My Favorite Books: Bums, an Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers

I'm going to start this post off by saying, I know. This book does not have anything to do with children's literature, my life as a children's author, or anything else that this blog is about. I get that. However, there's more to me than children's books, and the whole purpose of the My Favorite Books series of posts is to talk about, well, my favorite books.

Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers by Peter Golenbock has been one of my favorite books since I was in  high school. For one thing, I have always been a baseball fan. My favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, my parents must have thought I'd like the book and gave it to me one Christmas.

Why this is one of my favorite books.

This book traces the history of the Dodgers before they moved to LA. From 1890 to 1957, the club was based in Brooklyn. The team's history is highlighted through interviews conducted with everyone connected with the team throughout those years. Many of them were still living at the time the book was written. 

Reading the book gave me a sense of where the team came from and how it grew to be the team it is today. I learned a lot about the importance of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in baseball and was proud that my team had been the one to make that happen.

The book also connected the history of the team with other historical events and trends, like the spread of the population from cities to the suburbs, which eventually forced the team to move out west and expand Major League Baseball beyond the Mississippi River. That appealed to my interest in history.

What I didn't know when I first read it.

I did not know much of the history of the Dodgers, other than the fact that they used to play in Brooklyn, but moved out west, which ticked everyone in New York off. So, the book taught me a lot about the history of the team and baseball in general. I guess that's obvious.

It would not be until years later that I learned this book had a local connection to me. Fast forward twenty years or so. My wife and I were expecting, and were looking for a pediatrician. It turns out that the pediatric medical group that we selected had a Dr. Golenbock.listed among its doctors. Could he possibly be related to the author, Peter Golenbock? 

Sure enough, they were brothers. Small world, isn't it?

What's Abigail Reading? Michelle, the Not-So-Great Outdoors

Okay, so here's the deal. Abigail has been lobbying to be able to talk to me on the blog about books she's been reading. So I've managed to negotiate an accord whereby Christian and Abigail will talk with me about what they've been reading every other week.

Last week, Christian talked about a book, so now it's Abby's turn. We'll see how this works out. I really don't know if this is a passing fad with Abigail or not.Like many second graders, she wants to do what her big brother is doing if it seems cool. I'd like her to stick with it as it will encourage her to read. If you like what she has to say, please leave your comment at the bottom of the post--it will give her some encouragement. Thanks!

This week, Abby is reading a book featuring characters from the old Full House TV show, Michelle, the Not-So-Great Outdoors.

Here's what Abby says the book it about.

"Michelle and her family are going camping. Michelle signed up for an outdoors class. When the family got to the campsite, they ate dinner because it was getting late. The next morning they had pancakes with mint syrup, and Michelle didn't like it. Some of the syrup got on her clothes. 

"So Danny told her to go to the bathrooms, where there were showers. So she went into the shower and put her clothes on the door. When she was ready to get dressed, she found her clothes were gone and had to run back to camp in a towel. That was the start of her not so good camping trip.

"She meets a girl named Elizabeth who doesn't get along with at first. They are competing against each other for the Chipmunk Trophy. Whoever gets the most points in different events wins. I won't tell you what happens, but they work things out in the end."

Here's what Abby liked best about the book.

"I really liked when Michelle went to her first day of outdoors class. I liked it because they got to build shelters out of leaves and branches, whatever they wanted."

Was anything she didn't like?

"I didn't like that Elizabeth and Michelle got lost in the woods. I imagined what it would be like if I was lost. I didn't like that."

So, how did Abby rate The Not-So-Great Outdoors?

Abby gives it five out of five puppies and kittens.

Deliverers Interview: Cordon

Our second Deliverers interview this week is with Cordon the blacksmith and Calendria Council member. Let's see what he's got to say.

Greg:  Hi Cordon. Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to talk with us.

Cordon:  Don't mention it. Always happy to chew the fat with one of Eric's friends.

Greg:  You were one of the first Calendrians to push for actively resisting Sharky, is that right?

