Perfect, Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me

by Phillip Hoose

In the winter of 1956, Phillip Hoose was a gawky, uncoordinated 9-year-old boy just moved to a new town―Speedway, Indiana―and trying to fit into a new school and circle of friends. Baseball was his passion, even though he was terrible at it and constantly shamed by his lack of ability. But he had one thing going for him that his classmates could never have―his second cousin was a pitcher for the New York Yankees. Don Larsen wasn't a star, but he was in the Yankees' rotation. And on October 8, 1956, he pitched perhaps the greatest game that has ever been a perfect game (27 batters up, 27 out) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. It forever changed Phil's life. Perfect, Once Removed , recalls with pitch-perfect clarity the angst and jubilation of Phil Hoose's 9th year. To be published on the 50th anniversary of The Perfect Game, it will be one of the best baseball books of 2006.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Memoir, Nonfiction

163 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2006

About the author

Phillip Hoose is the widely-acclaimed author of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles, including the National Book Award winning book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.

He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.

The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."

Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.

A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.

A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many other award-winning authors have written baseball books, but few had Phillip Hoose's unique perspective on the sport as a family and identity connection tracing back to 1956 for him, when he was in third grade. Many books have also been done on Don Larsen's perfect game, including one co-authored by Larsen himself (The Perfect Yankee), but Phillip Hoose's treatment of that one incomparably splendid game is a breed apart from the rest. Hoose's personal link to Don Larsen, the New York Yankees, and their nail-biter triumph over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series is at best tenuous, his take on the event significant mainly to his own life, but the best baseball stories often sprout from unspectacular soil. While Don Larsen was becoming the toast of the baseball world on an afternoon in New York, a kid in Indiana found his own fortunes taking an upturn, a kid who'd caught the baseball bug and would never flush it out of his system. Perfect, Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me encompasses more than just a single day in sports history, reminiscing about all kinds of special events and people in nine-year-old Phil's life. It's a snapshot of 1950s Midwest America, a time when boys loved baseball and Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Sandy Koufax were larger-than-life heroes. It's a nice, friendly place to visit, and Phillip Hoose has the skill to transport you there.

Phil was an uncoordinated kid with no friends when he and his parents moved to Speedway, Indiana in 1955. They'd moved several times in recent years, and the transience negatively affected Phil. He was just about the only boy in Speedway not crazy about baseball, and soon realized he'd need to develop at least passable batting and fielding ability and knowledge of the game to fit in at school. Phil seemed a hopeless case without a drip of baseball talent until the day his mother mentioned that Don Larsen, his first cousin once removed, was a pitcher in the big leagues. That caught Phil's attention. A mediocre pitcher to that point, Don Larsen's career was given new life when the Yankees picked him up. His win-loss record each season had been brutal, but as a Yankee he put up darn near respectable numbers, and every year there was a decent chance he'd make it to the World Series. If being related to Don didn't gain Phil instant credibility among classmates, it at least curtailed their mocking, and he set to learning baseball with redoubled vigor.

Somewhere along the way, playing catch against the garage and with his dad, trying out for the local youth team and working hard to earn playing time, Phil fell in love with America's game. He made up for his physical shortcomings by accumulating greater knowledge of baseball history than anyone in town, often falling asleep at night listening to a game on the radio in his bedroom. Phil reached out to contact his semi-famous Yankee cousin and Don Larsen responded generously, over the years sending Phil and his parents an assortment of signed memorabilia, including a baseball autographed by every member of the Yankees (even Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra). One magical day the Hoose family traveled to Comiskey Park on Chicago's South Side to see the Yankees play and meet Don (the inset cover photo for Perfect, Once Removed is from that meeting). Phil met Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel, and a lot of other Yankees too. Until he spoke live with Don there'd been a tiny part of Phil that doubted the connection, wondering if his parents could have fabricated it to motivate him to try harder in baseball. Don Larsen really was his cousin, and that made Phil the envy of most boys in America. Natural slugger or not, Phil had baseball in his blood in more ways than one.

"But reputations fade quickly and memories are short."

—Perfect, Once Removed, P. 121

In October 1956 Phil pleaded for his parents to let him stay home from school and watch the Yankees in the World Series on television. His parents stood firm against the hiatus, but bent over backwards to work out a system for Phil to come home at lunch and watch part of the game. The lengths his mother went to are testament to how much she cared for her boy. Battling the lethal Brooklyn Dodgers in game five with the best-of-seven series tied, Don Larsen took the mound to start, a questionable move for manager Casey Stengel after Don absorbed a bad loss a few games earlier. His performance will live in baseball lore as long as the sport exists, an unparalleled effort by a pitcher scarcely good enough to hang around the majors as an average starter. For one shining moment Phil saw that you don't have to be Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, or Stan Musial to do something all-time great. A guy like Don, maybe even a kid like Phil, could have his day of immortality. It's a story everyone who loves baseball can relate to, the desire to leave a handprint on the game that will never fade with time. Sometimes that wish is fulfilled in the unlikeliest ways.

