The Pitcher's Kid

The Pitcher's Kid is Jack Olsen's memoir of the first 18 years of his life, years that formed his voice, his ear, and passionate concern for the underdog. It is a story of a young boy's desperate yearning for a father during a time of extreme poverty and confusion and of a family's struggle to not just survive, but to triumph. The book has been compared to Frank McCourt for its poignant depiction of deprivation, to Geoffrey Wolf for its sad depiction of a deceptive father, and to David Sedaris for its hilarious depiction of childhood.