Review & Giveaway: The Batter's Box by Andy Kutler

The Batter's Box by Andy Kutler

Publication Date: March 12, 2019

Warriors Publishing Group

Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction

In 1946, a returning World War II veteran is determined to reclaim his place among professional baseball's upper echelon and win back the woman he once fell for. Two months into the new season, at the top of his game, he abandons his team, casting aside his fame and riches and vanishing forever from the public eye. What drives a man to walk away from everything he cherishes, never to be heard from again?

The Batter's Box follows the path of Will Jamison, a star player with the Washington Senators who enlists in the U.S. Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. When the war ends, Jamison returns to Washington, a decorated hero tormented by deep emotional scars. Burdened with a crushing guilt and harrowing memories he cannot escape, Jamison's life is consumed by an explosive temper, sleepless nights, and a gradual descent into alcoholism. Will he continue, alone with his anguish and misery? Or will he level with those around him, including the woman he loves, and seek the professional care he desperately needs, even at the risk of exposing his most closely guarded secrets?

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was never a big sports fan in my youth but when I got married I inherited my husband's love for the NY Mets. We've been to a few games when they come to Atlanta to play the Braves and last year we took our boys to their first game. We figured it's a good way to teach them about disappointment early in life. Ha! If you know of the Mets' history you'll get the joke :)

I was super excited to pick The Batter's Box up. Baseball combined with history...sign me up! As keen as I was to read it I had never read a book from Andy Kutler before and there's always a little hesitation when trying a new author. But I needn't have worried because the book was exceptional.

As the story begins we meet Kay in the present time of 2005. She is asked by a reporter who is working on a story to speak about her husband, an All-Star baseball player on the 1945 Washington Senators baseball team who disappeared right before they won the pendant. He is fascinated with finding out why he left at the height of his career and was never heard from again.

Will Jamison is a popular, local Baseball player with the Washington Senators when he enlists in the Army, which takes him from the ball field to the front line of war. Despite his celebrity and talent he is determined to fight for his country, even turning down the chance to play ball in the Army instead of fight.

Kutler doesn't shy away from the horrors of war and I felt I was right there with Will in the trenches. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen. Equally intriguing was the reporter's mission to finding out what happened to Will.

I found The Batter's Box to be a hugely unique reading experience and I greatly enjoyed my time with it. I look forward to more from Kutler!

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Praise

"We remember World War II as 'the Good War, ' when right and wrong seemed so clear. We won, they lost, and our guys came home as heroes. But as gifted author Andy Kutler tells us in THE BATTER'S BOX, mortal combat is anything but good, heroism comes with a horrific price, and some of the most tragic wounds don't bleed -- and don't go away. If you want to know what really happened at Bastogne in the terrible winter of 1944, read this powerful, haunting book." -- Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.), author of Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided

"Andy Kutler has the eyes and ears of combat soldiers and the heart of those who love them. The horror, courage, and camaraderie of battle rivals the grit of Once an Eagle, while the poignant authenticity of Will Jamison's struggles with his hidden wounds highlight that, for many, the impact of war lingers far past the last shots of battle. THE BATTER'S BOX is a superb work of historical fiction that carries important lessons for today." -- William E. Rapp, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Commandant, U.S. Army War College, and Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Military Academy

“The Batter's Box is a riveting read. It is a love story and a war story and a novel with far more truth than fiction. I’m a psychiatrist specializing in treating men and women with post-traumatic stress disorder. If you love someone with that invisible wound, read this book. If you are curious and concerned about the condition, read this book. Most survivors of profound trauma lack a language to convey their life stories because those stories include the unspeakable. When the hero of this compelling novel speaks, we listen, we learn and we are transformed. If you are currently struggling with the impact of major trauma, reading passages here may be disturbing and ‘triggering.’ But I believe it is worth the risk because this book affirms your reality and your dignity.” --Frank M. Ochberg, MD, Former Associate Director, National Institute of Mental Health

"Historical fiction, if it reflects careful scholarship, is a powerful tool in the hands of a gifted writer, and can deepen our understanding of real events and people. Andy Kutler's THE BATTER’S BOX offers an impressive addition to World War II literature, bringing fresh attention to the adjustment struggle faced by so many returning war veterans. Kutler's depiction of one of the more heroic small-unit engagements in US Army history is both compelling and long overdue." -- Gordon H. "Nick" Mueller, President & CEO Emeritus, The National WWII Museum

About the Author

Andy Kutler is a writer living in Arlington, Virginia. His debut novel, The Other Side of Life, was awarded a Bronze Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards, and Honorable Mention from Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Awards. He has also authored a number of columns for the Huffington Post and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and spent more than a quarter century in public service, including with the United States Senate and the United States Secret Service, and as a consultant in the national security community.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, October 8
Review at Gwendalyn's Books

Thursday, October 10
Feature at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 14
Interview at Jathan & Heather

Friday, October 18
Review at Reading is My Remedy
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Monday, October 21
Interview at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 23
Excerpt at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Thursday, October 24
Review at Impressions In Ink

Tuesday, October 29
Review at Peaceful Pastime

Thursday, October 31
Review at Passages to the Past

Friday, November 1
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Tuesday, November 5
Review at Red Headed Book Lady

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of The Batter's Box! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on November 5th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

The Batter's Box