17 must-read baseball books like Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon by Bill Chastain

Cover of Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon by Bill Chastain

Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

By: Bill Chastain

3.69

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

With his irreverant personality, laid-back approach, and penchant for the unexpected, Joe Maddon is…

If you liked the baseball plot in Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon by Bill Chastain , here is a list of 17 books like this:

Cover of Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages by David Ross, Don Yaeger, David                      Ross

1. Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages

By: David Ross , Don Yaeger , David Ross

4.07

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

An inspiring memoir from David Ross, the veteran catcher dubbed "Grandpa Rossy," who became the hea… read more

Similar categories in David Ross's Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
"Talent is part of the equation, but when you combine talent with accountability and authenticity, it is tough to beat."

-David Ross, Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages

"To be honest with everyone around you, humble no matter how good things get, reliable and consistent so that everyone knows what to expect, to willingly share your experiences with others—including t…"

-David Ross, Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages

Cover of Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

2. Washington: A Life

By: Ron Chernow

4.16

Format: 904 pages, Hardcover

The celebrated Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of America. With a brea… read more

Similar categories in Ron Chernow's Washington: A Life book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • biography
"Many mickles make a muckle."

-Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life

"Washington grew as a leader because he engaged in searching self- criticism. “I can bear to hear of imputed or real errors,"

-Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life

"I can bear to hear of imputed or real errors. The man who wishes to stand well in the opinion of others must do this, because he is thereby enabled to correct his faults or remove the prejudices whic…"

-Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life

"An essential difference between the American and French revolutions was that the American version allowed a search for many truths, while French zealots tried to impose a single sacred truth that all…"

-Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life

Cover of The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond by Jeff Silverman

3. The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond

By: Jeff Silverman

3.73

Format: 336 pages, Paperback

Thirty great essays, profiles, and stories about America's pastime. Who's on first? / Abbott & C… read more

Similar categories in Jeff Silverman's The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters by Peter Langman

4. Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters

By: Peter Langman

3.83

Format: 193 pages, Hardcover

Ten years after the school massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, school shootings are a ne… read more

Similar categories in Peter Langman's Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
Cover of Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal by Greg Renoff

5. Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal

By: Greg Renoff

4.35

Format: 26 pages, Paperback

A vivid and energetic history of Van Halen's legendary early years After years of playing gigs ever… read more

Similar categories in Greg Renoff's Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • biography
Cover of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

6. The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea

By: Sebastian Junger

3.50

Format: 31 pages,

"Takes readers into the maelstrom and shows nature's splendid and dangerous havoc at its utmost". O… read more

Similar categories in Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • biography
Cover of The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen

7. The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse

By: Rich Cohen

3.44

Format: 198 pages, Hardcover

A captivating blend of reportage and memoir exploring the history of the Chicago Cubs When Rich Coh… read more

Similar categories in Rich Cohen's The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court by Jay Bilas, Coach K.

8. Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court

By: Jay Bilas , Coach K.

2.50

Format: 216 pages, Hardcover

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The popular ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player looks at the… read more

Similar categories in Jay Bilas's Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • sports
  • nonfiction
Cover of Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard

9. Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot

By: Bill O'Reilly , Martin Dugard

4.17

Format: None pages, Hardcover

A riveting historical narrative of the shocking events surrounding the assassination of John F. Ken… read more

Similar categories in Bill O'Reilly's Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • biography
Cover of Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger

10. Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream

By: H.G. Bissinger

3.33

Format: None pages, Mass Market Paperback

Return once again to the enduring account of life in the Mojo lane, to the Permian Panthers of Odes… read more

Similar categories in H.G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • sports
  • biography

11. Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s

By: Jason Turbow

3.00

Format: 144 pages, Hardcover

How the Oakland A's of the 1970s--a revolutionary band of brawling Hall of Famers--won three straig… read more

Similar categories in Jason Turbow's Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports

12. Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom, #3)

By: John Updike

4.22

Format: None pages, Paperback

Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Ten years after RABBIT REDUX, Harry Angstrom has com… read more

Similar categories in John Updike's Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom, #3) book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

13. Shadow Divers

By: Robert Kurson

4.04

Format: 176 pages, Hardcover

In the tradition of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which t… read more

Similar categories in Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

14. The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played It

By: Lawrence S. Ritter

5.00

Format: 299 pages,

From the Preface: This new enlarged edition of The Glory of Their Times contains the complete text … read more

Similar categories in Lawrence S. Ritter's The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played It book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

15. Death Comes for the Archbishop

By: Willa Cather

3.67

Format: None pages, Paperback

There is something epic--and almost mythic--about this sparsely beautiful novel by Willa Cather, al… read more

Similar categories in Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

Cover of Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O'Brien

16. Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball

By: Keith O'Brien

4.43

Format: 464 pages, Hardcover

A page-turning work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the incredible story of one of America’s mo… read more

Similar categories in Keith O'Brien's Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant

17. Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World

By: John Vaillant

4.35

Format: 432 pages, Hardcover

A stunning account of a colossal wildfire that collided with a city and a panoramic exploration of … read more

