Wonderful Slice of Americana! 'The All American' - by Susie Finkbeiner

 

About the book:

It is 1952, and nearly all the girls Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys--she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

When Bertha's father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she'll never forget.

Join award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner for a summer of chasing down your dreams and discovering the place you truly belong.

My review:

Another wonderful story from Susie Finkbeiner! This was a beautiful story about a close-knit family who suddenly finds themselves ostracized because of an accusation.  The story's told from two points of view, Bertha and her little sister, Flossie, who is a hoot!  She loved to read any fiction she could get her hands on, even if it was too old for her and she didn't understand the meanings.  She reminded me of her favorite heroine, Anne of Green Gables, and I loved her straightforwardness while also cringing at times from the things she said.  She just wanted to get at the truth as fast as possible and didn't try to be mean!  I really enjoyed all of the characters as they were written so well and you could see that they were people who cared about their fellow humans and tried to be kind and generous.  Both girls were at different points of life and were learning what kind of people they wanted to be and if dreams were worth it.  They also had to learn how to react when treated unfairly or when tragedy struck.  They were a Bible believing, church going family who talked about suffering and hard things but leaned into hope.  I laughed, I cried.  I cheered them both on and not just in the baseball games.  I do wish we would have had a little more wrap-up at the end as I wanted to know where everyone ended up.  A wonderful slice of Americana!  I highly recommend it!

I received this book free from Revell.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

           The Author

1. Susie Finkbeiner

   Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, as well as Stories That Bind Us, The Nature of Small Birds, and other novels. Susie and her husband have three...

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