Synopses & Reviews
Tokyo, 1890. High school can be brutal, even in turn-of-the-century Japan.
From his first day at boarding school, Toyo Shimada sees how upperclassmen make a sport out of terrorizing the first-years. Still, hes taken aback when the seniors keep him from trying out for the baseball team-especially after he sees their current shortstop. Toyo isnt afraid to prove himself; Hes more troubled by his uncles recent suicide. Although Uncle Kojis defiant death was supposedly heroic, it has made Toyo question many things about his familys samurai background. And worse, Toyo fears that his father may be next.
It all has something to do with -the way of the warrior-but Toyo doesnt understand even after his father agrees to teach it to him. As the gulf between them grows wider, Toyo searches desperately for a way to prove there is a place for his familys samurai values in modern Japan. Baseball might just be the answer, but will his father ever accept a “Western” game that stands for everything he despises?
Synopsis
While obtaining a Western education at a prestigious Japanese boarding school in 1890, sixteen-year-old Toyo also receives traditional samurai training which has profound effects on both his baseball game and his relationship with his father.
Synopsis
At a time when Japan is eager to shed ancient traditions, Toyo is caught up in the new sport of baseball, but when his father decides to teach him the way of the samurai, Toyo grows to better understand his uncle and father while also using his new knowledge to excel at baseball. Book available.
About the Author
Alan Gratz writes, “I have long been interested in Japan, but wasnt inspired to write until I stumbled across a curious photograph in a travel guide. In the picture, a Japanese man wearing a kimono and sandals throws out the ceremonial first pitch for the 1915 National High School Baseball Summer Championship Tournament. 1915! I knew of Japans love affair with baseball, but I had always assumed the sport was imported by American GIs during the Allied occupation at the end of World War II.” From there came the spark of an idea that grew into this remarkable first novel. Alan lives with his wife and daughter in Georgia.