Senior Year: A Father, A Son, and High School Baseball

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Review by Christian P. Nelson, 2010-04-23

I don't even bother reading Dan Shaughnessey's hack job columns in the Globe anymore, really I have no idea what drove me to pick Senior Year up at a book store last weekend, but something struck me just right. As a new father and a former Massachusetts high school baseball player (though nowhere near as talented as Sam...), this book stood out as touching and poignant to me.

Perhaps it dragged a bit leading up to Sam's penultimate season, but my interest was held throughout, and despite Sam being kind of a brat I was rooting for him and was genuinely excited when good things happened for him. There is a writing sample from Sam included in the book that is just awful. The inclusion of it made me like Sam just a bit less...regardless, I have plans to give a copy of this book to a buddy with 3 children (one son), and I know he will enjoy reading of the Shaughnessey's hardball journey too.

Review by D. Greenes, 2008-07-06

The customer reviews for this book are highly polarized -- mainly 1 star or 5 stars.

I came with no strong preconceptions about Dan Shaughnessy. I live in the Boston area, so I have read many of his columns in the Globe over the years. But I don't have a strong opinion of him. I neither love him nor hate him.

That's also the way I felt about this book. I didn't love it or hate it.

I found the book easy to read and sped quickly through it. As the story progressed, I was eager to see how things would unfold for Sam Shaughnessy and his family. I laughed at many of Shaughnessy's anecdotes and observations about the politically correct culture of Newton, Massachusetts. I believe the book accurately describes much of the challenges and excitement of a budding Division I athlete navigating through his senior year in high school.

My main criticism of the book is that the feel-good, family-first tone felt a little forced. I guess the prominently placed blurb by Mitch Albom on the cover should have clued me in to the homilies to follow.

The way Mr. Shaughnessy describes his home, it is the epitome of all that's good about America. It seems that all the kids in Newton feel comfortable stopping by, sharing a meal, and sleeping over. The Shaughnessy home is always messy, noisy, vibrant, and happily chaotic. There don't seem to be any temper tantrums, slammed doors, or brooding silences. Also, the Shaughnessys seem to treat all their neighbors as part of the extended family. There are no meddling, nosy neighbors, no weirdos that the family studiously avoids. Despite Mr. Shaughnessy's busy work and travel schedule, he seems never to miss an important family moment.

Maybe Mr. Shaughnessy's family life really is that good. Or perhaps he feels guilty about having missed so much of his life at home over the years and is applying a revisionist tone to his description of his family life. I guess readers are supposed to be inspired by the family values that Dan Shaughnessy and his family seemingly epitomize. But I think many readers, like me, will doubt whether things are really that good in the Shaughnessy home.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy reading this book. With the reservations above, I still recommend it.

Review by Daniel V. Rickards, 2008-03-13

As an Indianapolis Colts fan, I should not even be reading a book written by a Boston Globe writer!

I personally found the book hard to sit down. With a high school senior in sports, it was easy for me to relate to his experiences. I loved Dan's passion for baseball at an early age. When we were kids, baseball was everything.

If you have a senior involved in sports, you will find this book entertaining. If you are not involved in sports and do not have kids, you may not enjoy this book as well as I did.

Review by Karen Zemek, 2008-03-12

This book is nonfiction about Dan Shaughnessy's son's Senior Year and the stress he as a parent had. It gives insight into a parent's feelings and thoughts about raising a senior. The son was a ballplayer and the dad was very much into watching his games and hoping he would get a sports scholarship for college. The father often compares his son's actions and events to his own memories from when he was that age. It covers the following issues: grades, driving, prom, sports, choosing a college, sportsmanship, respecting the game. I think any parent of teens involved in high school sports would enjoy this book.

--Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Review by Boston Reader, 2008-01-20

I read this book after hearing good things about it from two members of my family. Many of the low ratings had scared me off originally, but I took the plunge and am glad I did. I should say that one reason I might have liked this book is that I could relate to so much of it: I was in high school in the Boston area at the same time as Dan Shaughnessy, and I have three children, one of whom graduated in the same year at Dan's son, Sam. My son was also a recruited athlete and is currently competing at the college level. Shaughnessy's chronicles of his life as a high school student and as a parent of a senior in high school rang very true to me. I also should say that I give the author credit for not white-washing the warts from his son's senior year. Sam was often painted in a less than favorable light, yet always with caring. Trying to deal with less-than-perfect children is what parenting is about for 99% of us, and Shaughnessy's loving angst was something I related to. I should say that I am not a big fan of Dan Shaughnessy through his columns, but I entered this book trying hard not to let it poison my experience reading this. It didn't, but I can't help but believe that most of those "one star" ratings come from people who began the book with a negative attitude towards the author. Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that about half the people rated this a 5 and half a 1, with very few ratings in between? I enjoyed this book, and it helped me reflect a bit more on my own family. It reminded me that I am not alone in both the joys and challenges of parenting these days. This is not a profound book, but worth reading.