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scottnap's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kegriese1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
sheltzer's review against another edition
4.0
This book was fascinating. Mickey Rawlings finds himself in St. Louis playing for the Browns. He's approached with an offer to play in a semi-pro game against a team from the Negro Leagues. Shortly after, the winning pitcher from the Negro League team is lynched and found hanging from the backstop. When Mickey is suspended for playing in the game, he finds himself delving into the convoluted world of Prohibition-era race relationships to find out if the pitcher was killed over the final score or for a different reason
Not so much on the baseball this time around and, I admit, I'm not well-versed in the Negro league players of the day. But the historical background on the KKK and the St. Louis race riots of 1917 was utterly fascinating. It was interesting to watch Mickey's eyes be opened to the what separate but equal means through his budding friendship with the "colored" lawyer. I had no idea how widespread the KKK was in the 20s, nor how wholesome it was viewed by the general populace. It sounds so different from what I think about the deplorable actions and members of today's KKK, it makes me want to read more about the "Invisible Empire" that comes complete with it's own language, secret signals and totally ridiculous titles.
Not so much on the baseball this time around and, I admit, I'm not well-versed in the Negro league players of the day. But the historical background on the KKK and the St. Louis race riots of 1917 was utterly fascinating. It was interesting to watch Mickey's eyes be opened to the what separate but equal means through his budding friendship with the "colored" lawyer. I had no idea how widespread the KKK was in the 20s, nor how wholesome it was viewed by the general populace. It sounds so different from what I think about the deplorable actions and members of today's KKK, it makes me want to read more about the "Invisible Empire" that comes complete with it's own language, secret signals and totally ridiculous titles.
komet2020's review
5.0
In the novel "HANGING CURVE", we are reunited with the major league utility ballplayer Mickey Rawlings. It is the spring of 1922 and Rawlings is now playing for the St. Louis Browns of the American League (AL), a team that would be vying for the AL pennant that year. He's chafing over seeing so little playing time with the Browns that he accepts the invitation of a former major league teammate to play 1 game with a white semi-pro team against the East St. Louis Cubs, a Negro semi-pro team. (Rawlings, when he had played for the Detroit Tigers, had had the opportunity to see some of the other Negro baseball teams play and was deeply impressed by the quality of play these teams showed. Indeed, he wished he could play against them. But with the new baseball commissioner Kinnesaw Mountain Landis in firm charge of Major League Baseball, he generally forbade major league players playing against Negro baseball teams.)
Anyway, Rawlings accepted the offer and, under an assumed name, joined the Elcars in their game against the East St. Louis Cubs in East St. Louis, IL (just across the border from Missouri and very close to St. Louis). On the Cubs was a Negro pitcher by the name of 'Skip' Crawford who pitched brilliantly against the Elcars, striking out Rawlings in a dazzling display of pitching. The game was intense and tempers flared from the Elcars, who were outclassed by the Cubs. Subsequently, Crawford is found dead in the same ballpark several days later, apparently a victim of lynching.
Rawlings is deeply affected by Crawford's murder and takes it upon himself to investigate the murder. In the process, he learns first-hand about the darker side of America as it was in the 1920s when overt racism against Negroes (African Americans) was often condoned or generally accepted without demur by most Americans. Indeed, Rawlings is made painfully aware of the growing power and influence the Ku Klux Klan exerted in several state legislatures beyond the South (e.g. in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri) and in the local police department.
On the whole, "HANGING CURVE" is a fascinating novel that faithfully conveys the thrilling drama of professional baseball juxtaposed with Rawlings' sleuthing skills and the various personalities in his life whose relationships with Rawlings spice up the novel all the more.
Anyway, Rawlings accepted the offer and, under an assumed name, joined the Elcars in their game against the East St. Louis Cubs in East St. Louis, IL (just across the border from Missouri and very close to St. Louis). On the Cubs was a Negro pitcher by the name of 'Skip' Crawford who pitched brilliantly against the Elcars, striking out Rawlings in a dazzling display of pitching. The game was intense and tempers flared from the Elcars, who were outclassed by the Cubs. Subsequently, Crawford is found dead in the same ballpark several days later, apparently a victim of lynching.
Rawlings is deeply affected by Crawford's murder and takes it upon himself to investigate the murder. In the process, he learns first-hand about the darker side of America as it was in the 1920s when overt racism against Negroes (African Americans) was often condoned or generally accepted without demur by most Americans. Indeed, Rawlings is made painfully aware of the growing power and influence the Ku Klux Klan exerted in several state legislatures beyond the South (e.g. in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri) and in the local police department.
On the whole, "HANGING CURVE" is a fascinating novel that faithfully conveys the thrilling drama of professional baseball juxtaposed with Rawlings' sleuthing skills and the various personalities in his life whose relationships with Rawlings spice up the novel all the more.