About the Book

Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world–even in the hardest of circumstances

It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. 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 on them. Disgraced and shunned, the Hardings move to a small town to start over where the only one who knows them is shy Uncle Matthew. 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.

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In My Opinion

From the opening pages of Susie Finkbeiner’s The All-American, I was drawn into Bertha and Flossie’s worlds. Bertha, with her questionable Home Economics skills but indisputable talent on the baseball field—a talent which outshines many of the boys she plays with and Flossie, who is over-the-top dramatic yet completely likable.

In this coming-of-age story, Finkbeiner draws the reader back to the 1950s. While we often may think of this as a simpler time, that wasn’t the case for every family and that is wonderfully detailed in this story. When I first started reading this book, I thought it was a The Sand Lot meets A League of Their Own plot, but that didn’t last long.

Because while baseball has its part in The All-American, the true heart of this book is in finding your team. I’m not talking about the other players in a sport kind of team. I’m talking about those people who come around you to support you in both the good and the hard times. The family, friends, and community that circles around you to help you through the most difficult of times while also encouraging you to keep reaching for your dreams. The people who, when you just want to give up, push you to stand up and keep moving forward. Those who come into your life and make you a better person for knowing them.

So yes, the baseball bits of The All-American are a fun and interesting subplot of this story, but the heart of this book is about the people who see us for who we are and love us no matter what. Another book I will be talking about for a good long while.

Disclosure statement: I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.