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Writer's pictureHerzie Santos

Book Review: Mickey Mantle's Last Home Run


Summary

Mickey Mantle’s Last Home Run is a coming-of-age fiction by Steven A. Falco. Set in the 1960s, the story revolves around TJ, a white American, and Jonathan, a black American. They are friends and teammates on the JV baseball team. Though they share the same interest in baseball, they have different heroes. TJ looks up to Mickey Mantle, and Jonathan looks up to Martin Luther King Jr. But when Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, Jonathan blames all the white people, including TJ.


Review

I enjoyed reading this book! And to think, I’m not American, nor a baseball fan! Nevertheless, I recognize the historical references, and the smooth flow of narrative allowed me to visualize the situations in 1968. It’s been a long while since I read a light and fun book! It was so entertaining, and at the same time, it taught me new things which were mainly about baseball, and refreshed me with some historical events, and even the parts of the cell!


This book brought back my younger days. Those times when you do silly things to make a boring biology class enjoyable, or that time when you experience your first non-adult-supervised trip with your friends. But what I love the most about this book is its casual tone. It suits the setting and coming-of-age genre, as the story is told through TJ’s eyes. The distinct personalities between TJ, Jonathan, as well as Phil, and Frankie, were manifested with such great characterization.


Overall, I’m giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. It’s a great story about baseball, friendship, family, different beliefs, and racial conflicts. I highly recommend this to all readers who love coming-of-age stories, regardless if you’re a baseball fan, or not.


https://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Mantles-Last-Home-Run-ebook/dp/B07MKMMKN3/ref

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