Similar categories in John Vaillant's Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
Cover of Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa's Jolly Elf by Mick Foley

18. Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa's Jolly Elf

By: Mick Foley

4.13

Format: 288 pages, Hardcover

From beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author and WWE Hall-of-Famer Mick Foley comes a Yuletide… read more

Similar categories in Mick Foley's Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa's Jolly Elf book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • sports
  • biography
Cover of The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife by Brad Balukjian

19. The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife

By: Brad Balukjian

4.00

Format: 259 pages, Hardcover

Is there life after baseball? Starting from this simple question, The Wax Pack ends up with somethi… read more

Similar categories in Brad Balukjian's The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches (Random House Large Print) by Tyler Kepner

20. K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches (Random House Large Print)

By: Tyler Kepner

4.11

Format: 512 pages, Paperback

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From The New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling histor… read more

Similar categories in Tyler Kepner's K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches (Random House Large Print) book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life by Joe Maddon

21. The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life

By: Joe Maddon

4.00

Format: 369 pages, Hardcover

Lessons in baseball enlightenment from three-time MLB Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. No one sees … read more

Similar categories in Joe Maddon's The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of Mantle: The Best There Ever Was by Tony  Castro

22. Mantle: The Best There Ever Was

By: Tony Castro

3.98

Format: 280 pages, Hardcover

In Mantle: The Best There Ever Was, Tony Castro brings to life the man who is arguably not only the… read more

Similar categories in Tony Castro's Mantle: The Best There Ever Was book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking by Russell A. Carleton

23. The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking

By: Russell A. Carleton

4.10

Format: 366 pages, Kindle Edition

With its three-hour-long contests, 162-game seasons, and countless measurable variables, baseball i… read more

Similar categories in Russell A. Carleton's The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back by Luis Tiant

24. Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back

By: Luis Tiant

4.30

Format: 300 pages, Hardcover

The improbable story of Luis Tiant―a living link to the earliest days of Fidel Castro’s regime, a B… read more

Similar categories in Luis Tiant's Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of Why Baseball Matters (Why X Matters Series) by Susan Jacoby

25. Why Baseball Matters (Why X Matters Series)

By: Susan Jacoby

3.40

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

A best-selling author and passionate baseball fan takes a tough-minded look at America’s most tradi… read more

Similar categories in Susan Jacoby's Why Baseball Matters (Why X Matters Series) book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History by Mark S. Halfon

26. Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History

By: Mark S. Halfon

3.85

Format: 240 pages, Hardcover

2014 SLA Baseball Caucus Readers’ Choice Award winner from the Special Libraries Association The D… read more

Similar categories in Mark S. Halfon's Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • nonfiction
  • sports
Cover of Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds by Nick Foles

27. Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds

By: Nick Foles

4.33

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

* New York Times Bestseller* Get ready to defy the odds when everyone’s counting you out. When the … read more

Similar categories in Nick Foles's Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • sports
  • biography
Cover of Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's by Dale Tafoya

28. Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's

By: Dale Tafoya

3.93

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

In the early 1970s, the Oakland Athletics was one of the most successful franchises in professional… read more

Similar categories in Dale Tafoya's Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon by Bill Chastain

29. Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

By: Bill Chastain

3.69

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

With his irreverant personality, laid-back approach, and penchant for the unexpected, Joe Maddon is… read more

Similar categories in Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of Doc, Donnie, the Kid, and Billy Brawl: How the 1985 Mets and Yankees Fought for New York's Baseball Soul by Chris Donnelly

30. Doc, Donnie, the Kid, and Billy Brawl: How the 1985 Mets and Yankees Fought for New York's Baseball Soul

By: Chris Donnelly

3.96

Format: 312 pages, Hardcover

Doc, Donnie, the Kid, and Billy Brawl focuses on the 1985 New York baseball season, a season like n… read more

Similar categories in Chris Donnelly's Doc, Donnie, the Kid, and Billy Brawl: How the 1985 Mets and Yankees Fought for New York's Baseball Soul book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • nonfiction
  • baseball
  • biography
  • sports
Cover of COVID Curveball: An Inside View of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Season by Tim Neverett

31. COVID Curveball: An Inside View of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Season

By: Tim Neverett

3.58

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

A riveting inside account of the most unforgettable season in Los Angeles Dodgers history, from the… read more

Similar categories in Tim Neverett's COVID Curveball: An Inside View of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Season book and Bill Chastain's Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon

  • baseball
  • sports

26 must-read nonfiction books like Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon by Bill Chastain

Transform Your Habits

Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages

David Ross , Don Yaeger , David Ross

4.07

Transform Your Habits

Washington: A Life

Ron Chernow

4.16

Transform Your Habits

The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond

Jeff Silverman

3.73

Transform Your Habits

Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters

Peter Langman

3.83

View all the books

8 Best history books like Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger

Transform Your Habits

The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy

Bill Simmons

4.20

Transform Your Habits

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

James Andrew Miller , Tom Shales

3.76

Transform Your Habits

Ball Four

Jim Bouton

4.05

Transform Your Habits

Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Laura Hillenbrand

4.22

View all the books

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