Death of a Childhood

<p><strong>It's 1989 and a historic yet largely forgotten baseball team is emerging just as a young fan's world begins to unravel.</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Death of a Childhood</em> is the memoir of one year in the life of a pre-teen: A time when oncoming puberty family illness a frightening new battle with anxiety disorders an impending school switch and a changing relationship with his closest confidant-his mom-threaten to change him from a happy free-spirited kid into a fraught early adolescent. But as his world is rocked he finds solace in an ongoing miracle: A rebuilding Major League Baseball (MLB) club that is shockingly in contention for a coveted division title.</p><p></p><p>The author begins the year as a precocious baseball-obsessed fifth grader far from ready to grow up. Meanwhile one season after losing a record 21 straight games to open a 100-loss season the 1989 Baltimore Orioles considered the worst team in baseball have fielded a team of prospects and cast-offs to place around future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Somehow the unthinkable happens-the Orioles lead the division for months and are poised to become the first team in MLB history to go from last to first in one season.</p><p></p><p><strong>Struggling to hold himself together the author clings to this unlikely team on their impossible quest-a salve an inspiration and a last great adventure on his journey from childhood to adolescence.</strong></p>