Wayne Messmer is known in Chicago - and around the world thanks to broadcasts of the Chicago Cubs - as "the guy that sings the National Anthem." His booming voice and vocal talent have moved many sports fans over the years at the city's historic Wrigley Field.
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However, in 1994, as Messmer left a speaking engagement, a fifteen year old armed robber nearly stole his voice forever, shooting Messmer in the throat. His injuries were further complicated by delays in getting to the hospital for treatment as the result of a busy, typically brutal Friday night for paramedics. Once recovered from emergent surgery, Cook County Medical Center doctors explained to Messmer and his family that the necktie he was wearing, given to him by children from a youth group he had helped, was probably the one thing that saved his life. The tie had served as a tourniquet to help with the bleeding. Strong willed and strong in his faith, Messmer believed that God had watched over him that night and that faith would help him through the days, weeks and months to come in his recovery and on his road back to singing the Anthem at the corner of Clark and Addison again.
Best part of story, including ending:
My biased love for the Chicago Cubs aside, this was one of the most inspirational books I have read. It is a story of survival, faith, hope, and forgiveness that would move even a non sports fan.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was when Messmer sat with his shooter, talked with him and ultimately forgave him. Forgiveness and forgetting are two different things, but by forgiving the shooter, it freed Messmer's heart and mind allowing him to move forward and fully heal, externally and internally.
Opinion about the main character:
The baseball fan in me has always known that Messmer is a very talented, altruistic human being and I have always respected him for his vocal abilities and community service. Because of this book, however, I was able to see another side of him, a side of faith and hope that moved me. I could see where if more people lived their lives in the manner he does, the world would indeed be a better place.
