Faithful: Two diehard Boston Red Sox fans chronicle the historic 2004 season - By Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King

This book chronicles the most magical season in Red Sox history. The authors lucked out big time when they started this diary in the beginning of the season. (Like Stephen King needed any more help selling books.) The contrast of the two authors creates a nice dynamic in the book. O’Nan is more of an “everyfan” excited about an autograph or foul ball. He’s just slightly more advanced and dedicated than most. King, on the other hand, while still a diehard, is a little more upper echelon. He likes his box seats, and VIP parking passes when he goes to a game. The combination gives rich insight into both neighborhoods of Red Sox Nation.

This book is an absolute must-read. It is, obviously, well-written. The diary format allows the reader to remember events as they happened. What did they really think about the Nomar trade. Just how much faith was really there after ALCS Game 3? It’s easy to look back and think, “I always knew it would work out.” This book proves that wasn’t the case. It chronicles the turning point in Red Sox fandom, and is even better every time it’s read.

For a rating, I’d give this book a 4 out of 4 bases.