KristinVanRisseghem

"Biggie" is a fantastic read! I can't say enough how much I loved the story. Author Derek Sullivan tells a story about a high school boy who's over 300 pounds. The words to describe the character's thoughts and feelings, just blew my mind. It was like I was back in high school again. His words could not be any truer.

The inner struggles of being a boy, in high school, born from an legendary baseball player, living in a small town in Iowa, and being socially awkward are all topics that are tackled with eloquent words, punchy dialogue, and scenes that come to life right off the black and white pages.

I'm not a baseball fan, but I felt like I was sitting in the bleachers, cheering for the players, and screaming at the coaches. The only thing that is missing was the smell of freshly roasted peanuts, but do they do that for high school games? I don't know.

What I do know is I was mentally with Biggie on that pitcher's mound. I felt my body go through the motions. I counted in my head as I read it on the page. I was the pitcher.