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The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
This book chronicles the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the stories of the first women to play professional baseball in a league of their own.
"In 1941, the world was at war, and with American men fighting overseas, the much needed pastime of professional baseball was in danger of extinction—until women stepped up to the plate."
In this heartwarming illustrated history, the League's story is told by the ones who know it best: the players. Author Anika Orrock collects a variety of funny, charming, wince-worthy, and powerful vignettes told by the players themselves about their time playing the American pastime.
• Features stories of grit and perseverance against all odds, told by the players themselves
• Filled with player statistics, historical beats, headlines, and more; and fully illustrated in Anika's vibrant style
• A visually engaging, readable women-led history book
Written in an approachable manner and beautifully illustrated, The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is a one-of-a-kind story told through the women's own voices and their own perspectives.
This book ultimately proves that the incredible women of the AAGPBL truly were in a league of their own.
• A unique celebration of a specific moment in women's and sports history
• A great read for experienced and new sports fans alike, readers young and old, baseball fans, and anyone looking for an inspiring gift for an aspiring professional sports player
• Perfect on the shelf with books like Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker, and Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! by Kate Schatz
"In 1941, the world was at war, and with American men fighting overseas, the much needed pastime of professional baseball was in danger of extinction—until women stepped up to the plate."
In this heartwarming illustrated history, the League's story is told by the ones who know it best: the players. Author Anika Orrock collects a variety of funny, charming, wince-worthy, and powerful vignettes told by the players themselves about their time playing the American pastime.
• Features stories of grit and perseverance against all odds, told by the players themselves
• Filled with player statistics, historical beats, headlines, and more; and fully illustrated in Anika's vibrant style
• A visually engaging, readable women-led history book
Written in an approachable manner and beautifully illustrated, The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is a one-of-a-kind story told through the women's own voices and their own perspectives.
This book ultimately proves that the incredible women of the AAGPBL truly were in a league of their own.
• A unique celebration of a specific moment in women's and sports history
• A great read for experienced and new sports fans alike, readers young and old, baseball fans, and anyone looking for an inspiring gift for an aspiring professional sports player
• Perfect on the shelf with books like Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker, and Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! by Kate Schatz
160 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2020
14 people are currently reading
1637 people want to read
About the author
Anika Orrock
6 books20 followersAnika Orrock is an award-winning illustrator, author and cartoonist. Her debut book, The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (March 10, 2020; Chronicle Books), is a fully illustrated history of America’s first and (so far) only professional women’s baseball league.
Anika’s work is included in the Society of Illustrators 62nd Annual exhibition & book and has been featured in national publications, including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and on NPR.
You can find more of her illustrations, comics and musings on Instagram @anikadrawls.
Anika’s work is included in the Society of Illustrators 62nd Annual exhibition & book and has been featured in national publications, including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and on NPR.
You can find more of her illustrations, comics and musings on Instagram @anikadrawls.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 12, 2019
"You have to understand that we'd rather play ball than eat.." - Lavonne "Pepper" Paire
"World War II was the really big one for my generation... Times changed, women had to leave the home and the kitchen. Now the men are coming back, you women get back in the kitchen! I'm sorry, you've opened the door of opportunity and we're not in the kitchen, we're out in the world being productive and doing other things and having other opportunities." - Delores "Dolly" Brumfeld
Oh. My. Godddddd. This book has EVERYTHING. Through a really unique, engaging and seamless interplay of visual queues and actual quotes from payers, coaches, newscasters, and press reports, this book tells SUCH A STORY, dipping in and out of individual players lives and struggles to the evolving attitude toward women playing baseball on a level that, at its peak, drew A MILLION SPECTATORS.
