Magic Season: A Son’s Story

Rouse, the pen name of best-selling author Viola Shipman, is back with his most emotional book yet. It’s a memoir that delves into the contentious relationship he had with his father. Wade was not the son his father wanted, and he never let Wade forget it. But they shared one thing: the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball became the story of their lives. The majority of the audiobook occurs during October 2015, the last month of his father’s life. Told through nine innings of a baseball game, it goes backward to see key glimpses of the author’s childhood, teen years, and adulthood. In light of those details, it would have been understandable if the author had been unable to forgive his father for years of emotional abuse. He explains, however, how he overcame those challenges to grow into a man capable of love, emotion, and forgiveness. Rouse narrates his own book and comes across as personable and genuine. The voices he uses for his parents are not caricatures but are as close to his memory as possible. It makes for compelling listening.