Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame

The painfully honest and personal story of one of baseball’s most intriguing players.

In Curveball, Zito shares his story with honesty and transparency. The ups and the downs. The wins and losses. By sharing his experiences as a man who had everything except happiness, Zito offers readers a path through adversity and toward a life defined by true success.

Despite achieving the kind of fame and fortune that most people only dream about, Barry Zito was plagued by both internal forces and external circumstances that robbed him of any sense of peace—until he finally found a purpose worth living for.

Barry explores the twists and turns of his own journey, including:

• his dad’s constant push and pursuit for excellence, which translated into a toxic father-son relationship,
• how achieving superstardom in the major leagues created crippling fear,
• the personal destruction brought on by fame and fortune,
• and the disastrous seasons with the San Francisco Giants, including being benched for the 2010 playoffs and World Series.

Zito comes face-to-face with the destructiveness of his own ego—his need to be viewed as the best. He also comes face-to-face with God and with the truth that he was loved no matter what he achieved.

Pitching primarily for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants throughout his Major League Baseball career, Barry Zito is a Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion. After retiring from baseball, Barry settled in Nashville with his wife, Amber, and their two sons. Already well into his second career as a musician and songwriter, Zito recently released his debut EP, “No Secrets.”

Robert Noland has authored more than seventy-five titles spanning across children, youth, and adult audiences over the past twenty-five years. He is an author, writer, editor, and project manager for Christian publishers, ministries, and faith-based organizations. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife of 30+ years and has two adult sons. Visit robertnoland.com.