4th Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Faithful, by Stephen King and Stewart O’ Nan. Scribner publishing. 2004.
Genre: Nonfiction
The book, Faithful, was written by two avid Red Sox fans, about the Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship winning season. It starts off during spring training, and goes all the way through the World Series clinching game. As it goes through the season, there are portions of dialogue between the two authors during games throughout the season.
Of all the books that will examine the Boston Red Sox's stunning come-from-behind 2004 ALCS win over the Yankees and subsequent World Series victory, none will have this book's warmth, personality or depth. Beginning with an e-mail exchange in the summer of 2003, novelists King and O'Nan started keeping diaries chronicling the Red Sox's season, from spring training to the Series' final game. Although they attended some games together, the two did most of their conversing in electronic missives about the team's players, the highs and lows of their performance on the field and the hated Yankees ("limousine longballers"). O'Nan acts as a play-by-play announcer, calling the details of every game (sometimes quite tediously), while King provides colorful commentary, making the games come alive by proffering his intense emotional reactions to them. When the Red Sox find themselves three games down during the ALCS, King reflects on the possibilities of a win in game four: "Yet still we are the faithful... we tell ourselves it's just one game at a time. We tell ourselves the impossible can start tonight." After the Sox win the Series, O'Nan delivers a fan's thanks: "You believed in yourselves even more than we did. That's why you're World Champions, and why we'll never forget you or this season. Wherever you go, any of you, you'll always have a home here, in the heart of the Nation." (At times, the authors' language borders on the maudlin.) But King and O'Nan are, admittedly, more eloquent than average baseball fans (or average sportswriters, for that matter), and their book will provide Red Sox readers an opportunity to relive every nail-biting moment of a memorable season.
Publisher’s Weekly
Unlike other books that Stephen King has written, this isn’t scary or about any monsters. This is about two avid fans following their team through a whole season and writing a book about it. The two friends wrote the story like they almost knew it was going to be a storybook ending. They wrote it like they knew that something was going to give and that the Red Sox would some how find a way to win the World Series.
This book affected me because I am a huge Red Sox fan and it made me remember how magical the 2004 season was. It made me think about the different places I watched a game or what happened in a game and how excited, angry, or happy I was with the outcome. I feel that this book is perfect for anyone who loves the Red Sox.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Desire
Desire
To be great is my desire
With all my fire
Intensely I fight
All day, all night
Strong mental focus guides my mind
From heart I find
The confidence
Within silence
I zero in on my target
Do not forget
Believe in self
Put me on shelf
Monday, March 30, 2009
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.....
People make many difficult decisions throughout their lives and must live with the consequences. Whether it’s deciding what to eat for breakfast or the people you’re going to surround yourself with, there are always consequences to the decisions you make. Whether someone eats pancakes with syrup or without has consequences, just like if someone decides to go out with a group of friends and drink or do something illegal. There are still consequences to both, but the consequences are very different. Whether or not someone puts syrup on their pancakes may only make them hyper for a little while. If someone goes out and drinks, or do something illegal, the consequences could be very great. A person could get arrested, or even killed. There are consequences to everything a person does; they just have different severities to them.
During The Old Man and the Sea, the benevolent and confident main character, Santiago, makes many critical choices. One choice that he makes is deciding not to allow anybody to go out and fish with him. This was a dismal mistake because he’s an elderly man. He’s still strong and long-winded, but he still needed help. It would have been better had people been nicer to him and had more sympathy for him, but instead, everybody just made fun of him and said he was a terrible fisherman. He could have used a lot of help when he was trying to catch the marlin and when he was trying to fight off the shark that was trying to eat his marlin. It would have been helpful to have someone there when he was fighting off the sharks because it’s easier to fight off a shark when there are two people, rather than just one. “If the boy were here he would wet the coils of line, he thought. Yes. If the boy were here…” (83). He was starting to cramp up and get sore. It also would’ve been a wise decision to take somebody out with him because he probably felt lonely. He’s out at sea for days at a time with nobody to talk to. It would have been a very intelligent decision to take somebody with him, so he didn’t have to do everything all alone.
Another critical decision that Santiago made was chasing the marlin so far out into the Gulf of Mexico. This was a very naïve decision because he had no clue where he was. He should’ve just stayed close to shore and let the fish go when he started to realize how far out he was. “I shouldn’t have gone out so far, fish, he said. Neither for you nor for me. I’m sorry fish…” (110). He should have stayed close to shore, so he could actually find his way back home. He got caught up in the moment, knowing that he had hooked an aggressive, majestic fish and wasn’t paying enough attention to how he was frantically being moved around.
