Cromartie, even with professional writer Robert Whiting assisting him, is no literary genius. He writes as if he is speaking, often using too many words to describe his subject. The book itself is predictable, allowing the reader quickly to decipher what is vital and what is not by its table of contents. Frankly, this book might be better served as a long video interview with Cromartie as the center piece. Published reviews of Slugging it Out in Japan generally agree with the aforementioned formula.
Some anecdotes are tepid and directionless, six seasons is simply too much to cover.
The truth lies somewhere between the poles produced by these comments. If you enjoy a quick, simple read, with plenty of interesting tales, then Slugging it Out in Japan is worth a look. Cromartie's book is an example of the underlying reality of Japanese baseball. The burden of stardom, coupled with racism and home sickness, obviously wore on Cromartie. But it would seem that, in the end, the experience Cromartie gained in Japan made him a happier person.