Calico Joe by John Grisham
Doubleday – 2012 ($24.95)
While John Grisham is best known for his detailed legal thrillers, he has set that aside to pen a baseball-focused tale of relationships and redemption that gives readers a look into the heart and soul of an “old school” hardballer, his family and the ultimate victim of his approach to life and the national pastime.
The story initially centers on Joe Castle – a hard hitting 21-year-old phenom from Calico Rock, Arkansas, who joins the Cubs during the 1973 season. Castle homers in his first three major league at bats and continues on a tear that sees him with 21 home runs and an average near the .500 mark after 38 games. Unfortunately for Calico Joe Castle, his last home run comes in his first at bat against Warren Tracey, a 34-year-old journeyman pitcher trying to hang on with the Mets – not a very good hurler and even less of a father, husband, friend or team mate. Known for an “old school” attitude, a fierce temper and a penchant for hitting batters, Tracey takes his revenge in Castle’s next (and last) at bat with an intentional and nearly fatal bean ball that puts an end to both their careers.
In the stands for the game is Warren Tracey’s 11-year-old son Paul, who idolizes Castle as much as he dislikes his own often absent and always overbearing father. Paul, who has been berated by his father for not knocking down hitters when he’s on the Little League mound, knows and dreads what’s coming when Calico steps in for his second at bat– and is among the most passionate non-believers when Warren later denies he hit Castle intentionally.
Years later, Paul still feels personal and family guilt. With Warren– by now on wife number 6 and just as dour as ever – dying of cancer, Paul becomes determined to arrange a redemptive meeting between Warren and Joe. Paul, however, finds plenty of opposition to the proposed meeting – from his father and Joe Castle’s very protective family and community. Paul’s quest and the relationships he discovers and builds along the way are what Calico Joe is really all about. It takes us all the way from a major league baseball diamond to two former big leaguers, both damaged in different ways, facing each other in folding chairs in small town ball park.
Now, if statistics are your priority, Calico Joe may not be for you (at times, some of the numbers just don’t seem to add up). However, if you are a baseball fan looking for an enjoyable summer read, this book will capture you. I recommend it for the story, for its ties to baseball and for the fact that Grisham has made it even more interesting by deftly intermingling real players and events with his fictional cast of characters. Again, a fun summer read, ideal for the beach or campground.