Another decision that the old man made was eating the marlin. This was a good idea because he was probably very hungry. “He leaned over the side and pulled a loose piece of meat of the fish where the shark had cut him. He chewed it and noted its quality and its good taste. It was firm and juicy, like meat, but it was not red. There was no stringiness in it and he knew that it would bring the highest price at the market. But there was no way to keep the scent out of the water and the old man knew that a very bad time was coming…” (106). It would have been better if he had saved the remaining marlin meat and try to sell it and make a lot of money. This marlin was huge and he could have gotten lots of money had he saved it and sold it at the market when he made it back to shore. He could have gotten enough money, so he could have bought a nicer house and probably wouldn’t have had to fish again for a long time.
The choices people make in their every day lives can be as simple as what they want to wear that day, or as complicated as what they’re going to do if they can’t work, or lose their job. They are both choices, but they have completely different consequences to them. The choices you make can be very important and be decisions that affect you for the rest of your life, or they can be small, trivial decisions that affect you for just a few minutes. People have to make decisions every day. The only thing that is different about them is what kind of consequences the decisions lead to.
During The Old Man and the Sea, the benevolent and confident main character, Santiago, makes many critical choices. One choice that he makes is deciding not to allow anybody to go out and fish with him. This was a dismal mistake because he’s an elderly man. He’s still strong and long-winded, but he still needed help. It would have been better had people been nicer to him and had more sympathy for him, but instead, everybody just made fun of him and said he was a terrible fisherman. He could have used a lot of help when he was trying to catch the marlin and when he was trying to fight off the shark that was trying to eat his marlin. It would have been helpful to have someone there when he was fighting off the sharks because it’s easier to fight off a shark when there are two people, rather than just one. “If the boy were here he would wet the coils of line, he thought. Yes. If the boy were here…” (83). He was starting to cramp up and get sore. It also would’ve been a wise decision to take somebody out with him because he probably felt lonely. He’s out at sea for days at a time with nobody to talk to. It would have been a very intelligent decision to take somebody with him, so he didn’t have to do everything all alone.
Another critical decision that Santiago made was chasing the marlin so far out into the Gulf of Mexico. This was a very naïve decision because he had no clue where he was. He should’ve just stayed close to shore and let the fish go when he started to realize how far out he was. “I shouldn’t have gone out so far, fish, he said. Neither for you nor for me. I’m sorry fish…” (110). He should have stayed close to shore, so he could actually find his way back home. He got caught up in the moment, knowing that he had hooked an aggressive, majestic fish and wasn’t paying enough attention to how he was frantically being moved around.
Another decision that the old man made was eating the marlin. This was a good idea because he was probably very hungry. “He leaned over the side and pulled a loose piece of meat of the fish where the shark had cut him. He chewed it and noted its quality and its good taste. It was firm and juicy, like meat, but it was not red. There was no stringiness in it and he knew that it would bring the highest price at the market. But there was no way to keep the scent out of the water and the old man knew that a very bad time was coming…” (106). It would have been better if he had saved the remaining marlin meat and try to sell it and make a lot of money. This marlin was huge and he could have gotten lots of money had he saved it and sold it at the market when he made it back to shore. He could have gotten enough money, so he could have bought a nicer house and probably wouldn’t have had to fish again for a long time.
The choices people make in their every day lives can be as simple as what they want to wear that day, or as complicated as what they’re going to do if they can’t work, or lose their job. They are both choices, but they have completely different consequences to them. The choices you make can be very important and be decisions that affect you for the rest of your life, or they can be small, trivial decisions that affect you for just a few minutes. People have to make decisions every day. The only thing that is different about them is what kind of consequences the decisions lead to.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Playing With the Enemy by Gary W. Moore. Penguin Books, 2006.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Gene Moore was a fifteen year old boy that is an incredible baseball player in the small, very poor, farming town of Sesser, Illinois. He played in a semi-pro league where most of the other players on the team were quite a bit older than he was. He was the starting catcher, clean-up hitter, and unquestioned leader of the team. One day, while he was warming up the starting pitcher for his team, someone in the crowd called him over to talk to him. It was a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, named Frank Boudreau. After discussing it with his parents, they allowed him to sign with the Dodgers. One day during the offseason, Gene was at the movies and heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. He decided to join the war, but instead of fighting, he played baseball. The army and navy decided that if any players signed by major league teams signed up for the war that they would make two teams and play in North Africa as entertainment for wounded soldiers. After he left Africa, he was ordered to guard a group of German prisoners of war in Louisiana. After several weeks, he decided to teach them how to play baseball because they didn’t have enough guards to field two teams. They play several games and the Americans win all of them, but during the last game on a play at the plate, Gene slid into home plate and dislocated his ankle. After Gene was back home for 4 years, Frank came back and signed him to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates even though, after the ankle injury, two screws were put in his ankle just to keep it in place. He couldn’t get into a traditional catchers squat because of the screws in his ankle. He was still good, but he wasn’t as good as he was before his injury. He reported to one of their minor league teams and played for them for a few weeks, then after making a diving play to save a perfect game, he was released because his ankle was in such bad shape.
“A true story of a man’s reaching out to the enemy during a very dark time in our history. Gene Moore and his fellow sailors teach all of us that compassion and tolerance does exist, especially when the bridge builder happens to be that great American pastime: baseball. History and baseball buffs alike will revel in this episode of a man’s ability to reach out, even during a time of war.”
Gerald R. Molen, Academy Award-winning producer of Schindler’s List
This story shows the baseball career of Gene Moore from begin to end with vivid detail. I can picture everything in the story from the poor town of Sesser to the makeshift baseball diamond they made in Louisiana in order to play the Germans. In most other books that I’ve read, the details in the book haven’t been as specific as this one.
“Summers in Southern Illinois are hot, and July 1941 was hotter and more humid than most. Sesser is a small country town in “downstate” Illinois, ninety mile southeast of St.Louis. Although the entire country had suffered from the ravages of the Great Depression, this small coal mining town ws particularly hard hit.
I’m an avid baseball fan and love everything about baseball, especially the history behind the game. This book was about not looking at everyone as an enemy even if you’re really supposed to, never giving up, and that even in bad situations, you can always find a way to have fun. What I enjoyed about this story was how a fifteen year old kid was signed to a Major League contract, this makes me believe that if you want something enough and you work hard to get it, your dreams can come true.
Playing With the Enemy by Gary W. Moore. Penguin Books, 2006.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Gene Moore was a fifteen year old boy that is an incredible baseball player in the small, very poor, farming town of Sesser, Illinois. He played in a semi-pro league where most of the other players on the team were quite a bit older than he was. He was the starting catcher, clean-up hitter, and unquestioned leader of the team. One day, while he was warming up the starting pitcher for his team, someone in the crowd called him over to talk to him. It was a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, named Frank Boudreau. After discussing it with his parents, they allowed him to sign with the Dodgers. One day during the offseason, Gene was at the movies and heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. He decided to join the war, but instead of fighting, he played baseball. The army and navy decided that if any players signed by major league teams signed up for the war that they would make two teams and play in North Africa as entertainment for wounded soldiers. After he left Africa, he was ordered to guard a group of German prisoners of war in Louisiana. After several weeks, he decided to teach them how to play baseball because they didn’t have enough guards to field two teams. They play several games and the Americans win all of them, but during the last game on a play at the plate, Gene slid into home plate and dislocated his ankle. After Gene was back home for 4 years, Frank came back and signed him to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates even though, after the ankle injury, two screws were put in his ankle just to keep it in place. He couldn’t get into a traditional catchers squat because of the screws in his ankle. He was still good, but he wasn’t as good as he was before his injury. He reported to one of their minor league teams and played for them for a few weeks, then after making a diving play to save a perfect game, he was released because his ankle was in such bad shape.
“A true story of a man’s reaching out to the enemy during a very dark time in our history. Gene Moore and his fellow sailors teach all of us that compassion and tolerance does exist, especially when the bridge builder happens to be that great American pastime: baseball. History and baseball buffs alike will revel in this episode of a man’s ability to reach out, even during a time of war.”
Gerald R. Molen, Academy Award-winning producer of Schindler’s List
This story shows the baseball career of Gene Moore from begin to end with vivid detail. I can picture everything in the story from the poor town of Sesser to the makeshift baseball diamond they made in Louisiana in order to play the Germans. In most other books that I’ve read, the details in the book haven’t been as specific as this one.
“Summers in Southern Illinois are hot, and July 1941 was hotter and more humid than most. Sesser is a small country town in “downstate” Illinois, ninety mile southeast of St.Louis. Although the entire country had suffered from the ravages of the Great Depression, this small coal mining town ws particularly hard hit.
I’m an avid baseball fan and love everything about baseball, especially the history behind the game. This book was about not looking at everyone as an enemy even if you’re really supposed to, never giving up, and that even in bad situations, you can always find a way to have fun. What I enjoyed about this story was how a fifteen year old kid was signed to a Major League contract, this makes me believe that if you want something enough and you work hard to get it, your dreams can come true.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Pressure
It was the last day of the regular season. The sun was shining bright and there wasn’t a cumulus cloud in the sky. The three time defending state champion South Side Bombers were going into their final game needing a win to make the state tournament. They were playing their long time rivals, the North Side Heat, who also needed a win to make the state tournament. The two teams had played twice in the regular season, both winning on their home field, 4-2. This game, however, was going to be played on a neutral field on a local college campus.
It was almost time for the game to start and the captains for the two teams, Mark Jones for the Bombers and Bill Anderson for the Heat, met at home plate to exchange lineup cards. The two would be the starting pitchers and clean up hitters for their respective teams. Both players had lots of legerdemain.
“How germane that it would come down to this,” Bill said with a smile.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Mark answered with a grin.
Bill and Mark were the best players on their teams. Bill was very pudgy, five feet, six inches tall, and weighed about one hundred seventy pounds. He had a blazing fastball and could hit the ball a mile. Mark was quite a bit taller than Bill. He looked very gaunt at five feet, nine inches tall, and weighing only one hundred-thirty pounds. He had a curveball that fell off the table and could find the gaps in any outfield. The two were very different in size and had different strengths, but they both got the job done.
After they exchanged lineup cards, they flipped a coin to see who would be the home team and who would be the away team. The Bombers won the coin toss and elected to take the field first. Mark took his glove and led his team out onto the field to start off the game.
Both pitchers were pitching deftly. They both retired the first fifteen batters they faced with prowess, taking perfect games into the sixth inning. They both looked indefatigable. Both players would head back to the bench hearing nothing from coaches, or their teammates other than kudos.
“Way to go! You look great out there, keep it up!” they would hear from the stands.
It was the top of the sixth inning and Mark had struck out the first batter, but then gave up a double to the Heat’s number seven hitter. The next hitter bunted him over to third. Now there were outs and a runner on third. Mark began to feel the pressure. He walked the next batter on four pitches. His coach came out to the mound to talk to him.
“What’s the matter Mark?” his coach asked.
“Nothing coach, I’m fine,” Mark lied quickly.
“Okay Mark. Just keep pitching the way you are and everything is going to be fine,” his coach said with encouragement.
Mark gave up a base hit, allowing the runner from third to score, giving the Bombers a one run lead. Then, Mark quickly struck out the next batter on three pitches ending the inning.
The Bombers ran off the field and Bill led his team back on the field. He quickly retired the first two batters he faced with weak ground outs to shortstop. Then, Bill walked the next two batters. He stepped off the back of the mound and collected himself. He hopped back up onto the rubber and threw the next pitch. The weak fly ball ended the inning.
Mark went out for the seventh. He had to deal with the Heat’s most dangerous part of the order. He gave up a single to the lead-off hitter. The next hitter hit a deep fly ball deep to left that was caught, the runner on first tagged and when to second. There were two outs and a runner on second in the top of the seventh. It was Bill’s turn to bat. Bill casually walked up to the plate like he always does and Mark got nervous again. He tried to shake it off, but he couldn’t. He threw the first pitch to Bill and Bill knocked it out of the park for a two-run homer. That put the Heat up 3-0. Mark got the next two batters out, but the damage was already done. The Bombers would need to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh, or their season would be over.
Bill walked the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh. He gave up a single up the middle allowing one run to score making it 3-1. There were runners on first and second and no outs. The next two batters struck out swinging. It was the Bombers final out and it was Mark’s turn to bat. Mark slowly walked up to the plate with a nervous countenance. He stood in the batters box and watched the first two pitches go by, both strikes, to put him down 0-2. He called timeout, stepped out of the batter’s box, and tried to make himself placid. He got back into the box. He tried to stay calm and waited for Bill to throw the pitch. He knew what was coming, a fastball right down the middle, but under the pressure he put on himself, Bill cast the pitch.
“Strike three!”, the umpire yelled. Mark rued not even taking a swing.
Bill celebrated with his team, filled with zeal, as a newspaper reporter with much notoriety came over and asked if he would answer some questions.
“How did it feel to have a pressure cooker like the game today?” the reporter asked.
“This wasn’t a pressure cooker,” he said with a smile.
“It was a two run game. How was it not a pressure cooker?” he asked.
“The only pressure you feel in sports is the pressure you put on yourself,” he answered intelligently.
It was almost time for the game to start and the captains for the two teams, Mark Jones for the Bombers and Bill Anderson for the Heat, met at home plate to exchange lineup cards. The two would be the starting pitchers and clean up hitters for their respective teams. Both players had lots of legerdemain.
“How germane that it would come down to this,” Bill said with a smile.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Mark answered with a grin.
Bill and Mark were the best players on their teams. Bill was very pudgy, five feet, six inches tall, and weighed about one hundred seventy pounds. He had a blazing fastball and could hit the ball a mile. Mark was quite a bit taller than Bill. He looked very gaunt at five feet, nine inches tall, and weighing only one hundred-thirty pounds. He had a curveball that fell off the table and could find the gaps in any outfield. The two were very different in size and had different strengths, but they both got the job done.
After they exchanged lineup cards, they flipped a coin to see who would be the home team and who would be the away team. The Bombers won the coin toss and elected to take the field first. Mark took his glove and led his team out onto the field to start off the game.
Both pitchers were pitching deftly. They both retired the first fifteen batters they faced with prowess, taking perfect games into the sixth inning. They both looked indefatigable. Both players would head back to the bench hearing nothing from coaches, or their teammates other than kudos.
“Way to go! You look great out there, keep it up!” they would hear from the stands.
It was the top of the sixth inning and Mark had struck out the first batter, but then gave up a double to the Heat’s number seven hitter. The next hitter bunted him over to third. Now there were outs and a runner on third. Mark began to feel the pressure. He walked the next batter on four pitches. His coach came out to the mound to talk to him.
“What’s the matter Mark?” his coach asked.
“Nothing coach, I’m fine,” Mark lied quickly.
“Okay Mark. Just keep pitching the way you are and everything is going to be fine,” his coach said with encouragement.
Mark gave up a base hit, allowing the runner from third to score, giving the Bombers a one run lead. Then, Mark quickly struck out the next batter on three pitches ending the inning.
The Bombers ran off the field and Bill led his team back on the field. He quickly retired the first two batters he faced with weak ground outs to shortstop. Then, Bill walked the next two batters. He stepped off the back of the mound and collected himself. He hopped back up onto the rubber and threw the next pitch. The weak fly ball ended the inning.
Mark went out for the seventh. He had to deal with the Heat’s most dangerous part of the order. He gave up a single to the lead-off hitter. The next hitter hit a deep fly ball deep to left that was caught, the runner on first tagged and when to second. There were two outs and a runner on second in the top of the seventh. It was Bill’s turn to bat. Bill casually walked up to the plate like he always does and Mark got nervous again. He tried to shake it off, but he couldn’t. He threw the first pitch to Bill and Bill knocked it out of the park for a two-run homer. That put the Heat up 3-0. Mark got the next two batters out, but the damage was already done. The Bombers would need to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh, or their season would be over.
Bill walked the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh. He gave up a single up the middle allowing one run to score making it 3-1. There were runners on first and second and no outs. The next two batters struck out swinging. It was the Bombers final out and it was Mark’s turn to bat. Mark slowly walked up to the plate with a nervous countenance. He stood in the batters box and watched the first two pitches go by, both strikes, to put him down 0-2. He called timeout, stepped out of the batter’s box, and tried to make himself placid. He got back into the box. He tried to stay calm and waited for Bill to throw the pitch. He knew what was coming, a fastball right down the middle, but under the pressure he put on himself, Bill cast the pitch.
“Strike three!”, the umpire yelled. Mark rued not even taking a swing.
Bill celebrated with his team, filled with zeal, as a newspaper reporter with much notoriety came over and asked if he would answer some questions.
“How did it feel to have a pressure cooker like the game today?” the reporter asked.
“This wasn’t a pressure cooker,” he said with a smile.
“It was a two run game. How was it not a pressure cooker?” he asked.
