My Losing Season

By: Pat Conroy

Narrated by: Chuck Montgomery

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply affecting coming-of-age memoir about family, love, loss, basketball—and life itself—by the beloved author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini

During one unforgettable season as a Citadel cadet, Pat Conroy becomes part of a basketball team that is ultimately destined to fail. And yet for a military kid who grew up on the move, the Bulldogs provide a sanctuary from the cold, abrasive father who dominates his life—and a crucible for becoming his own man.

With all the drama and incandescence of his bestselling fiction, Conroy re-creates his pivotal senior year as captain of the Citadel Bulldogs. He chronicles the highs and lows of that fateful 1966–67 season, his tough disciplinarian coach, the joys of winning, and the hard-won lessons of losing. Most of all, he recounts how a group of boys came together as a team, playing a sport that would become a metaphor for a man whose spirit could never be defeated.

Praise for My Losing Season

“A superb accomplishment, maybe the finest book Pat Conroy has written.”—The Washington Post Book World

“A wonderfully rich memoir that you don’t have to be a sports fan to love.”—Houston Chronicle

“A memoir with all the Conroy trademarks . . . Here’s ample proof that losers always tell the best stories.”—Newsweek

“In My Losing Season, Conroy opens his arms wide to embrace his difficult past and almost everyone in it.”—New York Daily News

“Haunting, bittersweet and as compelling as his bestselling fiction.”—Boston Herald©2002 Pat Conroy; (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

“A superb accomplishment, maybe the finest book Pat Conroy has written.”—The Washington Post Book World

“A wonderfully rich memoir that you don’t have to be a sports fan to love.”—Houston Chronicle

“A memoir with all the Conroy trademarks . . . Here’s ample proof that losers always tell the best stories.”—Newsweek

“In My Losing Season, Conroy opens his arms wide to embrace his difficult past and almost everyone in it.”—New York Daily News

“Haunting, bittersweet and as compelling as his bestselling fiction.”—Boston Herald

Pat Conroy is Great!

This is the first Conroy book I have experienced, but certainly not the last. His style and creative use of language held me captive for the entire book. It is easy to see that his treatment by his father has left lasting marks on his being, but also helped him to become the writer he is. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to experience the life of a young man growing up. It's not just about basketball.

Good but not Conroy's best

This is non-fiction so it gives a different take on Conroy's material. It's worth a read/listen if you're a Conroy fan.

My favorite Pat Conroy book

I never had a losing season because I played with the best athletes in my county. But this book ripped my heart out and made me laugh, cry, and count my blessings for the beautiful game of basketball and my wonderful teammates.

Loved the book and narrator except..

The book is great but the narrator should know how to pronounce “Beaufort” He keeps referring to this historic city as “Bo-fort” It’s a huge error. But otherwise as a South Carolina resident and family history rich in Charleston and Beaufort, the book is great.

I really think you should record the book over. The mispronunciation is scattered throughout the book

Moving, sad, poignant, memorable

Like the Great Santini, a lot of this book is about Conroy’s tyrant of a father. It’s also a lot about what we learn from sports, especially the heartbreaking lessons of losing.

The only thing I have to criticize is the narration. It’s not as awful as many Audiobooks, but there could have been more research put into pronouncing things correctly. For example, a lot of the book takes place in Beaufort, SC which the narrator erroneously pronounced “Boe-fort” instead of the correct “Byoo-furt.”