Neither does the book shy away from the negatives. From facing sexism in the form of impractical but ~*feminine*~ uniforms, to patronizing over-policing of players' private lives, to the struggles of players to balance their spouse's wants and feelings. There's even this eye-popping quote from Paire later in life: "I stopped talking about our league for a long time, because whenever...someone would ask me how I knew so much about the game, and I'd say, 'Well, I played girls' professional baseball years ago.' And they'd say, "You mean softball?' I'd say, 'No, I mean baseball.' And they'd do a double take and say, 'You man softball.' And I'd say again, 'No, I mean baseball.' And after I'd say it about the fourth or fifth time, they'd say, 'You mean... baseball? Like men's baseball? Like with a hard ball?' And from the look in their eyes, I could see that they still didn't believe me. You can look 'em right in the eye and say'baseball,' and they'll look you right back and say 'softball.' Well, you get tired of doing that, and I can't carry my scrapbooks around on my back."
And sexism isn't where it stops. Orrock opens a truly haunting section on the struggles of African American women to be part of this new movement with the paragraph, "For the first time, a generation of young girls had grown up watching women play professional baseball, and by the early 1950s, many other women who had also grown up playing baseball were finally aware that the All-American Girls Baseball League existed and that a career in baseball was possible. Unfortunately, many of those women would never have the opportunity to play." Follows is the story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, an African American woman who showed up to an AAGBBL tryout and was turned away, after having "groen up playing baseball with the boys, just like every other All-American."
But because all of these warts are shown as what they are, part of the history, the story just resonates that much more deeply. I didn't think I was in a place where what basically amounts to a baseball picture book would bring tears to my eyes, but here we are. This book was one hell of a ride, and I'm totally buying myself a physical copy even though I rarely do so for myself anymore.
And if I, a total sportsball neophyte and committed non-interestarian feel this way about the book? A must-read for anyone who is even remotely inclined to pay attention to sports.
:I just know that I loved the game, I always loved it all my life...And the All-American League was beautiful." - Jean Faut
"World War II was the really big one for my generation... Times changed, women had to leave the home and the kitchen. Now the men are coming back, you women get back in the kitchen! I'm sorry, you've opened the door of opportunity and we're not in the kitchen, we're out in the world being productive and doing other things and having other opportunities." - Delores "Dolly" Brumfeld
Oh. My. Godddddd. This book has EVERYTHING. Through a really unique, engaging and seamless interplay of visual queues and actual quotes from payers, coaches, newscasters, and press reports, this book tells SUCH A STORY, dipping in and out of individual players lives and struggles to the evolving attitude toward women playing baseball on a level that, at its peak, drew A MILLION SPECTATORS.
Neither does the book shy away from the negatives. From facing sexism in the form of impractical but ~*feminine*~ uniforms, to patronizing over-policing of players' private lives, to the struggles of players to balance their spouse's wants and feelings. There's even this eye-popping quote from Paire later in life: "I stopped talking about our league for a long time, because whenever...someone would ask me how I knew so much about the game, and I'd say, 'Well, I played girls' professional baseball years ago.' And they'd say, "You mean softball?' I'd say, 'No, I mean baseball.' And they'd do a double take and say, 'You man softball.' And I'd say again, 'No, I mean baseball.' And after I'd say it about the fourth or fifth time, they'd say, 'You mean... baseball? Like men's baseball? Like with a hard ball?' And from the look in their eyes, I could see that they still didn't believe me. You can look 'em right in the eye and say'baseball,' and they'll look you right back and say 'softball.' Well, you get tired of doing that, and I can't carry my scrapbooks around on my back."
And sexism isn't where it stops. Orrock opens a truly haunting section on the struggles of African American women to be part of this new movement with the paragraph, "For the first time, a generation of young girls had grown up watching women play professional baseball, and by the early 1950s, many other women who had also grown up playing baseball were finally aware that the All-American Girls Baseball League existed and that a career in baseball was possible. Unfortunately, many of those women would never have the opportunity to play." Follows is the story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, an African American woman who showed up to an AAGBBL tryout and was turned away, after having "groen up playing baseball with the boys, just like every other All-American."
