THREE STRIKE SUMMER

Drought, failed crops, and loss take a toll on Gloria, but she holds on to her dream of playing baseball.

When her family is evicted from their farm in Balko, Oklahoma, just weeks after her baby brother’s death, Gloria Mae Willard pitches a fit—then pitches a rock through the bank man’s windshield. Pa is impressed with her throwing arm but shares some hard truths: They’re going to do migrant work in California until they earn enough to own land again. The only thing Gloria wants as much as keeping their own farm, where Little Si is buried under the cottonwood, is to join a baseball team. The Balko boys never let girls play, but Gloria persists until she proves herself to the boys in their California shantytown. Narrated by Gloria in a conversational tone that brings the setting to life, readers feel her grief, outrage, and gritty determination. Descriptions of the Dust Bowl years and hardscrabble life in the camps are searing, and Gloria matures as she learns about others’ struggles. While she organizes a ballgame, Pa organizes the peach orchard workers to strike for better conditions only to be betrayed. Pa is in danger of being clobbered by police until Gloria and her teammates intervene, illustrating the importance of hope, honor, and team spirit in combating hardship. An informative author’s note explains the historical context, including the reasons behind the all-White communities Gloria inhabits.

Inspiring.