Bang the Drum Slowly

This book is one of a handful of great American sports novels. And like most great sports novels its not really about sports at all. On the surface the book tells the story of pitcher Henry Wiggin of the New York Mammoths baseball team and a single season in the mid-1950s. But below the surface its the story of Wiggins' friendship with a third string catcher named Bruce Pearson, who is dying of Hodgkin's disease. The story is refreshingly not overly sentimental which it could easily be given the subject matter. Rest assured, the book is full of home runs, stolen bases, solid pitching and locker room antics, but as the Mammoths move late into the summer and the pennant race heats up, the reader knows that the book is really about friendship and the unfairness of life.Harris uses a somewhat strange first person vernacular to tell the story, but after the first couple of pages it seems as if Henry Wiggin is talking directly to you over a beer or a cup of coffee, telling you about that summer of baseball and what happened to his friend, Bruce. I found the technique enormously effective. I also really enjoyed some of Wiggin's observations about life and the unanswered questions he raises about the human condition. (If we all know we're going to die, why don't we go out and live it up more?)Harris wrote this novel back in the 1950s and it clearly demonstrates how the status of professional athletes and sports in general have changed in the last half century. As someone who has written about sports in the fifties (HOOP CRAZY: COLLEGE BASKETBALL IN THE 1950S), I found this book to be something of a historical document as well as a terrific novel. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sports fiction or anyone who liks well written novels in general.

As Bang the Drum Slowly is one of my favorite baseball films I enjoyed the book even more. I look forward to reading the Southpaw.

My men's book club read this book. It has a lot of "real men" stuff in it. Baseball, friendship, bonding, locker rooms,mortality, etc. The members of the club enjoyed it a lot. In fact, one of the members who had been reading it over and over since childhood shared that he had read it probably 25 times.The plot is that Bruce, a third string catcher on the team, gets diagnosed with cancer and has a year to live. Star pitcher and author, Henry, takes it upon himself to make sure that Bruce doesn't get released from the team during his last year and that the last year is a good one. A movie of the book starred Robert Deniroas Bruce and Michael Moriarity as Henry.The book isn't very long, and we found it a good vehicle for encouraging discussion. I recommend it.

I liked this book for two reasons. One is that the dialogue and camaraderie between the ball players was realistic right down to their nicknames given to them by teammates such as "Author" and "Canada" The baseball season is realistic as well and of course New York comes out on top.The friendship between Henry and Bruce is what really makes this story a classic. It doesn't really start off that way since Henry sold insurance to Bruce (back when ballplayers needed a job in the offseason for the extra income) and then finds out afterward about Bruce's condition. The journey Henry takes while his friend is dying is humorous, poignant and sad, yet surprisingly upbeat through most of it. Deserves its status as a classic.

One of the best, albeit underrated baseball (or sports) movies ever made. Not cut from the same mold as more famous "magical realism" films about baseball, eg "The Natural" or "Field of Dreams". This is gritty realism, highlighting the real essence of humanity's attraction to sports, whether as player or spectator- the relationships that get built under fire, almost as a surrogate for watfare bonding. The nobility of what some people will do to try and help a doomed comrade. This could easily have devolved into a "Male Weepy", ala the over the top "Brian's Song", but it maintains its reserve, and thus touches our sense of realism, and becomes the more affecting because of it. Can't believe this never garnered more accolades.

One of the greatest baseball novels and a fine novel even without baseball as a theme. The real theme is friendship, loyalty, teamwork, and love told in the voice of a combination of the true author and his alter-ego, Henry Wiggen, a major league pitcher who writes in a Southern patois. The mis-use of words, mis-spelling and down home humor give the book a warmth that comes through with every sentence. Some criticize the lack of sentimentality but the characters are so well developed that the love that Henry has for his dying friend, Bruce, comes through even at the rather abrupt end. Read and re-read the last sentence. A gem.

Ok, I love baseball, and I love baseball books. But I don't think you need to be a baseball nut to love this story and Henry Wiggen. Who doesn't know Henry Wiggen? Sure, he's a Major League pitcher. But he just as easily could be a mechanic or a lawyer or a bartender. His job is not nearly as important as his personality. He is a guy who is supremely confident in what he does. More so, he is able to make his arrogance extremely likable. We want Henry to get what he wants. Now what could be American than that? And in this book Henry wants his cancer-stricken friend to stay on the team with him. He coaches him along. He becomes a better friend. He helps his friend focus on living instead of dying. A great book.

First I want to say that I didn't dislike the book, but I loved the story. The first thing to strike me was the lack of contractions. This made the writing seem stiff, at least to my way of thinking. I also thought there were a number of places were the story slowed to a crawl and almost stopped, even went backwards. Maybe it's the critic in me, but I saw many ways to step up the pace. But it was the story that made the book, not the writing. Wiggins didn't give anything up, by giving in to become Bruce's bosom pal, he only gained from it and grew as a man, and had a career season to boot. You would not need to be a baseball fan to find this story meaningful, just a human being.

Best sports book ever. Even if you don't know much about baseball, the stark simplicity of the story, the interaction of the characters and the realism of the setting will grab you and won't let you go. I could not put it down, even if the ending is foretold at the beginning, like a Greek tragedy.

Harris uses a strange vernacular style which makes for a difficult read. The story has not aged well, despite its classic status, and bears little resemblance to modern baseball. Those seeking a baseball set novel should seek out the superb "The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach.

My fault, I'm not really into baseball

Mark Harris, again, has written an absorbing book about kindness, compassion in the face of difficulties - and baseball. Like his previous novel "South Paw"this is a book well worth reading.