Home Run
By Travis Thrasher
David C. Cook

BACK COVER:

Baseball star Cory Brand knows how to win. But off the field, he’s spiraling out of control. Haunted by old wounds and regrets, his future seems as hopeless as his past.

Until one moment—one mistake—changes everything. To save his career, Cory must go back to the town where it all began. His plan is simple: coach the local baseball team, complete a recovery program, and get out as fast as possible. Instead, he runs headfirst into memories he can’t escape ... and the love he left behind.

Faced with a second chance he never expected, Cory embarks on a journey of faith, transformation and redemption. And along the way, he discovers a powerful truth: no one is beyond the healing of God.

MY REVIEW: I'm not into sports. I wouldn't know a touchdown from a hole in one. Okay, so maybe that's exaggerating, but reading a book about a baseball star and his messed up life is seriously NOT my first choice in fiction. But here I am, recommending a novel about a baseball supernova who's an alcoholic deadbeat dad. Why? Because Home Run has a powerful message of redemption (and the writing is drool worthy).

The plot centers around main character Cory Brand. I won't call him a hero, because for most of the book he's not. He's a jerk...but a lovable fella who you'll root for because of his past. Yeah, he runs away from his problems in more ways than one, but eventually he's saved by an amazing grace that only God can provide.

Whether you're a sports fanatic or not, the gritty issues dealt with in this book will connect with pretty much everyone. Author Travis Thrasher hits these issues head on, exposing the ugly sides, then bringing them all to the throne of Grace without whapping you upside the head with a Bible.

Two thumbs up.