Book Review-Pujols: More Than the Game by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth

Some might be wondering why a girl who doesn't care much for baseball would review a book about Albert Pujols, a baseball player. Well, although I'm not a big baseball fan, I am a great fan of good biographies and autobiographies. Additionally, I do love reading about celebrities and their relationships with Christ, because it doesn't seem like Christians in the public eye publicize their faith enough, unless they are specifically in the Christian circle.
So, as I started reading Pujols: More Than the Game, I was looking forward to reading about Pujols' faith-how he came to it, how he is sharing it, his struggles and his victories in his relationship with God. After all, the book's subtitle is More Than the Game! And even if the book didn't primarily focus on Pujols' faith, I would have hoped for more information on Pujols' life off of the field, like his upbringing and his relationship with his wife and children. That information is just peppered throughout his story, while I feel like it should have played a bigger role-considering the title! What I found though is a book that is very heavy on Pujols' career, and for a girl who doesn't care much about baseball, I found it difficult to get through. In fact, I didn't complete the book at the time of this review, because it was so statistic-heavy.

Although this book wasn't for me, I think there is a population who would enjoy reading Pujols: More Than the Game. For one, it doesn't hurt if you are a baseball fan. You'd be able to read through the statistics easily without it being dry. Secondly, because I didn't find this book to give a detailed testimony of Pujols' faith (at least by page 69, when I stopped reading), I think a non Christian could enjoy it without feeling like an outsider for not being Christian.

Overall, I'm glad I had the opportunity to read about Albert Pujols. It sounds like he is one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game. It's encouraging to know that he has a relationship with the Greatest, giving him the right perspective of his own greatness on the baseball field!
(Plus, I definitely got bonus points from one of my 4th grade male students who thought it was SO cool that I was reading a book about a baseball player!)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”