OUTFIELD ORPHAN

Against the background of major league baseball, Benjie Sadler struggles with and eventually overcomes an exaggerated racial self-consciousness. Convinced of personally directed prejudice at every turn, wounded by every remark, alone in an isolated world, his skill as batter and fielder are soon affected. Even his trade to another team is likened to slavery. From the majors, back to the minors and again into the majors, through experiences good and bad with black and white alike, Benjie soon comes to recognize the personal character of his isolation, and with courage and a more realistic self-image assumes his place as a member of the human race. A human interest story set in the feverish atmosphere of the baseball diamond insures palatable reading for the young sport.