A View from My Seat

As a very casual baseball fan, I found this book to be quite charming in a variety of ways. I will say up front that it was a bit of a slow burn for me, with the second chapter specifically feeling a bit unfocused and overwrought, particularly after the fairly-strong opening that preceded it. That said, I'd definitely encourage potential readers to stick with this one as it does build a nice, more-consistent momentum from the third chapter onward. From that point, it frequently and pleasantly transitions between accounts of the games in the 2017 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp minor league baseball season, some often-heartwarming anecdotes from the author's lifelong love affair with the sport, and some engaging, insightful, and at times revealing interviews with members of the aforementioned organization.

I do feel compelled to point out that I did spot a few technical errors, somewhat awkwardly-worded passages, and instances of seemingly-unintentional repetition that might occasionally leave readers scratching their heads for a moment until they're able to derive the author's intent but I don't personally feel they are plentiful or significant enough to meaningfully detract from the overall experience. Moreover, they don't strike me as being particularly shocking given the sheer volume of names, statistics, and topics present throughout the book.

All things considered, I'd call this a generally-strong, solid, worthwhile read that would likely be at least somewhat compelling for any baseball fan, or anyone with an interest in learning more about the sport, its history, the fandom surrounding it, or the inner workings of the minor league system in general or the Jumbo Shrimp in particular.