Samurai Shortstop - Alan Gratz
Category: Sport & Recreation
Narrator: Arthur Morey
Tags: Sport & Recreation, Literature
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 d