But because all of these warts are shown as what they are, part of the history, the story just resonates that much more deeply. I didn't think I was in a place where what basically amounts to a baseball picture book would bring tears to my eyes, but here we are. This book was one hell of a ride, and I'm totally buying myself a physical copy even though I rarely do so for myself anymore.
And if I, a total sportsball neophyte and committed non-interestarian feel this way about the book? A must-read for anyone who is even remotely inclined to pay attention to sports.
:I just know that I loved the game, I always loved it all my life...And the All-American League was beautiful." - Jean Faut
March 22, 2020
I had high hopes and was really looking forward to reading this book, but it didn’t reach the heights I had hoped it would.
Author Anika Orrock’s two- to three-paragraph blurbs tie the book together, giving us a quick idea of whatever subject the next group of quotes will loosely address. I had hoped for more substance, and Ms. Orrock’s brief passages, while possessing a few pieces of knowledge, didn’t share enough to engage me. The best part of the book are the quotes from the players. We are treated to firsthand personal accounts of what the league was like, and what it was like to be part of the league.
If you are looking for more details about the league, there are a few books listed in the sources. I may check out one of them to find what I didn’t find with this book. To be fair, the title does say “The Incredible Women” and the quotes are the home runs of this book. Unfortunately, the rest of the book did not measure up, and essentially struck out. Three stars.
Author Anika Orrock’s two- to three-paragraph blurbs tie the book together, giving us a quick idea of whatever subject the next group of quotes will loosely address. I had hoped for more substance, and Ms. Orrock’s brief passages, while possessing a few pieces of knowledge, didn’t share enough to engage me. The best part of the book are the quotes from the players. We are treated to firsthand personal accounts of what the league was like, and what it was like to be part of the league.
If you are looking for more details about the league, there are a few books listed in the sources. I may check out one of them to find what I didn’t find with this book. To be fair, the title does say “The Incredible Women” and the quotes are the home runs of this book. Unfortunately, the rest of the book did not measure up, and essentially struck out. Three stars.
April 28, 2020
I miss baseball so hard right now, and this book filled some of that void for me.
The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was different than I expected. It's mostly a book of quotes from the players, the coaches, and the press.
I loved the quotes from the players! It began with little snippets that every girl can relate to! Boys not wanting a girl on their team until - of course - they started losing (Lois Youngen) or being told girls don't need baseball gloves (Norma “Hitch” Whitney).
Then it moved on to the memories of these incredible women playing baseball. At first these memories were absolutely precious, but the insights regarding their uniforms and femininity and the makeup requirements were hard to hear! I think the quotes did a good job of showing what things were really like for these women.
I loved getting insights into how tough and amazing these women were! I just wish I could have gotten more information about each of them. There were a few profiles of the baseball players, but the narrative was mostly about the league as a whole. I would have loved some background on the women and some specific stories about the women to give more substance to the quotes in the book.
Overall, though, this was a wonderful book to curl up with for an evening. I love this sport, and it's amazing to think of all of the things these women accomplished both on the field and after.
The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was different than I expected. It's mostly a book of quotes from the players, the coaches, and the press.
I loved the quotes from the players! It began with little snippets that every girl can relate to! Boys not wanting a girl on their team until - of course - they started losing (Lois Youngen) or being told girls don't need baseball gloves (Norma “Hitch” Whitney).
Then it moved on to the memories of these incredible women playing baseball. At first these memories were absolutely precious, but the insights regarding their uniforms and femininity and the makeup requirements were hard to hear! I think the quotes did a good job of showing what things were really like for these women.
I loved getting insights into how tough and amazing these women were! I just wish I could have gotten more information about each of them. There were a few profiles of the baseball players, but the narrative was mostly about the league as a whole. I would have loved some background on the women and some specific stories about the women to give more substance to the quotes in the book.
