Choosing Up Sides by John H Ritter

           

Title:  Choosing Up Sides    Author:  John H Ritter
ISBN:  0399231854    Pages:  166
Publisher:  Philomel Books, New York, 1998

Readers Annotation:
All his life, Luke has been told by his father the preacher that being a lefty is the sign of the devil. But, when Luke accidentally throws a perfect pitch with his left arm, he soon realizes that he has a life altering decision to make. 

Author Information:

John Ritter always enjoyed the sport of baseball, writing for The San Diego Union as Sports Editor. Eventually, this love for baseball led him to write his first of five novels, Choosing Up Sides, which won the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. He was also honored with the Judy Blume Award by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in 1994. Some of his other work
has appeared in journals, including Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine and The Christian Science Monitor.

Ritter attended University of California San Diego, where he joined the baseball team and met his future wife Cheryl. John currently lives in San Diego, CA with his wife. They are parents to a grown daughter, Jolie.

http://www.johnhritter.com/bio.html/

 

Plot Summary:

Thirteen year old Luke Bledsoe and his family recently moved to a small town, where his father had been relocated to be a preacher. Luke loves his father, but the preacher's shortcomings create a rift between the two. Luke's father's has a terrible temper, and would often physically abuse his son. Additionally, Luke was born left-handed, but his father tied that arm to his side to make it useless. Luke's father, motivated by a misconstrued religious belief, felt that being left-handed was a sign of the Devil.

One day, while doing chores outside, Luke hears loud shouting nearby. When he goes to check on the ruckus, he sees a large group of boys playing baseball - or as his father calls it, 'the Devil's playground'. But to Luke, it looks like everyone is just having fun. While he is standing off to the side watching, a ball lands his way. He throws it back to the players only to find that they are silenced by his aim and strength, and he is shocked by the wrongful use of his left hand. Luke is also shocked to find that the beautiful Annabeth has become enamored with him because of his shameful talent, and that his Uncle Micah now wants to write a newspaper piece on him. Conflict rages within, as Luke battles between the antiquated religious desires of his father, and his own desire for the freedom to be himself.

Critical Evaluation:

The reader can feel the author's love of baseball translated in the prose of the book, especially in the description of the importance of baseball to Americans in the 1920's. Small town life is accurately portrayed, and the reader can get a glimpse of this period in history through the jargon and vernacular used by the characters. Luke Bledsoe, the male protagonist 'speaks' to his audience, telling us his thoughts and emotions throughout the narrative. The audience can feel his conflict between wanting to do the wishes of his overly strict father, and wanting to live his life in freedom. Additionally, the reader is acutely aware of the romantic feelings the main character has for the beautiful and vivacious Annabeth. All in all, the book has a compelling story line for those adolescents who have suffered physical abuse at the hand of a parent or struggle with their religious upbringing.

Genre:  Sports Fiction, Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties:  History - America and baseball

Booktalking Ideas: 

     1. When Luke's father found out that he had used his "Devil's arm" for pitching in the "Devil's playground" of baseball, he got so angry that he whipped him six times, and broke his arm. Do you feel that religious beliefs condone violence in any form?

     2. Luke's Uncle Micah takes him to see the famous Babe Ruth play in a charity event. What would you do if you had a chance to see the most famous baseball player of all time?

Reading Level/Interest Age:  12+

Challenge Issue: none

Why I chose this item:  This book is a great addition as a sports story for younger male adolescent readers. Furthermore, I included this book for those who might have experienced some form of physical or mental abuse.