The Pitcher's Kid is Jack Olsen's memoir of the first 18 years of his life, years that formed his voice, his ear, and passionate concern for the underdog. It is a story of a young boy's desperate yearning for a father during a time of extreme poverty and confusion and of a family's struggle to not just survive, but to triumph. The book has been compared to Frank McCourt for its poignant depiction of deprivation, to Geoffrey Wolf for its sad depiction of a deceptive father, and to David Sedaris for its hilarious depiction of childhood.