Overall, though, this was a wonderful book to curl up with for an evening. I love this sport, and it's amazing to think of all of the things these women accomplished both on the field and after.
April 9, 2021
This book was like dessert, and I loved every page of it. Maybe also because my attention span these days is low and I could use sparse text and pretty pictures, and this is somewhat akin to a baseball graphic novel. A lot of the joy of reading this book came out of the way it was put together, in that the illustrations were a huge part of what made it work, as there's not much of a straight narrative so much as a collection of quotations and wonderful little stories taken from interviews, oral histories, and news clippings that take you through the league. If you're looking for a detailed chronological history or a scholarly take on the AAGPBL, this isn't it, but if you don't know much about the league beyond the movie, there's enough here to give you a flavor for what it was really like (and if you do know a bit, there are enough extras here that you'll probably learn something you didn't know before) -- I think the YA reader, in particular, will get a lot out of this. Though it's also a perfect book to have on your shelf or your coffee table just to flip through and admire.
February 17, 2020
This is a comprehensive history of the women's professional baseball league. The format of the book is an interesting delivery of the history of the game and the league. Having all of the quotes from the former players, coaches, and even some family members is a great method to talk about the history of the league. To hear from the players themselves is fantastic as a resource. I like that Orrock put in the effort to talk to the players and coaches to include their words in the book as we are getting closer to no longer having those people to talk to in order to hear the stories from themselves.
I appreciate the fact that Orrock progressed past the prime time of the league's playing action. That she included what all of the girls did after the war, and also how the war changed their options for jobs and education.
Anyone interested in women's history or sports history would absolutely love this book.
I appreciate the fact that Orrock progressed past the prime time of the league's playing action. That she included what all of the girls did after the war, and also how the war changed their options for jobs and education.
Anyone interested in women's history or sports history would absolutely love this book.
December 29, 2019
Each page of this book was like walking through a museum. The classic illustrations were of a vintage quality, and the quotes from each of the AAGBL players take the reader back to the world of 1940s and 1950s Americana.
Kudos to author and illustrator Anika Orrock, who does everything except take the reader to an actual game. She does an outstanding job of conveying to the reader the essence of her research efforts into the history of the women who played the sport during the era of the Greatest Generation. I loved the way the book is organized, chronologically, from the beginning to the end of the league, using the voices of the legends who played the game. The quality of the writing is just as good as the quality of the illustrations. A must-have book for any serious baseball fan.
Kudos to author and illustrator Anika Orrock, who does everything except take the reader to an actual game. She does an outstanding job of conveying to the reader the essence of her research efforts into the history of the women who played the sport during the era of the Greatest Generation. I loved the way the book is organized, chronologically, from the beginning to the end of the league, using the voices of the legends who played the game. The quality of the writing is just as good as the quality of the illustrations. A must-have book for any serious baseball fan.
November 28, 2019
As a big fan of A League of Their Own, I was super excited to find this book. It’s written in an approachable manner that will appeal to all readers. The illustrations 😍 are outstanding especially the beauty guide. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this book when it gets published.
ARC provided by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.
ARC provided by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.
December 18, 2019
I love this book so much! So much more than just baseball, this book deals with sexism, racism, beauty standards, and more. The unique combination of visuals with quotes from a variety of different perspectives really bring this book to life. Approachable for readers of all ages.
ARC provided by #NetGalley in exchange for review
ARC provided by #NetGalley in exchange for review
September 22, 2020
Some books are just special. This is one of them. I read it for research, but would have enjoyed it nevertheless as a book simply for enjoyment.
March 10, 2020
This is a brilliant work by a remarkably talented woman. Full disclosure, I'm a card carrying male. But my eyes and mind were opened by some of the most entertainingly unique illustrations and wonderfully anecdotal stories that completely altered my knowledge of, and appreciation for, the incredible women who served our country and culture from the baseball diamond. I can't recommend this book enough to everyone from young girls to old men. You won't find a more entertaining history lesson, or more evocative illustrations, each one telling a delightful story of its own.
