Synopses & Reviews
About this Guide:
The questions, author biography and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your group's discussion of "Last Days of Summer." We hope that they will provide you with new ways of looking at this "poignant, golden evocation of one boy's lost innocence." (Publishers Weekly)
About this Book:
Laced with nostalgia reminiscent of baseball's legends, "Last Days of Summer" is a story filled with emotion and leavened with humor about the small triumphs people can achieve by finding ways to connect with others.
Told in letters, notes, report cars, matchbook covers, postcards and telegrams, "Last Days of Summer" tells of the evolving relationship between two unlikely friends and an even more unlikely role model. A Jewish boy growing up in a tough Ital ian neighborhood, Joey Margolis lives with his mom and his elderly Aunt Carrie. Added to the regular beatings from neighborhood kids and other burdens weighing upon his young shoulders, he's troubled by Hitler's rising power, his parents' divorce, and an absent father who repeatedly lets him down. Craving a surrogate dad, Joey strikes up a correspondence with Charlie Banks, the third baseman for the New York Giants. That he does so by dint of persistently nagging Charlie sets the tone not just for their o ngoing correspondence but for a relationship that will change both their lives forever.
Praise for this Book:
"One of the most pleasant surprises of this publishing year." -Parade
..".Inventive...a plot that swerves from Joey's Bar Mitzvah to a White House meeting with President Roosevelt to a tearjerking climax...a poignant, golden evocation of one boy's lost innocence." -Publishers Weekly
Questions for Discussion:
1. When we first meet Joey Margolis, he's clearly a bright and sensitive little boy, despite his tough-guy posturing. How does he use these two sides of his personality to pursue the relationship with Charlie?
2. Despite Joey's initial pursuit of Charlie Banks and the ballplayer's antagonistic response, Charlie could just as easily have continued to ignore Joey's letters. Why didn't he? What did he find compelling in them?
3. By November of 1940, Joey and Charlie are just about ready to call it quits. What changes Charlie's mind? What convinces Joey to toe the line?
4. Very early on, Joey has decided that he's going on a road trip with Charlie Banks. He also knows that it's going to be the most significant thing that will ever happen to him. And he's right. What turning point does he reach when he's on the road with Charlie? How does his life change permanently?
5. Baseball in the Forties was a far different game than it is today, and the world was a much different place. Could a story like "Last Days of Summer" take place in the present? How would it be different?
6. Shortly after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Craig Nakamura, his family, and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans are relocated to concentration camps. How likely is it that such a scenario could actually take place today?
7. Throughout the first part of the novel, Charlie becomes the father that Joey doesn't have. Yet shortly after the road trip, the roles begin to reverse. What are some examples of this change taking place? Who starts this process? How do both Joey and Ch arlie feel about the changes?
8. In "Last Days of Summer" Joey creates his own extended family.Who would you include on Joey's family tree? How would you define "family" as it means to the characters in this novel? 9. Knowing what we know about Charlie's own past, why doe s he eventually become so emotionally involved in Joey's life? What does he see in Joey?
10. We discover from the epilogue that Joseph Margolis has grown up to be a successful novelist and sportswriter, a devoted husband, and a loving father. How much of Joey's success would you attribute to his relationship with Charlie? Try to imagine how J oey's life might have turned out if he had never met Charlie Banks.
About the Author: Steve Kluger has written plays for the stage and for television. He has written extensively on subjects as far ranging as World War II, rock 'n' roll, the Titanic and the Boston Red Sox. He is the author of numerous screenplays, several works of nonfiction, including "Yank: World War II From the Guys," and the novel "Changing Pitches." He lives in Santa Monica California, is an avid baseball fan, and an active member of the Jewish Big Brothers. He has dedicated LAST DAYS OF SUMMER to his father.
Synopsis
May 15, 1940
Charlie Banks
New York Giants
Polo Grounds, New York
Dear Mr. Banks:
I am a 12-year-old boy and I am dying from malaria. Please hit a home run for me because I don′t think I will be around much longer.
Your friend,
Joey Margolis
Dear Kid:
Last week it was the plague. Now it′s malaria. What do I look - stupid to you? You′re lucky I don′t send somebody over there to tap you on the conk. I am enclosing 1 last picture. Do not write to me again.
Chase. Banks
3d Base
Dear Charlie:
Nobody asked for your damn picture. I never even heard of you before. And you can forget about the home run too. The only reason I needed one was because the bullies who keep beating me up somehow thought you were my best friend and the homer was supposed to keep them from slugging me anymore. Thanks for nothing.
Can I go on a road trip with you?
Your arch enemy,
Joey Nargolis
Dear Joey:
"Somehow" they thought I was your best friend? Where did they hear that from? A Nazi spy? J. Herbert Hoover? Franklin Delano Biscuithead? And didn′t I tell you not to write to me anymore? Go bug DiMaggio.
Charlie
P.S. And just because there′s a spot open for a bat boy this summer doesn′t mean your going to get it. Even if we ARE chips off the same block. May 15, 1940
Synopsis
May 15, 1940
Charlie Banks
New York Giants
Polo Grounds, New York
Dear Mr. Banks:
I am a 12andndash;yearandndash;old boy and I am dying from malaria. Please hit a home run for me because I don't think I will be around much longer.
Your friend,
Joey Margolis
Dear Kid:
Last week it was the plague. Now it's malaria. What do I look andndash; stupid to you? You're lucky I don't send somebody over there to tap you on the conk. I am enclosing 1 last picture. Do not write to me again.
Chase. Banks
3d Base
Dear Charlie:
Nobody asked for your damn picture. I never even heard of you before. And you can forget about the home run too. The only reason I needed one was because the bullies who keep beating me up somehow thought you were my best friend and the homer was supposed to keep them from slugging me anymore. Thanks for nothing.
Can I go on a road trip with you?
Your arch enemy,
Joey Nargolis
Dear Joey:
"Somehow" they thought I was your best friend? Where did they hear that from? A Nazi spy? J. Herbert Hoover? Franklin Delano Biscuithead? And didn't I tell you not to write to me anymore? Go bug DiMaggio.
Charlie
P.S. And just because there's a spot open for a bat boy this summer doesn't mean your going to get it. Even if we ARE chips off the same block. May 15, 1940
About the Author
Steve Kluger has written extensively on subjects as far-ranging as World War II, rock 'n' roll, and the Titanic, and as close to the heart as baseball and the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with Steve Kluger