Calico Joe - Large Print by John Grisham (Paperback)

About the Book

In this novel, the careers of a golden boy rookie hitter for the Cubs and a hard-hitting Mets pitcher take very different paths. The baseball is thrilling, but it is what happens off the field that makes this story a classic.

Book Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From America's favorite storyteller comes a moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, hailed as "an enjoyable, heartwarming read that's not just for baseball fans" (USA Today).

"Grisham knocks it out of the park."--The Washington Post

It's the summer of 1973, and Joe Castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas, dazzles Chicago Cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shatters all rookie records.

Calico Joe quickly becomes the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing New York Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faces Calico Joe, Paul is in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad.

Then Warren throws a fastball that will change their lives forever.

Review Quotes

"Grisham has hit a home run. . . . Calico Joe is a great read, a lyrical ode to baseball, small-town America, youthful innocence and a young boy's search for heroes."--The Buffalo News

"[A] pleasure . . . Suffice to say [Grisham] knows his way around the ballpark as well as he does a courtroom."--The Washington Times

"Grisham gets the baseball right. . . . If you were a fan of 1970s baseball, there's plenty of memory-lane material to go around."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"As with all Grisham novels, he hooks the reader early with a compelling story line and carries you all the way to the finish like a well-pitched baseball game."--The Charlotte Observer

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia.