book.
I would recommend this to baseball fans, and while the book shows its age, the unique writing style and underlying morality tale is worth while for readers looking for an honest and thoughtful peek into American life.
This book doesn't shy away from the sins of the day including racism, womanizing, foul language, cheating, idol worship and carousing. And while our MC chooses the right path in several issues he is not without fault shows growth throughout the book.
I would recommend this to baseball fans, and while the book shows its age, the unique writing style and underlying morality tale is worth while for readers looking for an honest and thoughtful peek into American life.
July 25, 2011
I would say that you really have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this book. It is an older book (1953) and written very cleverly with the young left-handed pitcher Henry Wiggen telling his story. Henry has only a high school education but learns a lot about life, love, and baseball during his first year as a major league baseball player with the fictional New York Mammoths. Spelling and grammar are set aside in Henry's narrative. I loved it, but there are many detailed descriptions of the nuances of the game of baseball so I wouldn't recommend it unless you love the sport.
June 9, 2008
I'm not a sports fan, but I like a good inspirational sports movie or book now and then. I listened to THE SOUTHPAW on tape nearly 20 years ago (followed by Mark Harris's sequels BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY (made into a movie in 1973)and IT LOOKED LIKE FOREVER. It's a wonderful book told in first person narration by Henry Wiggen, a small-town baseball player who made it into the big leagues. Full of charm and humor. I loved it and would listen to it again if I can find it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews