John Grisham’s newest, Calico Joe, is a wonderful gem of a story (even if you aren’t a big fan of baseball).
The story is told from the viewpoint of a man whose father was the rather unpleasant pitcher for the New York Mets. Grisham goes back and forth as the tale unfolds, telling us of the boy’s conflicted feelings—wanting to respect the father who played for a major league team—while also fearing the father who drank and abused his family. When Calico Joe, a phenomenal rookie playing for the Chicago Cubs takes the country by storm, everyone loves him. The tragedy of this story occurs when the boy’s father pitches to Calico Joe. This book is not very long (almost 200 pages), but Grisham’s storytelling abilities make it a fascinating read even for those of us who aren’t fans of our national pastime.
Available Formats: Hardcover | Large Print | Audio Book
Want more baseball-filled books?
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
- Blockade Billy by Stephen King
- Summerland by Michael Chabon
- Underworld by Don DeLillo
For even more baseball books, check out these lists:
- The 13 Best Baseball Books via The Daily Beast
- Reading Suggestions for Baseball’s Opening Week from Columnists & Readers via The New York Times ArtsBeat Blog
- Behold Baseball’s New Literary Prospects via USA Today
- My Four Favorite Baseball Novels by Dave Astor via The Huffington Post
- Further Reading: The Life Lessons of Baseball via Shelf Awareness for Readers
What’s your favorite baseball-related book? Tell us in the comments!