March 20, 2020
I have been fascinated by the women that played baseball during the war since watching their story portrayed in a A League of Their Own. The author of this book focuses on the way these women were treated during their time playing and after. The sexism was apparent in everything from their uniforms to their curfews and monitoring of their social lives. After the war, the women were expected to go back to their lives as they were before and many struggled with that. I really enjoyed this book and thought the author did a great job writing it.
April 19, 2020
Life is all about opportunity, isn't it? In the 40s and 50s, 5% of women went to college. 600 women had the opportunity to make good money playing baseball in the All American Girls league. Half of them went on to college and became lawyers, doctors, coaches, etc.
This is a really great read on the league. The illustrations are beautiful, too, and would make a great addition to anyone's library. I highly recommend.
This is a really great read on the league. The illustrations are beautiful, too, and would make a great addition to anyone's library. I highly recommend.
March 30, 2020
I loved this book so much. It brought me so much joy and opened up a whole new world of history and happiness for me. I am going to continue to read everything I can about the AAGPBL and if Anika writes anything else, I'll be reading it. Her illustrations are fun and entertaining and fill in the story between the words. Well done!
December 31, 2020
My last book for 2020! I'm glad to end the reading year on a great note!
December 31, 2022
So well put together - love the style of the illustrations and the flow.
July 19, 2022
The story is told mostly through quotes from the players themselves, but along with some exposition paragraphs, it does form a interesting narrative. I'll give it five stars for the retroesque illustrations - I loved them!
February 26, 2020
This might be the perfect gift for a tweener or young teen to introduce them to the AAGBL particularly if they’ve never watched “A League of Their Own.” Most of the story is told using caricatures of the players interspersed with a few photographs. It almost seems to follow in the footsteps of the movie.
The entire time I was reading the book, I couldn’t decide whether I found the book delightful or whether it was insulting to the players because they are reduced to being cartoon characters. Using this format prevented the author from delving deeply into the history of the incredible women of the AAGBL. So we miss out knowing more about how it felt to have men they didn’t know running their lives, from the clothing they wore to being told how to comport themselves, to being yelled at by men in the stands, to women demeaning them for playing ball in short skirts, to having male coaches.
It would have been incredible if the author had gone beyond the outline of the movie and given us fewer cartoon characters and more substance.
My thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an eArc.
The entire time I was reading the book, I couldn’t decide whether I found the book delightful or whether it was insulting to the players because they are reduced to being cartoon characters. Using this format prevented the author from delving deeply into the history of the incredible women of the AAGBL. So we miss out knowing more about how it felt to have men they didn’t know running their lives, from the clothing they wore to being told how to comport themselves, to being yelled at by men in the stands, to women demeaning them for playing ball in short skirts, to having male coaches.
It would have been incredible if the author had gone beyond the outline of the movie and given us fewer cartoon characters and more substance.
My thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an eArc.
March 11, 2020
Author interviewed on "Baseball by the Book" podcast 031020
December 31, 2020
The title says it all -- this book is "INCREDIBLE" for its history (baseball, American in WWII and post-WWII, trailblazing women) and Anika Orrock's artwork. As a tomboy growing up in the 1970s I loved playing baseball with my older brother and collecting baseball cards, wishing that I could be a pro ballplayer during my childhood. But as Orrock's book points out in the 1970s it seemed the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) had been forgotten mostly until the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own." This book is a goldmine of lost history, personal stories of women who were the underdogs based on discrimination and the way it is put together makes it poignant, uplifting and entertaining at the same time.
August 18, 2020
3.5 out of 5. The first hand tidbits from players in the league are really great, and I love the cartoons that really make this a beautiful book to enjoy reading. It’s a quick read (seriously read this book in about 2 hours, including breaks and half watching a baseball game). It’s engaging and I think it will be enjoyable for young and old. However, I really wanted a deep dive into the subject, and this didn’t provide that. It breezes over so much history and ultimately leaves me wanting so much more (which isn’t necessarily all bad.) I also would have liked a deeper look at WOC.