“The only pressure you feel in sports is the pressure you put on yourself,” he answered intelligently.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
2nd Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Double Play by Robert B. Parker. The Berkley Publishing Group, 2004.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Double Play is about Joseph Burke, a World War II veteran protecting one of the most famous Major League Baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, as well as recollections of the author’s childhood. The story takes place in many cities with Major League Baseball teams during the 1940’s (Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, etc.). During the story there are many attempts to kill Robinson and Burke because of Robinson’s race. This story shows how racist people were towards African Americans during the early and mid 1900’s. This story shows how tough Jackie Robinson was being the first African American to play in what was an all white person sport even though everywhere he went, people were ridiculing him and insulting him.
“Intriguing...a well crafted novel about honor, responsibility, redemption, and triumphs. The beauty of this novel is how Parker mixes history with fiction, winds his characters around the periphery of baseball and then gives the story real depth with Bobby’s memories.
-Edmonton Journal
Double Play is a fictional novel about Jackie Robinson’s first year in the Major Leagues. The story shows how wherever Robinson went, there were going to be people who believed he didn’t belong. Also, that he had to follow the same rules as other African Americans (eating in African American restaurants, going to African American hotels, using African American restrooms, etc.). This reminds me of when I learned about the civil rights movement and how African Americans had to use different doors, restrooms, etc., than white people. This story also shows how brave Jackie Robinson was to go out and prove all the doubters wrong and open the door for other African Americans to play Major League Baseball with white men.
Double Play also reminds of when I first started to like baseball, when the author writes short little anecdotes and mixes them into the story. The author talks about how he would listen to the as many games as he could on the radio when they were on. He talks about how he listens to the scores as they are read over the radio. All of which, as a big baseball, I do whenever there’s a game.
“ The man stared straight ahead, as he drove slowly, without speaking. Burke watched him for a moment. He was a thick pale-faced man with a lot of flesh around his neck. He was wearing a tan golf jacket and a white broadcloth shirt. He was having trouble swallowing. Burke was silent. As they went under a streetlight Burke could see the sweat on the man’s face.” (p. 167)
I am a really big baseball fan and I like reading books about historical events in baseball, or articles about important baseball games, so this book was perfect for me. This story helped me realize how hard it was on Jackie Robinson being the first African American baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. By reading this book I learned how much the game has changed
Double Play by Robert B. Parker. The Berkley Publishing Group, 2004.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Double Play is about Joseph Burke, a World War II veteran protecting one of the most famous Major League Baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, as well as recollections of the author’s childhood. The story takes place in many cities with Major League Baseball teams during the 1940’s (Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, etc.). During the story there are many attempts to kill Robinson and Burke because of Robinson’s race. This story shows how racist people were towards African Americans during the early and mid 1900’s. This story shows how tough Jackie Robinson was being the first African American to play in what was an all white person sport even though everywhere he went, people were ridiculing him and insulting him.
“Intriguing...a well crafted novel about honor, responsibility, redemption, and triumphs. The beauty of this novel is how Parker mixes history with fiction, winds his characters around the periphery of baseball and then gives the story real depth with Bobby’s memories.
-Edmonton Journal
Double Play is a fictional novel about Jackie Robinson’s first year in the Major Leagues. The story shows how wherever Robinson went, there were going to be people who believed he didn’t belong. Also, that he had to follow the same rules as other African Americans (eating in African American restaurants, going to African American hotels, using African American restrooms, etc.). This reminds me of when I learned about the civil rights movement and how African Americans had to use different doors, restrooms, etc., than white people. This story also shows how brave Jackie Robinson was to go out and prove all the doubters wrong and open the door for other African Americans to play Major League Baseball with white men.
Double Play also reminds of when I first started to like baseball, when the author writes short little anecdotes and mixes them into the story. The author talks about how he would listen to the as many games as he could on the radio when they were on. He talks about how he listens to the scores as they are read over the radio. All of which, as a big baseball, I do whenever there’s a game.
“ The man stared straight ahead, as he drove slowly, without speaking. Burke watched him for a moment. He was a thick pale-faced man with a lot of flesh around his neck. He was wearing a tan golf jacket and a white broadcloth shirt. He was having trouble swallowing. Burke was silent. As they went under a streetlight Burke could see the sweat on the man’s face.” (p. 167)
I am a really big baseball fan and I like reading books about historical events in baseball, or articles about important baseball games, so this book was perfect for me. This story helped me realize how hard it was on Jackie Robinson being the first African American baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. By reading this book I learned how much the game has changed
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