Perfect, Once Removed is worth two and a half stars in my opinion, and I easily could have rounded up to three. My favorite part is Phillip Hoose's sportswriting about Don Larsen's perfect game after he watched and listened to much of it at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005. Back in 1956 he missed most of it, spending the late afternoon going stir-crazy in school with no idea how the biggest game of his cousin's career was proceeding. Young Phil had admired the smooth turns of phrase in his weekly baseball periodical, and over the years he learned to replicate them as well as any journalist. His writing about the action in Don Larsen's perfect game glistens with suspenseful energy even though we know how it turns out. Phillip Hoose is known for authoring youth nonfiction, but I suspect he could pen a juvenile novel about baseball and do it as well as Mike Lupica or Tim Green. I loved revisiting the perfect game with Mr. Hoose, a game which meant more to him than he can express even now. "Being in that classroom on that October day was like sitting alone in a hospital waiting room while one of your parents was being operated on inside. Something huge was happening—happening to me—and it was out of my sight and out of my control." I know how that feels for a high-stakes, high-pressure game. Sports matter, especially for Phil in this case as Don was his cousin, the only reason the boys in Speedway gave Phil the time of day. Perfect, Once Removed isn't a transcendent work like the author's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice or The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club, but it's an enjoyable one hundred sixty-three pages, a nostalgic and warmhearted memoir. To echo Don Larsen's blurb on the book jacket, "It's a wonderful story and I'm glad Phil wrote it."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of A Christmas Story, but with a baseball theme. Just a fun read-especially in the midst of this winter!

[Colin Wing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I thought this was like one of those heartwarming reads. It tells about how a kid, Philip Hoose, moves to Indiana and has a rough time in school. In order to become accepted by his classmates, he works hard by practicing baseball constantly. I really liked how it showed dedication even at 9 years old and established the message of working hard. Eventually, Hoose Finds out that he is related to MLB pitcher Don Larsen which pitched a perfect game. Once the kids found this out Hoose was excepted and was treated like a king being a 9 year old. It wasn't really a spectacular just based on the way it was told or a well written but I did find it interesting just how he could be no one to basically the most popular kid in town.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and very entertaining, one that brings back many childhood memories of Speedway, Indiana and New York Yankee Baseball. Phillip House is a gifted writer that writes with humor, wit, and bringing his story to not only to life, but enrichment and a complete sense of awe! This is the 2nd work I have read, the 1st being ATTUCKS! Oscar Robertson and the high school basketball team.......
again set in my hometown of Indianapolis. His writing is addicting for he tells innocent accounts about a small town, Speedway and Indianapolis, which Speedway is smacked dab in the heart of - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Detroit Diesel Allison - that bring a sense of profound comfort and profoundness to inhabitants of of both cities.

Perfect, Once Removed fits in my category as one of the best baseball works written. OK so I am biased both of Indianapolis and Speedway but Phillip writes something personal and enjoyable to any reader from the hometowns of Speedway and Indianapolis. Don Larson remains an ICON to this day for his tremendous never duplicated feat of a perfect World Series game that remains and will remain as the greatest achievement in all of Sports History. Amazed and proud of Phillip for his writing because it was a Grand Slam/Perfect Game!

[Nadine Bourgault · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like baseball, and recall the one and only perfect game during a World Series, this book will catch your fancy. The author discovered that Don Larsen, the pitcher for the Yankees, was his Dad's cousin. Phillip loved baseball, but was gawky, wore thick glasses, and wasn't very good at his favorite (and only) sport. When he learns Larsen is his cousin, he becomes obsessed, and eventually meets him and other Yankee players. It's a story of the importance of mentors, having dreams, and believing in yourself. No sex, no violence, only a true story of a kid on the outside growing up.