October 6, 2020
This book grabbed my attention right from the beginning. I was in high school when A League of Their Own came out and happened to play softball, so I absolutely loved the movie. This book reminded me of that love. It also reminded me that I am really grateful to have been born in the era I was born in and not when these great women were born. I highly recommend!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
January 8, 2021
I got this book from a friend of mine. I devoured it the day I got it. It's an excellent primer into the short lived AAGPBL. It's well sourced, and is a combination of history book and graphic novel discussing a lot of the players experiences through quotes. It is set up more like a scrapbook than a novel or a history book. I would recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the short lived league and enjoys baseball history.
April 23, 2020
A great tribute to the AAGPBL. Well researched, with great quotes from the players themselves. And the illustrations are wonderful.
May 16, 2020
A fun history of a largely forgotten entity. The stories told by those involved along with the fun illustrations portray a wonderful pastiche.
May 20, 2020
I loved this book so much. I cried, I laughed, it was wonderful.
May 25, 2020
Seriously missing baseball right now, but this book made me feel more nostalgic about it than I had before. All baseball fans should read, but especially girls.
June 4, 2024
I can't say enough about this book! But I'll try.
1) The history. I love the movie "A League of Their Own", it's a great place to start, but this book is so much more! I learned SO MUCH from this book, like that it lasted 12 years! I also had no idea how incredibly tough these women really were. It's so inspiring. I just loved the quotes and stories from players. I can't imagine gathering all of that and putting it together in a way that tells a beautiful story, but the author managed to do it. I also really appreciate that she included some history about the women who played in the Negro Leagues. I figured the All American League did not permit women of color, but I didn't even know women played in the Negro Leagues. The context is important and it sparked my interest to order more books about the women of the Negro Leagues like the new book about Effa Manley by Andrea Williams and a book about Toni Stone titled "Curveball".
2) The art! These are not cartoony drawings just for kids. Illustration used to be a more predominant art form used in advertising and media and books for both kids and adults. Now we have graphic novels, which are great, but not everyone likes to read in that format. This is the best of both worlds. It reads like a book, but every single page contains beautiful illustrations that add so much to the story. They give so much feeling! If there is anything at all cartoonish about them, it’s sophisticated and fun like old New Yorker magazine style cartoons. The best part is that the art is done in a way that really conveys the era the stories come from. Not overly done in a kitschy way, but like this author reached back in time for the best parts but then somehow keeps it fresh and modern.
3) The story and the feeling. You can tell the author can write, but she lets the words of the women baseball players shine. She also uses newspaper articles and bits from magazines and documents like league rule books and beauty guides. It’s like a time capsule! These things provide a context of the time and I realized when I finished the book what a great choice that was. The author could have written about everything and just told the reader the kinds of things that were said and what the general feeling was like, but writing from a modern perspective can sometimes dilute these things. You really get a feeling of the time and what the experience was like for these women and for the public who embraced them in a short amount of time. It’s like the difference between watching a movie dramatization about someone vs. seeing actual footage of them. Everything is placed together nicely so you can read it cover to cover like a story, but each section is like a story in itself, so you can also just pick it up and open to a page and enjoy a few pages here and there. I’m sure there are books that go into greater depth about the All American league. If you really want to get into all of the stats and records and things or if you plan to write a dissertation, this is not the comprehensive history book for you. I just read a full history of the league and it was interesting, but it wasn’t engaging. It was like a textbook, which isn’t bad! But this book was so engaging and entertaining. I felt like I could really feel what the whole thing was like––a really positive experience for these women. I can only describe it as there is a lot of love in this book.
