{"product_id":"the-might-have-been-a-novel-9780345530264","title":"The Might Have Been: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoseph M. Schusters absorbing debut novel resonates with the pull of lifelong dreams  the sting of regret  and the ways we define ourselves against uncertain twists of fateperfect for fans of Chad Harbachs The Art of Fielding.  NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH  For Edward Everett Yates  split seconds matter: the precise timing of hitting a low outside pitch  of stealing a base  of running down a fly ball. After a decade playing in the minor leaguesyears after most of his peers have given uphes still patiently waiting for his chance at the majors. Then one day he gets called up to the St. Louis Cardinals  and finally the future he wanted unfolds before him.  But one more split second changes everything: In what should have been the game of his life  he sustains a devastating knee injury  which destroys his professional career.  Thirty years later  after sacrificing so many opportunitiesa lucrative job  relationships with women who loved him  even the chance for a familyEdward Everett is barely hanging on as the manager of a minor league baseball team  still grappling with regret over the choices he made and the life he almost had. Then he encounters two playersone brilliant but undisciplined  the other eager but unremarkablewho show him that his greatest contribution may come in the last place he ever expected.  Full of passion  ambition  and possibility  The Might Have Been maps the profound and unpredictable moments that change our lives forever  and the irresistible power of a second chance.  Praise for The Might Have Been  The effort to sustain the tradition of the great American baseball novel receives an honorable boost with this meticulously peopled tale of opportunities lost.The New York Times Book Review  Eventually  all of us have to grapple our might-have-beens. This is the moving story of a man whose chance for baseball stardom ended in a split-second accident  and it resonates far beyond the baseball field.Readers Digest  A brilliant debut . . . a lovely  poignant  heartbreaker of a baseball novel  as good as last years hyped The Art of Fielding and more literary than Grishams Calico Joe.St. Louis Post-Dispatch  A grand slam!San Antonio Express-News  The Might Have Been is about the hold baseball can have on those who play it  but its also about acceptance  and patience  and the struggle to know when to fold em  and when to run.Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel  A terrific story that goes beyond the sport and deals with promise and aspirations  dreams and disappointments . . . Never mind whether you are a baseball fan. This is a damn fine read.Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45789708877877,"sku":"ByrdShop_0345530268","price":28.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780345530264.jpg?v=1784695533","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-might-have-been-a-novel-9780345530264","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}