WILMETTE – The Wilmette Public Library invites Cubs fans, NPR listeners, and anyone who loves masterful storytelling to meet author and broadcaster Scott Simon when he discusses his new book, My Cubs: A Love Story, at Wilmette Junior High School, 620 Locust Road, Wilmette, on October 10 at 7 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public, and tickets are not required. A book signing will follow, with copies of Simon’s books available for purchase courtesy of The Book Stall.
Scott Simon is the award-winning host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, a native Chicagoan, and a lifelong Cubs fan. One of America’s most admired writers, storytellers, and broadcasters, Simon has worn the identity of “Cubs fan” like a battered badge of honor for six decades. Like so many other diehard fans, he never thought he’d live to see the Cubs win the World Series. Now, in his latest book, comprised of part memoir and part club history, Simon shares with readers his heartfelt reflections on his beloved team and the agony and ecstasy of a lifetime of super fandom.
“My politics, religion, and personal tastes change with whatever I learn from life,” Simon writes. “But being a Cubs fan is my nature, my heritage, and probably somewhere in my chromosomes. If you prick me, I’m quite sure I’ll bleed Cubby blue.”
Moving, humorous, and spirited, My Cubs is more than a love letter to Simon’s cherished Cubbies and a tribute to the fans and his hometown. The book also explores the relationship between the team and its city, chronicling the Cubs’ evolution from a team of “loveable losers” to champions of the 2016 World Series while experiencing enormous dedication from their fans every step of the way.
In addition, Simon describes how the Cubs’ World Series win transcended sports and became an underdog narrative for the nation. The book pays homage to baseball itself as Simon acknowledges the sport’s incredible power to have granted levity, celebration, and unity to both the city and the country.
According to the Washington Post, “Scott Simon’s My Cubs: A Love Story provides the (team’s) emotional 108-year backstory. He lays out the context of suffering, of losses, of communal connections and religious devotion….His view – the fan’s perspective – is no doubt crucial to understanding the significance of last year’s World Series.”
BookPage described the book as a “a brisk, sweet romp through Cubs history to the glorious present.” According to Publishers Weekly, Simon’s “heartfelt memoir…gives readers a wonderful look at how a Cubs fan – indeed, any devoted fan of any team – has a feeling of ‘love, not loyalty.’”
Over the course of his career, Simon has reported stories from all 50 states and every continent and has won every major award in broadcasting. He is a special contributor to CBS Sunday Morning and the author of several books, including the novels Pretty Birds and Windy City, and the memoir Unforgettable. Prior to the 2016 World Series, his hobbies included “bleeding for the Chicago Cubs.”
The Library has multiple copies of My Cubs: A Love Story for checkout. For more information, visit www.wilmettelibrary.info/scott-simon-event or call (847) 256-6930.
Submitted by Wilmette Public Library
