A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (Paperback)

by Sue Macy (Author) "World War II started when I was a senior in high school," All-Star pitcher Jean Faut remembered years later, and "everything else seemed to stop..." (more)
Key Phrases: women ball players, overhand pitching, baseball league, All-American Girls, Fort Wayne, South Bend (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Macy offers an excellent introduction to one of the least explored areas of baseball history (recently popularized in the film A League of Their Own ). Established by Chicago Cubs owner and chewing-gum magnate Phil Wrigley in 1943 as an entertainment alternative to the war-depleted major leagues, the AAGPBL lasted until 1954--and until very recently was all but forgotten. Macy has wisely chosen to focus not on the trivia of games past (although the appendix offers enough statistics to satisfy the most rabid baseball addict) but on the social history that produced the league and on the experiences of its players. She writes frankly about such problems as alcoholism and unwanted sexual advances from team officials, fans and sportswriters. The book is particularly astute in its observations on the league as a forum for female bonding, something that few women of the time had at their disposal. Perhaps the most affecting passages concern the reluctance of AAGPBL veterans to discuss their experiences until the rise of the women's movement gave them a renewed sense of self-worth. These tough and funny women emerge as heroic figures worthy of admiration and emulation. Archival photographs add to the book's historical value and its sense of fun. A worthy addition to the library of any baseball fan. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up?As much a social history of the postwar era as a chronicle of women in baseball, this lively, informative title?supported by interesting photos and appendixes?is in a league all its own.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014037423X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140374230
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,713 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Play Ball!, March 25, 2002

By	Elizabeth Medina (North Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from an adult's perspective. I enjoy baseball a lot, especially when it comes to women playing ball. If you're interested in learning about the AAPGBL and enjoying a trip back in time then Sue Macy's book is a good read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A cronicle of fierce competition and determination, December 7, 2006

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (Hardcover)

There has been some recent publicity regarding the women's professional baseball league of the late forties and fifties. However, at the time this book was published (1993), few people knew that there had once been such a league. Started in the latter years of World War II to provide entertainment for the hard-working people on the home front, it survived for twelve seasons. By all reasonable accounts it was a success, the women played very hard and there was a great deal of fan interest. In the end, it failed due to a change in the country. Once the national emergency of the war was over, the public mood turned against the idea of women engaging in such an "unfeminine" activity.
This book is a chronicle of those times, although the focus is on the business strategies the league officials carried out. There is very little about how the players lived their lives as baseball players. Three main themes are clear.

*) The players worked very hard, their schedule was grueling. During the season they almost never had a day off and many days they played two games.
*) Keeping with the spirit of the times, the women were required to maintain a feminine appearance. They wore makeup on the field and were constantly coached in proper female deportment. Of course, the best photos in the book show the players hitting, sliding and fielding. My favorite photo is on page 38. It shows Faye Dancer sliding hard into a base. The angle is from her feet, her skirt is up around her waist, dirt is flying everywhere and there is a fierce look of determination on her face. My second favorite is on page 48, where Merle Keagle is arguing with the home plate umpire. These are images that baseball fans appreciate and respect.
*) The level of the game was very high. One major league scout called one of the players the best fielding first "baseman" he had ever seen. Some of the players occasionally went up against men and did rather well.

Along with nearly every other area of society, women have made great strides in the athletic arena over the past three decades. In this book, it is easy to see that the problem with women's athletics has always been a societal one. Hopefully, women's sports are now fully entrenched and there will not be a reversal on the magnitude of the one that led to the death of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1954.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, April 29, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Whole New Ball Game: Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (School & Library Binding)

A Whole New Ballgame by Sue Macy was a great book. It told what some of the women did during World War 2 to help out in their communities. Some women played baseball. Baseball helped raise the spirits of the town. The women made some fabulous plays and were just as good as the men who were now overseas. They were great players and I'm sorry that the league wasn't able to hold on. I definitely recommend this book to girls who like baseball or softball.