The Utility of Boredom

Spitball literary essays on the off-kilter joys, sorrows and wonder of North America’s national pastime.

A collection of essays for ardent seamheads and casual baseball fans alike, The Utility of Boredom
is a book about finding respite and comfort in the order, traditions,
and rituals of baseball. It’s a sport that shows us what a human being
might be capable of, with extreme dedication—whether we’re eating hot
dogs in the stands, waiting out a rain delay in our living rooms, or
practising the lost art of catching a stray radio signal from an
out-of-market broadcast.

From learning about America through ball-diamond visits to the most
famous triple play that never happened on Canadian soil, Forbes invites
us to witness the adult conversing with the O-Pee-Chee baseball cards of
his youth. Tender, insightful, and with the slow heartbreak familiar to
anyone who’s cheered on a losing team, The Utility of Boredom tells us a thing or two about the sport, and how a seemingly trivial game might help us make sense of our messy lives.