Heart of a Champion

Originally published in 1993, Heart of a Champion is a young adult novel written by award-winning author Carl Deuker, whose work is primarily about sports and intended for young adult readers. The novel is the first-person narrative of a California boy, Seth, whose father died prematurely, leaving a huge void. Seth befriends Jimmy, whose love of baseball quickly becomes Seth’s passion as well. After the death of his friend after an alcohol-induced car crash, Seth writes the memoir as a way of coping.

Carl Deuker was raised in the southern Bay Area near San Francisco, where the novel is set, and is an avid sports fan and writer. Heart of a Champion was named ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Book of the Year. It was also named Book of the Year in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Tennessee. Reader should be aware that the book deals openly with serious issues, including teenage drinking, alcoholism, domestic abuse, and death.

In 2007, the book was re-released in a paperback version, upon which this summary is based.

Plot Summary

The narrator is white 17-year-old Seth Barham. His father dies from a stroke when Seth is in first grade; five years later, as his mother’s lawsuit against the hotel where Seth’s father died goes to trial, Seth meets Jimmy Winter, a white boy his age practicing his baseball skills with his overbearing father. Mr. Winter, who demands perfection from Jimmy, is exceptionally patient and kind with Seth. The two boys become inseparable, and Jimmy introduces Seth to the history and intricacies of baseball. Eventually, Jimmy makes the major Little League team and Seth ends up on the minor league team

Mr. Winter takes them to a San Francisco Giants game, Seth’s first time at a major league stadium. After several beers, Mr. Winter gets into a verbal altercation with a group of teenagers in the stands and swears at Seth. When Seth’s mother finds out that Mr. Winter drove after drinking, she forbids Seth to ride with him. Soon after, Seth learns that Jimmy’s parents are getting a divorce.

One day, when Seth and Jimmy are playing, an older boy named John Tustin invites them to the woods. After offering them cigarettes and beer, Tustin suggests taking off their clothes, drinking beer, and reading lewd magazines. Jimmy pulls Seth away from the cabin. Seth wonders if he would have had the courage to leave if Jimmy had not taken the lead.

In the spring, the boys get into the Babe Ruth league, though Seth fears that he is not worthy. His mother tells him that his relentless practicing is similar to his father and golf. Though his dad was not athletically gifted, he perfected the abilities he did have.

Jimmy’s father shows up for the first game inebriated and very loud. Mortified, Jimmy has an uncharacteristic terrible outing. Afterward he explains to Seth that he and his mother are relocating.

In eighth grade, Jimmy asks Seth to join Jimmy’s baseball team. Seth would have to list a false address on the roster, so his mother refuses. Seth’s father never tolerated cheating.

Freshman year, Seth signs up for honors classes and becomes known as a bright honors student. He meets Todd Franks, a natural athlete with an attitude problem, and Coach Rick Sharront, a former major leaguer. After Jimmy’s parents divorce, Jimmy moves back and plays baseball on Seth’s team, quickly becoming the leader. Todd invites Jimmy and Seth to a party with beer. Regular drinking becomes part of their routine. When Seth points out they are doing the very thing that destroyed the Winters’ relationship, Jimmy denies any similarity. Mr. Winter comes back into Jimmy’s life during the summer. He Rather than demanding perfection from Jimmy, now he praises everything Jimmy does. Jimmy expresses disgust toward his father.

As sophomores, the boys try out for the varsity baseball team. Jimmy and Todd make the team, while Seth makes junior varsity. Jimmy and Todd quickly establish themselves as baseball luminaries and acquire the nickname “the Bruise Brothers” in the newspaper. Seth’s attitude sours until Coach Sharront benches him for two games. At the end of the year, Todd and Jimmy are suspended from the varsity team when Coach Sharront catches them drinking. Jimmy invites Seth to his father’s wedding, where Jimmy steals two bottles of champagne. The boys drink and drive home. Seth’s mother confronts him about being drunk and forbids him to ever ride with Jimmy again.

Junior year, Seth joins Jimmy and Todd on the varsity team. After they make the league championship, Seth is invited to go to a drinking party with Jimmy. He wrestles with the promise he made to his mother, deciding not to attend and asking Jimmy not to go. Jimmy’s drinking becomes an issue, and eventually, he is suspended for cutting class. When Jimmy returns to the team, he is totally focused on baseball, turning down the invitation to attend another drinking party.

After thoroughly thrashing the only team that can challenge them for the league championship, Jimmy meets several players in a park where they drink beer. That night Seth gets a call: Jimmy had an accident on the way home and has been taken to the hospital. Arriving at the hospital, Seth discovers Jimmy is dead.

After Jimmy’s funeral and burial, Seth realizes the depth of their friendship and how important Jimmy was to him. Coach Sharront brings in a grief counselor, who suggests that Seth write down his experiences, leading to the creation of the book.