This review was first posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings. I'm also hosting a giveaway on my blog right now for a set of the two books in this series. You can enter for your chance to win here: http://midnight-orchids.blogspot.com/2012/07/double-review-and-giveaway-legend-o...

The Legend of Mickey Tussler has a little bit of everything for everyone, which makes it enjoyable for a broad range of people. There's a little bit of romance, jealousy, rivalry, sportsmanship, friendship and the list could go on.

My experience with stories rooted in baseball has been more of a historical, fact based relationship rather than a fictional one. I like both styles, but reading The Legend of Mickey Tussler was more enjoyable because I got to experience so many different elements. The book really explores the inner workings of a baseball team and how the different personalities can come together to make the team work, (and how they clash.) The code of baseball was something new, or at least something that I noticed more in reading this novel. There are certain things you just don't do to your teammates, and if you do, expect consequences.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. The flow of the story is absolutely perfect. To me, it was a perfect mimic of the flow of a baseball game. There were moments of suspense, when you'd be reading with bated breath to find out what the character's next move would be. This was particularly poignant in terms of Molly and Murphy's relationship. It's obvious right off the bat that they have feelings for one another. Nappi does an excellent job of building up their relationship slowly, making it so that you want to root for them, and you want them to be together, but it's not overdone. In fact, there were times when I wished the story would get back to focusing on them because I was so eager to see what would happen between them.

I also really appreciated Nappi's portrayal of Mickey. I have never read a portrayal of someone with autism that is quite so honest, and, I'm not quite sure how to say this, flows so easily and doesn't seem stiff or straightforward like they're just portraying the symptoms of autism based on the textbook definitions. I've also never read a historical fiction piece that portrays someone with autism, all the fictional accounts of characters with Autism that I've read have been contemporary pieces.
I could clearly see the story from Mickey's perspective, he was what pulled me into the story. He's such a good person, who wants to be part of something, and wants to help. He's a very strong character, especially for the fact of how his father treats him. It's horrible treatment, to say the very least, but Mickey tries not to dwell on it, he mainly focuses on the positive things in his life, which is a good thing for anyone who's experienced abuse like he has.

There was only one part of this book that I was left wondering about in particular and that has to do with the fact that there wasn't a lot of detail given about what happened to Mickey after a particularly important event (don't want to spoil it for anyone). I would have liked to see more of an explanation of that part of the story.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
( )

While this book is well-written, I didn't like it at all. It just wasn't my type of book. I didn't like any of the characters. ( )

What elevates “The Legend of Mickey Tussler” by Frank Nappi from the status of good baseball story to excellent work of fiction is the author’s use of baseball as a metaphor for human aspirations and relationships. Mr. Nappi’s story has its villains and its beloved, vulnerable characters and an assortment of individuals capable to displaying varied degrees of empathy when their individual needs and ambitions are not interfered with. Failure is determined sometimes -- like a broken-bat single or a homerun hooked suddenly foul -- by chance but more often by selfish, powerful people. Epitomized by baseball manager Arthur Murphy, an aspiring person struggles against adversity and endures setbacks but does not give up. He must find like-minded souls (Molly, Mickey Tussler’s mother) to sustain him and, possessing empathy, he looks beyond himself to shield the vulnerable (the Asperger’s Syndrome farm boy Mickey).

The baseball aspect of Mr. Nappi’s story is excellent. The lingo is familiar; the characters are believable; the pennant race is exciting; the author’s knowledge of the game is clear-cut. Readers are rewarded for this reason alone.

However, it is the author’s writing skills that mostly make this book special. Mr. Nappi has done everything I hope to see a talented writer utilize.

Sharp sensory detail that establishes character presence: “Clarence [Mickey’s abusive father] stood leaning against a gray stone mantel, adorned with a yellowing lace doily held in place by an old brass lantern. Next to that was a family portrait in a tarnished frame and a dusty clarinet. Arthur’s eyes hurt, as if something acerbic were in the air. It smelled like cat urine or perhaps it was just mold spores. Either way, he could not stop rubbing his eyes.”

Visual detail interspersed with economical, purposeful dialogue: “‘Baseball?’ he mocked. ‘You want Mickey to play baseball? Now, what in tarnation is a baseball team gonna do with a retard? Huh?’

‘I don’t understand.’

The farmer was scratching his head. His amusement brought forth a smile, foul and yellow.

‘What my husband meant to say, Mr. Murphy, is that Mickey is a little –‘

‘I said exactly what I meant to say, woman,’ Clarence barked, raising his hand in mock attack. ‘Don’t you be correcting me. He’s a retard.’”

Concise expressiveness: “Mickey glared at Lefty, his feelings sharp and bent in the intruder’s direction. He sat still now, Oscar [Mickey’s pet pig] by his side, left alone to face the wickedness of a world of which he understood so little.”

Back stories to add dimension to secondary characters: “McGinty [the shortstop] was definitely the best fit for Mickey. His dad had died when Elliot was just eleven years old. Consequently, young Elliot became responsible for looking out for his mom and his younger sister, Emily, who was born with a degenerative hearing condition that had rendered her deaf by age four. The little girl struggled, drifting through life diffidently, unable to keep pace in a world that moved too swiftly and carelessly to allow for her needs.”

Subjective narration that communicates abstractions: “She [Molly] had survived all these years by not focusing on the vast parameters of the world at large but on what was immediately around her. It usually worked. She could lose herself in the mixing of animal feed or the husking of corn. … But occasionally, this vapid existence preyed upon her more tender sensibilities, awakened now and again by glimpses of what could have been, and she cried out in painful protest for the life she really desired but had yet to cultivate.”

Theme: “‘And there’s always another at bat. A chance to redeem yourself. You could be washed-up one day, and a hero the next. Truly. Nobody is tied to their fate.’ … Once again, it appeared, time and events had conspired against him. He was being played with, manipulated by a capricious wind blowing him everywhere. … Murph shrugged his shoulders, as if to suggest that it didn’t really matter. But in the darkest, most remote corner of his soul, hanging restlessly from a single strand of sticky filament like an anxious spider, was the unmitigated, undeniable truth.”

Story, depth of character, social commentary, and writer skill justify this five-star rating. ( )

An intriguing character study about Mickey Tussler, a 17 year old young man, trapped on a small farm with his mother and a very abusive father. Mickey exhibits what today would be called autism. Unfortunately, back in the 1940's when this story is set Mickey is viewed much differently.

Enter, completely by accident, Arthur Murphy, the manager of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, a farm team of the Boston Braves. A baseball lifer, Murphy is on a scouting trip to see a young phenom he hopes will be the missing player to ignite his mediocre team.

After watching Mickey toss apples into a basket target, to get them ready for Oscar the pig to eat, Murphy decides to take Mickey back with him and try him out as a pitcher.

This is a fun read, full of old timey baseball cliches, several us vs them subplots and the excitement of a pennant race.

Unfortunately it pales by comparison to other period baseball books. It would be a great YA novel, but it contains some graphic sex and violence that make it inappropriate for younger teens. Some of the plot devices were passable at best, including Murph's ongoing relationships with Mickey's parents. I liked the ending (hokey though it was) mainly because by the time I read it I was expecting a written by the numbers outcome. It was not and provided a surprise twist that I didn't see coming.

So I liked it, but wished it could have been executed a little better. ( )

Book talk: not appropriate for middle school due to sexual references

I loved this book and could not wait to finish it! ( )