Bang the Drum Slowly

"[Bang the Drum Slowly] has one of the loveliest last lines in American literature, a regret from Wiggen for the way the players made fun of a slow-witted and now dead teammate: ‘From here on in, I rag nobody.’ We could all use that on our coat of arms."—George Vecsey, The New York Times (George Vecsey New York Times )"Bang the Drum Slowly is more than just another novel about baseball. It is about friendship, about the lives of a group of men as one by one they learn that a teammate is dying. Henry''s dead-pan, vernacular account of life in the dugout is refreshing, lively and often uproariously funny. His reactions to his doomed friend are poignant and profoundly touching. Bang the Drum Slowly is a fine bitter-sweet book."—New York Herald Tribune (New York Herald Tribune )"Bang the Drum Slowly makes wonderful reading—whether one hates baseball or loves it. . . . It is awfully funny in parts, and laughter is rare enough on anybody''s bookshelf."—New York Times (New York Times )"What makes Bang the Drum Slowly unique . . . is Author Harris'' mastery of his offbeat scene. . . . The talk is natural, larded with casual humor, earthiness and more than a touch of locker-room obscenity. . . . Harris has measured [the dimensions of his characters] with his heart as well as his eye and ear."—Time (Time )