Summary

Shoeless Joe Jackson may have been the greatest hitter that ever lived, but did he do it alone? Of course not. Joe never could have have done it without the help of Black Betsy, his bat.

Review

This story is part biography and part fiction. It’s an okay story, but I found the colloquial dialect of South Carolina to be stilted and distracting.  The dialect, coupled with a few odd stories (did Jackson really sleep with his bat?), cause the reader to walk away with the impression that Shoeless Joe was somewhat of an idiot.  He was, in real life, uneducated and illiterate – but that doesn’t make him an idiot.  The “Afterword” of the book provides an accurate biography of Shoeless Joe, and the final page is dedicated to his statistics.

What You Need to Know

• Role Models/Authority Figures – Shoeless Joe
• Violence – None.
• Sexual Content – None.
• Language – None.
• Consumerism – None.
• Drinking/Smoking/Drugs – None.
• Religion – None.
• Other
• Awards