Cordon:   I'm not rightly sure what you mean. If you're asking was I one of the first to say that we should stand up to Sharky and his lowdown band of scum, then yeah, I'd say I was. THe majority of the village was afraid of Sharky. I guess I couldn't blame them, seeing as how he seemed to live forever.

Greg:  But you weren't aftraid?

Cordon:  Oh sure, I was afraid. But I got to thinking. Did I want to go spending my life always under that filthy dogs thumb? As far as I was concerned, that wasn't any way to live. So what could I do? Sit around while he robbed us blind and made our lives miserable, or do something about it? I chose to do something.

Greg:  So what did you decide to do?

Cordon:  Well, sir, I started making weapons. I figured one day they'd come in handy when I convinced everyone that resistance was the only course of action. And they did come in handy, eventually.

I never put much stock in the Deliverers legend, but I have to admit to the truth of it now. It took the arrival of Eric and Stig to spark the village. If they hadn't arrived, I don't know what would have happened.

Greg:  So what was your plan?

Deliverers Interview: Charles Endria

Well, some time has passed since The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel was published--seven months tomorrow to be exact. It seems like a long time ago. Some of you may recall that when I first started this blog, I conducted interviews with the main characters in the book; Eric Scott, Kate Endria, Stig, Hallo Tosis, and Sharky. I thought it was a good way to introduce folks to the book. If you missed those, you can find them here.

Now that more of you are familiar with the story, I've decided to feature a few more characters. I'll have an interview today and tomorrow, and a couple more next week. Today, we'll be chatting with Charles Endria, the Lord Mayor of Calendria.

Greg: Welcome to Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. It's great to have a chance to speak with you.

Charles:  Thank you for having me. 

Greg:  For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the book, you are the Lord Mayor of the village of Calendria and the father of Kate Endria, who assists Eric and Stig on their Assignment.

Charles:  That's right, Greg. Our village had been victimized for centuries by the pirate captain Sharky and his band of cutthroats. Eric and Stig arrived to help us. It was Kate who first recognized them as The Deliverers, heroes of an ancient legend.

Greg:  Yes, and she managed to convince you that the legend referred to them. How was she able to do that?

Charles:  Well, first of all you have to remember that one of the Deliverers was an eagle with the gift of speech. Now, Stig is no eagle, but he can definitely talk. That caught my attention. But I suppose the main reason that she was able to convince me was she passionately believed that one day The Deliverers would appear. It was a belief that she shared with her mother.

Greg:  Yes, I've heard that. You lost her when Kate was a little girl, I believe.

A Writer's Week #21: Moving Forward

This was a good week. Everything at work went smoothly. I was able to catch up on onne or two things, while at the same time holding some training sessions for our big project, and also getting in some one on one training with some folks who had just joined the bank.

I was also reasonably successful on the writing front. While I did not move the new book from where it's stood for over a month now, I was able to enhance what I've written so far. I added some tension by following Stig on his mission, showing what happened to him rather than having him recount it later.

I cut back and forth between him and what the others were doing to heighten the tension even more. It turned out to be a nifty little sequence that yielded two new one or two page chapters. What's more important, it makes the whole book better. I still have to tidy up a few loose ends and inconsistencies, but I can do that at my leisure.

While I was working on that, another idea occurred to me that will add a sense of urgency to another scene. This one involves Eric, Kate & Hallo. I'm going to try and work on that tonight. I may be able to get through it by the end of the night, but even if I don't, I'll be moving the story forward this week--finally.

I'm finally satisfied with the book as it stands now. I think it's better, more plausible, and I'm feeling more connected to this world as a result. Are there still things that I have to refine? Sure. Will some elements of the story need to change after I've finished it? Probably. But now I'm sure that I'm on the right track, and that this book will be a fitting sequel to The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel, and that's very empowering.

So, in the next week or so, the book will start moving forward once more. I'd love to have it all written, rewritten, and edited by the end of the year. Will it be? Keep checking in, and find out along with me!