Baseball Saved Us [Hardcover]

Ken Mochizuki (Author), Dom Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1993 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Shorty, a young boy living in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, helps form a baseball league and finds himself at bat in the final inning of the championship game.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These collaborators' prepossessing debut book introduces readers to a significant and often-neglected--for children, at any rate--chapter in U.S. history: the internment of Japanese-Americans during WW II. The nameless narrator and his family inhabit a camp in the parched American desert, where life becomes a bit more bearable after the internees build a baseball field, and the boy gains self-worth by hitting a championship home run. Although Mochizuki's stylish prose evocatively details the harsh injustice of the camps, some may feel the book suffers from uneven pacing. An introduction and much of the text are spent on background, leaving little time devoted to the actual camp regimen. In addition, the ending, in which the hero returns to school after the war and is again saved from prejudice by baseball, seems tacked on. Lee's stirring illustrations were inspired by Ansel Adams's photographs of the Manzanar internment camp. In the muted browns, sepias and golds of the desert, the artist movingly conveys the bleakness of camp life, with its cramped quarters, swirling dust storms and armed guards. The baseball scenes' motion and excitement lend effective contrast; the final illustration stands in particularly moving counterpoint to the earlier rigors. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-- After briefly describing the way his family was removed from their home and sent to an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II, the narrator, "Shorty," tells how baseball was used as a diversion from the dire situation in which the camp's inhabitants found themselves. After improvising a baseball diamond, uniforms, and equipment, they played games. In one of these contests, the usually weak-hitting Shorty catches a glimpse of one of the ever-present guards and channels his anger toward the man into his swing, resulting in a winning home run. After the war and his return home, he continues to play ball while at the same time being subjected to racial taunts, again refocusing his anger to produce positive results on the diamond. The sport plays a secondary role to the blatant racism depicted in this somber book. The paintings, scratchboard overlaid with oils, effectively reflect the tone of the story. Pair this powerful title with Hamanaka's The Journey (Orchard, 1990). --Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880000016
• ISBN-13: 978-1880000014
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball Saved US, July 26, 2004

By 

Amy "ahenn" (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball Saved Us (Paperback)

Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball Saved Us. New York. LEE & LOW BOOKS.

The story of "Shorty" and his family living at an interment camp during WWII can be used when teaching students about war, especially WWII. Younger students can relate to the character of "Shorty" and his struggles with fitting in and the hardships he feels among peers. Older students can debate the equality issues and the effect war has on people concerning race, religion, and nationality. The issues of prejudices are revealed through the eyes of a young Japanese-American boy. This story revolves around baseball, an all American great pastime. Baseball is the answer because the Japanese-American's are American's. The injustices in this book are well written to inform a large audience at many age levels.

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Offensive and stereotypic, with problematic messages., May 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball Saved Us (Hardcover)

The book starts out well. As a Japanese American teacher (retired) who was interned, however, I was very troubled by the stereotypic name ("Shorty") given to the protagonist; boys in camp had lots of nicknames--why select one that reinforces negative images? Was also disturbed by the boy's motivation, anger at the white camp guard, because it sends a poor message to young readers that they need anger at someone who was doing his job to motivate them. Most of the boys playing ball in camp played for love of the game, out of boredom, or someother reason but if they tried to do well it wasn't out of anger. Last, and most problematic, is the ending where after the war, Shorty is playing baseball and being called different racist names. Then he hits a home run and suddenly everyone loves him. The book never explains why calling people racist names is a bad thing. What if Shorty (like many children) couldn't hit a home run? The underlying message seems to be that if you assimilate enough into white culture (hit a home run) all your problems with racism will be solved. That's unrealistic and for those of us who have lived with racism, highly offensive. It's clear to me that the young man who wrote the book meant well but clearly he did not live through the war and has not thought these things out. Was told the book got some awards, and am most concerned that readers wouldn't see the inherent problems with the book. Baseball didn't save anybody.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars baseball saved us, March 31, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Baseball Saved Us (Paperback)

This book was about a boy and his family when america was at war with jaspan. The boys dad dicided to make a baseball field and everyone hekp it eas like the real thing. The boy was not such a good playaer but he practiced. After the war ended he went back home it was bad nobody talked him and also made fun of him. Basebasll season came and he palyed for a team there to they made fun of him saying Jap's no good. That same day he bated and he made jhi steam win. This sotry show the struggle and getting out it just by playing baseball.