[Michael Projansky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice touching tale of a young boy that loves baseball and had a cousin who loved baseball too. Coincidentally, the cousin threw a perfect game in the World Series.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, quick read. typical baseball book except that don larsen was his cousin-once removed.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

**#15 of 120 books pledged to read/review during 2017**

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book mostly telling the autobiographical story of 9 year old Phil Hoose, who in 1956, had just moved to Indiana. As a self described "weak and mouthy," kid, Phil did not fit in easily. To complicate matters, his classmates were all mad about baseball, to which Phil had never been exposed. Hoose tells the story of how he dedicated himself, mostly unsuccesfully, to becoming competent at baseball. His dedication turns to obsession when he finds out that Don Larsen, the Yankees pitcher who was to throw the only perfect game in World Series history later that year, is his dad's first cousin.

There were several things about Perfect Once Removed that I found not only charming, but quite amazing. First of all Hoose seems to remember what it's like to be nine with incredible clarity. I teach nine year olds, and he, in a very concise and straightforward manner, describes the thinking of his nine year old self with complete believability and accuracy. I also really enjoyed the way Hoose didn't overreach. He shows how just a few meetings with Larsen greatly inspired and encouraged him. Ultimately this book will be read mostly by baseball fans, and they will enjoy it greatly, but I think it's equally strong in describing the challenges and joys of childhood.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not much of a sports buff but I found this autobiographical book a great read. The author recalls how his association with a professional baseball player (his second cousin, Don Larsen of the perfect game in the 1956 World Series) saved him. Phil was a struggling elementary school student who had just moved to baseball-crazed Speedway, Indiana. He was geeky and weak and completely unfamiliar with sports. His father, a newly minted engineer was of little help but does what he can. He contacts his cousin who is pitcher for the New York Yankees! Don reaches out to Phil in a absentminded sort of way and things begin to turn around for him.
Phil blossoms into a walking baseball encyclopedia and relentlessly works on his skills. His confidence and fascination with sports and sports writing, especially baseball become his life’s anchor. This part-self reflective journey, part historical portrait of the times is well written and a pleasant escape. It would make a great gift for baseball fans young and old.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you grew up in the 1950's and loved baseball, this book will take you back to your boyhood and remind you what it was like to dream! Philip Hoose moves to a suburb of Indianapolis in 1956 and wants to be a better baseball player so he can be accepted by the students at school. He learns that his father is the 1st cousin to Don Larsen who pitches for the NY Yankees. The struggles Philip endures that summer learning how to play the game is a back drop for his growing up and acceptance. When Don Larsen pitches the perfect game in the World Series, Philip is treated by his schoolmates like he did it himself. I loved reading this book. It was fun and made me fell like I was 10 years old again.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of old-time baseball, this is the book for you. It adds the story of a young boy growing up, and the challenges he faces with fitting it to the unique position of being the cousin of a famous baseball player. Phillip Hoose is Don Larsen's cousing - Don pitched the only perfect game in a World Series - for the Yankees. In the autobiographical account, Phillip meets his cousin a few times while Don played for the Yankees, and then meets him later in life as adults. The story uses the theme of a "brush with celebrity", but from a much more positive and idealistic standpoint than you might see elsewhere. A quick enjoyable read.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before finding this book, I knew little about Don Larsen besides the fact that he was a journeyman pitcher who happened to throw the only perfect game in World Series history. This book allowed me to see his achievement from a unique perspective: that of his cousin, Phil Hoose, only nine years old at the time. Having moved to a new town, Phil feels like an outcast, but his suddenly famous relative gives him a status of which he could only dream before. Hoose's book works both as a memoir of growing up in 1950s America and a look at the ways people view their sports heroes.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in a while you read a book about a kid that you can relate to based on some common history. I felt this with Hoose's book about growing up and learning to play baseball. While I didn't have the famous player cousin that Hoose had, I could feel his excitement about the game of baseball knowing he was related to a star, and I understood the dedication to trying to be like Don. In the end, instead of being a baseball storing involving family, it becomes a family story around baseball. Nicely done.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very typical, yet very unique coming of age story surrounding the national pastime and its bond with mid century American youth. Writer does an excellent job of telling the story and there really isn't a lull in his telling of his tale. I enjoyed it very much....would like to read of the authors reaction now that the Larsen game has been released from the archives and exists on DVD

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for baseball fans, the author describes the game in a way that only someone who really loves it could. It made me smile and miss baseball (I was in Scotland when I read it).

[Leonora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute book about the author (Don Larsen's cousin) as a boy idolizing Mickey Mantle, then catching up with Larsen later in life.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and easy-to-read, it's a small gem about a boy and his love affair with baseball.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great portrait of an era.

[Kristine Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a cool baseball book about Don Larsen's first cousin (once removed) and how Don's support fostered his love of baseball.

[Dotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS! Authentic voice, good humor, loved the baseball talk. Very personal yet very entertaining.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball fans, this is for us!