|
Book Search:
Booklist Book Review
This review by Carolyn Phelan appeared in Booklist on February 27, 2012 As a catcher and a right fielder, Joyce Westerman played eight seasons of professional baseball the hard way - in a skirt. This volume from the Badger Biographies series begins with Westerman's early years in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After her father lost his job and her family lost their home during the Depression, they moved to a rural area, where she later worked hard on her uncle's farm. Hired to build airplane engines during WWII, she tried out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1945. During her career, she played for teams such as the Racine Belles and the Peoria Redwings. Occasional quotes from Westerman add her voice to the story. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, the book concludes with a time line, an extensive glossary, lists of discussion questions and activities, and bibliographies of source materials and recommended reading. Children reading this straightforward biography will learn about life in America during the 1930s and 1940s as well as Westerman's experiences playing in the women’s baseball league.
|
