Book Review of PUJOLS by Lamb and Ellsworth

PUJOLS: MORE THAN THE GAME
By Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth
ISBN 978-1-59555-224-2
Published by Thomas Nelson
Reviewed by Clint Walker


I grew up reading sports biographies. I still remember details about Brian Bozworth and Reggie Jackson through the autobiographies they wrote. I also learned a lot about players that I never had a chance to watch play on television and in person through books. The nice thing about reading a sports biography is that you get to understand the story behind the story about what drove athletes to greatness, and what makes them tick today. PUJOLS: MORE THAN THE GAME draws us into the life and the career of Albert Pujols. What we discover is an athlete of fierce determination on the field, and a strong Christian faith that he lives both on the field and off the field.

I have enjoyed this biography, which tracks Albert Pujols from early days in the Dominican Republic, his adolescent years in Kansas City, and throughout his career to the present day. It was informative, and made me more of a fan of “The Machine”.

This book, however, may not be for everyone. The authors are very frank about Pujols’ Christian faith, and put that front and center when they communicate about this great baseball player. They believe that Albert Pujols’ deep Christian faith is foundational to his success on and off the field, and this is a big part of the reason why Lamb and Ellsworth write this book. To me, the sometimes polemical book is encouraging and inspiring. You will have to decide if this works for you.