Maybe that’s why I felt l compelled to write this long review. This book just made our family happy and continues to make us smile when we open it. It has also inspired us to learn more about other women in baseball. It’s also a good reminder about how unified and mobilized our country was in WW2 and hopefully can be again. Thank you to Ms. Orrock for bringing these stories to life! I think this book will be a classic.
1) The history. I love the movie "A League of Their Own", it's a great place to start, but this book is so much more! I learned SO MUCH from this book, like that it lasted 12 years! I also had no idea how incredibly tough these women really were. It's so inspiring. I just loved the quotes and stories from players. I can't imagine gathering all of that and putting it together in a way that tells a beautiful story, but the author managed to do it. I also really appreciate that she included some history about the women who played in the Negro Leagues. I figured the All American League did not permit women of color, but I didn't even know women played in the Negro Leagues. The context is important and it sparked my interest to order more books about the women of the Negro Leagues like the new book about Effa Manley by Andrea Williams and a book about Toni Stone titled "Curveball".
2) The art! These are not cartoony drawings just for kids. Illustration used to be a more predominant art form used in advertising and media and books for both kids and adults. Now we have graphic novels, which are great, but not everyone likes to read in that format. This is the best of both worlds. It reads like a book, but every single page contains beautiful illustrations that add so much to the story. They give so much feeling! If there is anything at all cartoonish about them, it’s sophisticated and fun like old New Yorker magazine style cartoons. The best part is that the art is done in a way that really conveys the era the stories come from. Not overly done in a kitschy way, but like this author reached back in time for the best parts but then somehow keeps it fresh and modern.
3) The story and the feeling. You can tell the author can write, but she lets the words of the women baseball players shine. She also uses newspaper articles and bits from magazines and documents like league rule books and beauty guides. It’s like a time capsule! These things provide a context of the time and I realized when I finished the book what a great choice that was. The author could have written about everything and just told the reader the kinds of things that were said and what the general feeling was like, but writing from a modern perspective can sometimes dilute these things. You really get a feeling of the time and what the experience was like for these women and for the public who embraced them in a short amount of time. It’s like the difference between watching a movie dramatization about someone vs. seeing actual footage of them. Everything is placed together nicely so you can read it cover to cover like a story, but each section is like a story in itself, so you can also just pick it up and open to a page and enjoy a few pages here and there. I’m sure there are books that go into greater depth about the All American league. If you really want to get into all of the stats and records and things or if you plan to write a dissertation, this is not the comprehensive history book for you. I just read a full history of the league and it was interesting, but it wasn’t engaging. It was like a textbook, which isn’t bad! But this book was so engaging and entertaining. I felt like I could really feel what the whole thing was like––a really positive experience for these women. I can only describe it as there is a lot of love in this book.
Maybe that’s why I felt l compelled to write this long review. This book just made our family happy and continues to make us smile when we open it. It has also inspired us to learn more about other women in baseball. It’s also a good reminder about how unified and mobilized our country was in WW2 and hopefully can be again. Thank you to Ms. Orrock for bringing these stories to life! I think this book will be a classic.
May 5, 2020
This is a delightful book, full of the best illustrations, quotes and bits of historical information in the AAGPBL. There’s a few profiles on specific ladies, some snippets from their etiquette guides, lots of quotes from newspapers at the time of the League. There’s comic stripes and charts drawn along side the gals and their quotes. It’s a really fun way to learn more about the AAGPBL and the gals who played in it.
September 26, 2022
The art in this is an absolute delight. I was expect a true graphic novel format with a unified narrative and this book doesn't function as such. It's fairly loose, more like a scrapbook. But it has a tremendous amount of heart and it's clear there was so much research put into the endeavor. If you're interested in women's sports or the history of baseball in general, I'd highly recommend it.
August 2, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the history presented behind this league. After viewing, A League of Their Own , I learned that I had a cousin who played catcher for the South Bend Blue Sox. The sources listed at the end let me research more about the league and my relative.
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