Pickleball Is Life: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Obsession

Pickleball is a hugely popular pastime, largely because of its uncomplicated setup and equipment requirements and its accessibility to people of all ages and ability levels. Books on pickleball seem to come in two varieties: traditional how-to/strategy manuals (Mary Littlewood’s Pickleball Fundamentals) and lighthearted looks at the sport, generally written by devoted fans (Marlene Bell’s Pickleball: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). As its title suggests, this book by McHugh (So Who’s Counting; National Parks: A Kid’s Guide) falls into the latter category. McHugh begins fittingly with pickleball’s origin story, including anecdotes from descendants of the game’s creators, followed by a rundown of necessary equipment, the game’s components, lingo, and rules, and some pickleball variations. Next is a section called “the pickleverse,” an eclectic combination of game add-ons (optional accessories, drink and snack recipes) and straight up humor (fake pickleball quotes; lies to tell when you’re ditching work to play pickleball). The final two sections focus on pickleball etiquette and spreading the word about the wonders of the game.