Book Review: Faith And Fear In Flushing | 
We’ve all had that feeling once in or twice in our lives. You know what I’m talking about. That moment when you realize that the book you’re reading has been written just for you? That connection to a shared experience, that rush of unadulterated joy that comes with the realization that there’s someone else in the universe that cares about the same exact thing you do?
Well, if you’re a New York Mets fan, you’ll get that feeling all over again (or for the first time), when you finish Greg Prince’s Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets .
I must admit that I have been a great fan of Greg’s work for years, and I expected this book to be another example of his brilliant prose. I was wrong. It’s much better than that.
Forget for the fact that Greg’s forgotten more Mets information that most Mets fans will ever know. Forget the fact that he is a extremely talented writer that delights both cynical journalist and pom-pom throwing, Kool-Aid drinking fan. This book is a must-read because it will transport you directly to whatever moment in Mets history you happen to read in the book.
If you love a Mets fan, like a Mets fan or just know a Mets fan, buy them this book. They will cherish it. Few books about the Mets (Dana Brand’s Mets Fan is another) have this kind of authenticity.
The thing that separates Prince’s book from everyone else’s however, is the lack of anger, bitterness and defensiveness that many Mets fans and their blogs have these days. Instead there is this pragmatic wisdom, acerbic wit (especially when he talks about Yankees fans) and droll narrative that explains and eases the Mets fan through the Seaver trade, the Lorinda DeRoulet years and Bernard Gilkey’s concussion, sustained from that fly ball that hit him in the head when the flying saucer flew out of the old the New York Pavilion from the 1964 World’s Fair.
Ultimately, though, it is a deeply personal, extremely touching and at times, laugh out loud recollection of Greg’s journey through life – with Mr. Met in the front seat.
Take a ride.
Greg will be appearing on “Baseball Digest LIVE” on Friday, March 27 at Foley’s NY. Take a listen or come join us at the bar that New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro calls the best “pound for pound” sports bar in NYC.
Topics: Bernard Gilkey, Faith And Fear In Flushing, Greg Prince, Tom Seaver
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[...] Check out Mark Healey’s review of Faith and Fear in Flushing. [...]
Great book so far.
[...] is that shared experience sensation that is at the core of assorted blogs like Baseball Digest’s review of Faith and Fear . Deadpsin’s Daulerio provides a telling excerpt - as does New York Sports [...]
[...] ran this review of Greg Prince’s Faith and Fear in Flushing. Look for my interview with Prince [...]