John Grisham is known for his legal thrillers, and he’s written a great many of them, but he has occasionally hopped off the legal train and delved into other subjects. I’ve read and enjoyed a handful of his thrillers and almost all of his non-legal books. (Playing for Pizza would be my least favorite, but still not too bad.) I recently finished Calico Joe, a book written for the love of baseball, and I reeeaaallllyy loved it.  I’m feeling quite lazy in thinking of how to craft words to tell you about this story so instead I’m posting the blurb from goodreads in which some professional writer recounts and teases us beautifully.

   It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.

In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen.  The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.
 
Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…
 
In John Grisham’s new novel the baseball is thrilling, but it’s what happens off the field that makes CALICO JOE a classic.

There is a whole lotta baseball speak in this one and a lot of  lingo that any baseball lover will follow, but fear not, if you are not attuned to the ins and outs of baseball you don’t have to be. This is, at it’s heart, a story of forgiveness. And I’m not gonna lie, I cried.