Calico Joe by John Grisham My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Goodreads Review:  This was a wonderful story about the dark side of baseball. Grisham creates a beautiful hero who perseveres and I loved every minute of it. If you watched baseball in the 70’s or if you are a fan today, you will enjoy this book!

I know.  I know.  I’m a mystery writer, so why am I reading a book about baseball?  Confession time.  I love books and movies about sports.  These stories provide a natural protagonist (the team, the player) and antagonist (the other guys) and always build to such a wonderful ending.  I’ve seen Field of Dreams so many times I don’t think I could come up with a number and Blindside?  What a wonderful story of  love, strength and overcoming adversity.  Shoot, I even watched Hoosiers and I’m not much of a basketball fan.  Growing up, my older brother played in school and I can still remember the smell of the gym, the deafening sound of the buzzer and even the squeaking of the shoes as the players ran endlessly up and down the court.  Hoosiers captures all of that but also shows someone like me what the game is really all about.  I think these stories should be prescribed to anyone suffering depression.  It couldn’t hurt.

Now understand, I am not a regular watcher of sports.  I keep up with it, but I rarely sit down and watch a game.  I just love the stories that come out of these events.  Sports are a treasure trove of characters and plotlines.

In Calico Joe the story is not about the main character’s game but his father’s.  This wonderful hero sets out to right a terrible wrong against odds that are overwhelming.  If you watched baseball in the 1970′ s, you will love the appearances of the players who were big at that time.  My brother and I collected the cards and played a form of a card-flying baseball game on any flat surface we could find.  Think of if as fun without video games.

If you love a good sports story with a heart then check out Calico Joe.