I couldn't tell you what an inning or a fly ball is to save my life, but there's something I found absolutely enchanting about Diamond Ruby, a story of baseball, family, and the tumultuous time that was the 1920's. The Spanish Influenza Epidemic struck when Ruby herself was still just a child, and she was left to take care of her two young nieces. She used her freakishly long arms to throw rocks at squirrels, just so her family could eat. But when her alcoholic older brother loses yet another job, she needed to find a source of income for her family: being a sideshow at a circus, where men would pay money to try and throw a baseball faster than her.
But no man could. And thus, Diamond Ruby went on to become the first woman pitcher in a baseball league.
Ruby is a remarkable character; her strong will resonates throughout the book in every action she takes. Her life is anything but charmed: she is constantly surrounded by shady characters who have no respect for women, let alone a "freak" who can pitch 90 mph. Yet as Ruby meets real historical figures like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, Diamond Ruby becomes an interesting journey through the 1920's, complete with rumrunning, the Great Bambino and more.
This would be a fabulous book to discuss in a reading group or book club!
Beth gives it four out of five carrots!
Click here to buy this book at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!
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