Curveball Remarkable Professional Baseball League
This book recreates the story of Toni Stone, a ballplayer from the time she was in her teens. Unlike other pieces on Stone, which are articles or chapters, this is an entire book, and it's not padded. The author starts with Stone's life as a child in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Toni so persistently hung around ball games and ballplayers that she got asked to play by boys teams, by white teams, by older teams. Toni Stone was the real thing: a ballplayer.
Curveball covers Toni's life in San Francisco and her life on the road with the Indianapolis Clowns. The terrifying conditions that black Americans faced as they traveled through the Jim Crow South are realistically depicted. The discrimination that Toni Stone faced from her own teammates are likewise realistically portrayed.
Considering the fact that she had very few statistics to work with (Negro League games weren't meticulously recorded the way MLB games are), Ackmann has done an excellent job of recreating the baseball parts of Toni's life. There are places where explanations slow down the book, mainly in the middle, but the book as a whole recreates and pays tribute to the life of a strong woman who was also a ballplayer. Thanks to Ackmann's research and writing, the story of Toni Stone has been saved for posterity.
BalasHapusThis book recreates the story of Toni Stone, a ballplayer from the time she was in her teens. Unlike other pieces on Stone, which are articles or chapters, this is an entire book, and it's not padded. The author starts with Stone's life as a child in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Toni so persistently hung around ball games and ballplayers that she got asked to play by boys teams, by white teams, by older teams. Toni Stone was the real thing: a ballplayer.
BalasHapusCurveball covers Toni's life in San Francisco and her life on the road with the Indianapolis Clowns. The terrifying conditions that black Americans faced as they traveled through the Jim Crow South are realistically depicted. The discrimination that Toni Stone faced from her own teammates are likewise realistically portrayed.
Considering the fact that she had very few statistics to work with (Negro League games weren't meticulously recorded the way MLB games are), Ackmann has done an excellent job of recreating the baseball parts of Toni's life. There are places where explanations slow down the book, mainly in the middle, but the book as a whole recreates and pays tribute to the life of a strong woman who was also a ballplayer. Thanks to Ackmann's research and writing, the story of Toni Stone has been saved for posterity.
Everyone should read this book because it tells a story that could be lost if not told. Toni was a remarkable woman and a ball player.
BalasHapusI have been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it a year or so ago. It exceeded my expectations and is an inspirational tale--as well as an excellent historical look at baseball.
BalasHapusFor anyone--male or female--who has dreamed of playing in the big leagues, this book will ring true. Thanks to Martha Ackmann for taking on the role of telling this story with such impeccable insight and extensive research.