Taking seriously the idea that baseball is a study in failure--a very
successful batter manages a base hit in just three of every ten
attempts--Mark Kingwell argues that there is no better tutor of human
failure's enduring significance than this strange, crooked game of base,
where geometry becomes poetry.
Weaving elements of memoir, philosophical reflection, sports writing,
and humour, Fail Better is an intellectual love letter to baseball by
one of North America's most engaging philosophers. Kingwell illustrates
complex concepts like theoretically infinite game-space, "time out of
time," and the rules of civility with accessible examples drawn from the
game, its history, and his own halting efforts to hit 'em where they
ain't. Beyond a "Beckett meets baseball" study in failure, Kingwell
crafts a thoughtful appreciation of why sports matter, and how they
change our vision of the world.
Never pretentious, always entertaining, Fail Better is set to be the
homerun non-fiction title of the season.